Join us for Volcano Views & Brews lecture series with the Mt St Helens Institute!

This months topic: Monserrat - Mangoes & Magma

Presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. - Join us anytime after 5:00 p.m. for food and drink. $5 suggested donation.

Montserrat, a small island in the Lesser Antilles, has long been nicknamed the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” for its lush rainforests and Irish heritage. More recently, the island has also been referred to as the “modern-day Pompeii” due to the ongoing volcanic activity that began in 1995, burying the capital city of Plymouth and leaving the southern portion of the island uninhabitable. Take a virtual journey to this island where turtles nest by the seashore, bats roost in seaside cliffs alongside crashing waves, steel drums and calypso music echo through the streets, and the resilient people of Montserrat have found a way to live with their volcano, Soufrière Hills.

Sonja's Bio

Sonja loves volcanoes! Before her move to the Pacific Northwest, Sonja worked as an educator at Montserrat Volcano Observatory in the Caribbean and as a Geological Society of America intern at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. Sonja earned her Masters of Science in Geology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research focused on caldera volcanism in Italy. Sonja has also poked around volcanoes, old and new, in New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Mexico, and the Canary Islands. Sonja enjoys walking on soft moss, listening to the sounds of moving water, kissing rocks, doodling, taking photographs, kayaking, and finding new places to explore and adventure! Sonja loves being outside, whether it’s for geologic fieldwork, rockhounding, or just meandering. She also really hopes that one day volcanology will discover that volcanoes are powered by dragons, but sadly realizes that’s probably not going to happen.