Active volcano on the Caribbean island of Martinique
Mount Pelee
or
Mont Pelee
(
p?-
LAY
;
French
:
Montagne Pelee
,
[m??ta?
p?le]
;
Antillean Creole
:
Montann Pele
, meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain")
[3]
in French, is an
active volcano
at the northern end of
Martinique
, an island and
French
overseas department
in the
Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc
of the
Caribbean
. Its
volcanic cone
is composed of stratified layers of hardened
ash
and solidified
lava
.
[4]
Its most recent eruption was in 1932.
[2]
[5]
The
stratovolcano
's
1902 eruption
destroyed the town of
Saint-Pierre
, killing 29,000 to 30,000 people in the space of a few minutes, in the
worst volcanic disaster
of the 20th century.
[6]
The main eruption, on 8 May 1902, left only three known survivors.
Ludger Sylbaris
survived because he was in a poorly ventilated,
dungeon
-like
jail
cell
.
Leon Compere-Leandre
, living on the edge of the city, escaped with severe burns.
[7]
The third was a young girl named Havivra Da Ifrile, who fled to a nearby
sea cave
in a boat, enduring burns from falling ash.
[8]
In 2023, it was listed as
UNESCO
World heritage site
.
[9]
Geographical setting and description
[
edit
]
Mount Pelee is the result of a typical
subduction zone
. The subduction formed the Lesser Antilles
island arc
, a curved chain of volcanoes approximately 850 kilometres (530 mi) in length, between
Puerto Rico
and
Venezuela
, where the
Caribbean Plate
meets
Atlantic
oceanic crust
belonging to the
South American Plate
. Other volcanoes in the island arc are also known for their volcanic activity, including
Saint Vincent
's
La Soufriere
,
Guadeloupe
's
La Grande Soufriere
volcano,
Montserrat
's
Soufriere Hills
, and the
submarine volcano
Kick 'em Jenny
.
[4]
Geological history
[
edit
]
Volcanologists have identified three different phases in the evolution of Mount Pelee volcano: initial, intermediate, and modern.
[4]
In an initial phase, called the "Paleo-Pelee" stage, Mount Pelee was a common stratovolcano. The cone of Paleo-Pelee was composed of many layers of lava flows and fragmented volcanic debris. Remains of the Paleo-Pelee cone are still visible at the northern view at the volcano today.
A second stage, now called the intermediate phase, started around 100,000 years ago, after a long period of quiescence. This stage is grouped by the formation of the Morne Macouba lava dome, then later on, the Morne Macouba
caldera
. During the intermediate phase, there were several eruptions which produced
pyroclastic flows
like those that destroyed Saint-Pierre in the 1902 eruption. Around 25,000 years ago, a large southwest sector collapse occurred, forming a
landslide
. This event was similar to the eruption of
Mount St. Helens
in
1980
.
[4]
The modern stage of the evolution of Mount Pelee has created most of the current cone, with deposits of
pumice
and the results of past pyroclastic flows. More than 30 eruptions have been identified during the last 5,000 years of the volcano's activity.
Three thousand years ago, following a large pumice eruption, the Etang Sec (French for Dry Pond) caldera was then formed. The
1902 eruption
took place within the Etang Sec crater. This eruption formed many pyroclastic flows and produced a
dome
that filled the caldera. Mount Pelee continued to erupt until 4 July 1905. Thereafter, the volcano was dormant until 1929.
[10]
On 16 September 1929, Mount Pelee began to erupt again. This time, there was no hesitation on the part of authorities and the danger area was immediately evacuated. The 1929 eruption formed a second dome in the Etang Sec caldera and produced pyroclastic flows emptying into the Blanche River valley. Although there were pyroclastic flows, the activity was not as violent as the 1902 activity. It culminated in another "spine" or lava plug, albeit smaller than the 1902 plug, being emplaced at the summit. The activity ended in late 1932.
[4]
[11]
Current status
[
edit
]
The volcano is currently active. A few
volcano tectonic earthquakes
occur on Martinique every year, and Mount Pelee is under continuous watch by
geophysicists
and
volcanologists
(
IPGP
). Before the 1902 eruption?as early as the summer of 1900?signs of increased
fumarole
activity were present in the Etang Sec crater.
