Montserrat, part of the the Lesser Antillies, is a volcanic Island just south of St. Kitts. The islands of the Lesser Antillies are volcanic in origin, and a product of the subduction of the North Atlantic ocean floor beneath the Caribbean plate. Volcanism associated with subducting slab has formed the back island arc system that make up the islands of the Lesser Antillies.

Viewed from the island of Dominica in the photograph above you can see the mountainous terrain of Montserrat in the distance. The typical rough topography of all the islands in the Lesser Antilles is a result of the volcanism, both ancient and recent. The highest point of the island used to be Chances peak at 914 m, but the new dome associated with the present volcanic activity (illustrated below) overshadowed this peak by early in 1997.