Mount Pelée Volcano, Martinique

Abstract

Mount Pelée (14°48′N, 61°10′W) is a 1,397 m high strato-volcano composed of mostly pyroclastic rocks; it dominates the northern part of the Martinique island, which is a part of the volcanic arc forming the Lesser Antilles (West Indies). The arc itself is a product of the subduction process of the North American tectonic plate plunging under the Caribbean plate. Altogether, 17 volcanoes have been active in the West Indies in the last 10,000 years. Most of them are subaerial and generally represent the mountainous interiors of some of the arc's islands.

Mount Pelée's volcanic cone is composed of volcanic ashes and hardened lava strata. This volcano is mostly famous for its eruption in 1902, which resulted in a high number of victims and extended destruction; this event was the worst volcanic disaster of the twentieth century. On May 8, 1902, on the Ascension-Day, the “eruption” killed around 26,000– 36,000 people, including the island's governor, and destroyed the Saint-Pierre town located about 6 km south of the peak, the largest Martinique town at that time.