[12]
Relatively minor
phreatic
(steam) eruptions that occurred in 1792 and 1851 were evidence that the volcano was active. Signs of unrest are likely to precede any future eruptive activity from Mount Pelee, and its past activity (including the violent eruptions uncovered by
carbon dating
) is an extremely important factor for
hazard
assessment.
[13]
[14]
The city of
Saint-Pierre
was never fully rebuilt, though some villages grew up in its place. The estimated population of the Commune of Saint-Pierre in 2017 was 4,123.
[15]
On December 6, 2020, The Martinique Volcano Observatory (MVO) raised Mount Pelee's alert level to Yellow [Restless] from Green [Normal] due to an increase in seismicity under the volcano beginning in April 2019, and observations of tremors the previous month.
As far as was known, this was the first sign of activity since the end of the 1929?1932 eruption. This volcano is, of course, highly dangerous, and great vigilance of its activity is required. Whether or not it is going to enter a new eruptive period is currently unknown.
According to the MVO press release "The increase in seismicity of superficial volcanic origin (up to 4?5 km below the summit) observed since April 2019, is therefore clearly above the base level characteristic for Mount Pelee.
In April 2019, volcanic seismicity appeared at depth around and under Mount Pelee (more than 10 km below sea level). It could correspond to the arrival at depth of magmatic fluids.
Finally, new recorded tremor-type signals were observed on November 8 and 9, 2020: they could correspond to a reactivation of the hydrothermal system.
Even if, in the current state of measurements, there is no
deformation
of the volcano on the scale of the observation network, the appearance, in a few months, of these three different types of seismic signals of volcanic origin shows a clear change in the behavior of the volcanic system, the activity of which is increasing from the base level observed over several decades."
[16]
Biology
[
edit
]
The Martinique volcano frog,
Allobates chalcopis
, is
endemic
to Mount Pelee,
[17]
and the only species among related frogs (family
Aromobatidae
) endemic to an oceanic island.
[18]
Important bird area
[
edit
]
A 9,262 ha largely forested tract, encompassing the mountain and extending to the sea on its north-western side, has been recognised as an
Important Bird Area
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
because it supports populations of
bridled quail doves
,
Lesser Antillean swifts
,
green
and
purple-throated caribs
,
blue headed
and
Antillean crested hummingbirds
,
Caribbean elaenias
,
Lesser Antillean flycatchers
,
Lesser Antillean pewees
,
scaly-breasted
and
pearly-eyed thrashers
,
brown
and
grey tremblers
,
rufous-throated solitaires
,
Antillean euphonias
,
Martinique orioles
,
Lesser Antillean saltators
and
Lesser Antillean bullfinches
.
[19]
Protection
[
edit
]
On September 16, 2023, the volcanoes and forests of Mount Pelee and
the pitons of northern Martinique
were listed as
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
. The volcanic mountain range represents 12% of Martinique's territory.
[20]
It is the 7th natural site in France to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
[21]
World Heritage status could also have a positive impact on tourism and the economy, increasing visitor numbers by 30 to 40%, according to the Martinique Nature Park.
[9]
In literature
[
edit
]
- The Day The World Ended
by
Gordon Thomas
and
Max Morgan Witts
(Stein and Day, 1969, 306 pp). The authors used contemporary records and survivor accounts to construct a historical novel of the events and lives of residents of Martinique, leading up to and through the eruption of May 8, 1902.
- Texaco
by
Patrick Chamoiseau
(Gallimard, 1992. Trans. Rose-Myriam Rejouis and Val Vinokurov, Vintage International, 1998). In this novel that retraces several generations of Martinique's history, Esternome, the protagonist of the novel's first part, witnesses firsthand the destruction caused by the volcano. Marie-Sophie Laborieux, Esternome's daughter and the novel's narrator, recounts her father's experiences and also discusses the traces of this event she has seen herself, including burn scars on her father's body and ossuaries in the ruins of Saint-Pierre. The eruption and its aftermath are discussed in the section "Amour grillee" ("Barbecued Love").
