Precious metals from destructive volcano could be island’s salvation

Oxford scientists think copper, lithium and gold in superheated brine on Montserrat could power a green revival and offer a way forward for the rest of the world
Tom Whipple
, Science Editor
The Times
The eruption of the volcano on the island of Montserrat rendered much of the island inhabitable but its results three decades on are intriguing a team from Oxford University
The eruption of the volcano on the island of Montserrat rendered much of the island inhabitable but its results three decades on are intriguing a team from Oxford University
Tom Whipple
, Science Editor
The Times

Thirty years ago on the small Carib­bean island of Montserrat a volcano started erupting — and kept doing so for 15 years. The capital city, Plymouth, was buried, half the island became uninhabitable, and much of the population were evacuated.

More than a decade later the eruption largely stopped, and scientists from Oxford University think the destructive volcano, and the metals dissolved in superheated brine beneath it, could prove to be the island’s salvation.

If they are right, their work could also help the rest of us, as the world seeks the materials and energy to power a clean economy.

Jonathan Blundy and his colleagues are exploring ways of extracting the metals when in solution
Jonathan Blundy and his colleagues are exploring ways of extracting the metals when in solution

Montserrat runs its electricity grid on imported diesel. As an island sitting above a volcano, this seems odd, said Jonathan Blundy, of the Oxford Martin