Between 3 and 13 April 2026, Drs Adam Stinton, Liz Gaunt and Karen Pascal of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) visited St Vincent as part of the Ex-X Project.

The Ex-X Project is a large, multi-institutional initiative led by the University of Bristol, and involving several UK universities, the UWI Seismic Research Centre, MVO, and IPGP.

The project aims to improve understanding of dangerous, rapid transitions in volcanic activity by coupling models of magmatic systems, conduit processes, explosive eruptions, and ash plume dynamics.

During their time in St Vincent, MVO staff contributed to multiple components of the workshop, including fieldwork on deposits from the 2021 explosive eruptions of La Soufrière, St Vincent, and a series of presentations covering:

• Challenges faced by MVO when managing changes in eruptive behaviour
• Key eruptive events during Phases 4 and 5 at the Soufrière Hills Volcano
• Insights gained from the textural and geomechanical properties of volcanic rocks
• The use and integration of ground deformation data within new modelling frameworks

The workshop concluded with a hike to the rim of the Summit Crater, where participants were greeted with views of the new crater formed during the 2021 eruptions of La Soufrière, St Vincent.