- Ti-Coyo and his shark
(by Clement Richer. Trans. Gerard Hopkins) (Rupert Hart-Davis 1 January 1951) (First published 1 January 1941 as
Ti-Coyo et son requin
). In this humorous fable, wickedness triumphs because it is charming. Set on the exotic Caribbean island of Martinique before, during, and after the infamous eruption of Mont Pelee in 1902. Ti-Coyo, a shrewd and winning mixed race boy, rescues a wounded baby shark, which becomes his faithful companion as it grows into a monster fearful to everyone but him. With the help of this behemoth, Ti-Coyo becomes rich and wins the flaxen-haired princess of his dreams. It is the shark, too, who saves Ti-Coyo, his ill-assorted parents, and his sweetheart when Mont Pelee pours destruction over St. Pierre.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"La Montagne Pelee"
.
Observatoire volcanologique et sismologique de la Martinique
(in French). Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
. Retrieved
8 March
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Pelee"
.
Global Volcanism Program
.
Smithsonian Institution
. Retrieved
8 March
2017
.
- ^
Scarth, Alwyn (2002).
La Catastrophe: The Eruption of Mount Pelee, the Worst Volcanic Eruption of the Twentieth Century
. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
. p.
2
.
ISBN
0-19-521839-6
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Mount Pelee"
. Mount-pelee.com.
- ^
"Glossary"
. NOAA
. Retrieved
27 January
2021
.
- ^
Deadliest Eruptions
- ^
"The eruption of Mount Pelee"
.
SDSU
. Retrieved
27 January
2021
.
- ^
Bressan, David.
"May 8, 1902: La Pel e"
.
Scientific American Blog Network
. Retrieved
2021-01-27
.
- ^
a
b
"Martinique : la montagne Pelee et les pitons du nord inscrits au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco"
.
Les Echos
(in French). 2023-09-17
. Retrieved
2023-09-18
.
- ^
Scarth, Alwyn (2002).
La Catastrophe
. Oxford. p. 221.
- ^
Zebrowski Jr., Ernest (2002).
The Last Days of St. Pierre-The Volcanic Disaster that Claimed 30,000 Lives
.
Rutgers University Press
. p. 268.
ISBN
978-0813530413
.
- ^
Scarth, p. 30
- ^
"Pelee: Eruptive History"
.
Global Volcanism Program
.
Smithsonian Institution
. Retrieved
27 January
2021
.
- ^
Reed, Christina.
"Mount Pelee, Martinique 1902-2002"
. Geotimes
. Retrieved
27 January
2021
.
- ^
Population en historique depuis 1968
, INSEE
- ^
December 6, 2020; Martinique Volcano Observatory; Press Release on Raising Mount Pelee's Alert Level from Green [Normal] to Yellow [Restless] for the First Time since 1932.
- ^
Frost, Darrel R. (2014).
"
Allobates chalcopis
(Kaiser, Coloma, and Gray, 1994)"
.
Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0
. American Museum of Natural History
. Retrieved
23 September
2014
.
- ^
Fouquet, A.; Pineau, K. V.; Rodrigues, M. T.; Mailles, J.; Schneider, J. B.; Ernst, R.; Dewynter, M. L. (2013). "Endemic or exotic: The phylogenetic position of the Martinique Volcano Frog
Allobates chalcopis
(Anura: Dendrobatidae) sheds light on its origin and challenges current conservation strategies".
Systematics and Biodiversity
.
11
(1): 87?101.
Bibcode
:
2013SyBio..11...87F
.
doi
:
10.1080/14772000.2013.764944
.
S2CID
84033689
.
- ^
"Northern forests and Pelee Mountain"
.
BirdLife Data Zone
. BirdLife International. 2021
. Retrieved
19 February
2021
.
- ^
"L'inscription de la montagne Pelee a l'Unesco, un rare " succes collectif " pour les elus martiniquais"
.
Le Monde.fr
(in French). 2023-09-17
. Retrieved
2023-09-18
.
- ^
"Un volcan de l'ile francaise de la Martinique au patrimoine de l'Unesco"
.
LEFIGARO
(in French). 2023-09-16
. Retrieved
2023-09-18
.
External links
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]
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