Brades Brades Brades (also Brades Estate) is a town and the "de facto" capital of Montserrat since 1998 with an approximate population of 1,000. The official capital of Montserrat at Plymouth in the south of the island was abandoned in 1997 after it was buried by the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano. Interim government buildings have since been built at Brades, becoming the new capital in 1998. The move was initially intended to be temporary, but it has remained the island's "de facto" capital ever since. Several names have been suggested for the new official capital now being constructed in
São Miguel Island the third volcano on São Miguel, the Água de Pau Volcano started erupting on the western flank of Povoação volcano in two phases. The first phase, composed of the older materials, erupted from lava flows and Trachyte pyroclasts, the secondary phase corresponded to volcanic products that began erupting 400,000 years ago. These latter deposits included pyroclastic, trachyte flows (lava and surges), mud flows and a mixture of basalts. In what would become the western portion of the island a fourth volcano formed: the Sete Cidades Volcano erupted 200,000 years ago and continued to erupt until about 36,000 years ago. Between