Simon Young is a British vulcanologist who works on the tiny island of Montserrat in the West Indies. In 1995, the Soufriere Hills volcano began erupting and most of the residents had to leave the island. Simon works with other vulcanologists at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

 

Simon’s interest in vulcanology was sparked by the 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens in the United States. He read many
articles and followed the events on the news. He then studied geology at university.

 

As a vulcanologist, Simon feels that he can apply his geological knowledge to help people and save lives. The team closely monitors the volcano’s activity by collecting information, such as measuring the size of the volcano and the size of the lava dome that is growing within the volcano. They have also buried measuring instruments called seismometers in the ground, which send data directly back to the observatory.

 

The Giant’s Causeway is located in Northern Ireland. It is a series of basalt columns that stretch for
6 kilometres along the coast. There are approximately 40,000 stone pillars, each with 5 to 7 sides. The rocks jut out of the cliff face as if they were steps heading into the sea.

 

This wonderful rock formation was formed
60 million years ago. As successive flows of lava moved slowly toward the coast, they were cooled by the sea water into the shapes seen today.

 

The local legend from ancient times says that the steps were created by a giant called Finn McCool. He built the causeway as part of a road to the Scottish island of Staffa, which also has similar rock formations.

 

In 1986, the Giant’s Causeway was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in order to preserve it. Thousands of tourists visit this historic site each year.