1902 Eruption of Mt. Pelee, West Indies

Volcano Devastated St. Pierre on the Island of Martinique

Oct 25, 2008

After constant volcanic activity throughout the year, Mt. Pelee violently erupted on May 8th, 1902 killing all but two people in St. Pierre.

Martinique is in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles chain in the West Indies and it is located on a volcanic arc due to the slipping (subduction) of the North American Plate under the Caribbean Plate.

Events Leading to the Eruption of Mt. Pelee

The first sign of change at Mt. Pelee was detected in February, 1902 when strong odors of sulphur were noticed in the village of Prêcheur and in Fond Coré (North Saint-Pierre).

On April 24th, a plume of black smoke rose from the Etang Sec crater and it rose to a height of 1900 feet. The following day, a blanket of ash fell on Prêcheur. Hikers who went up Mt. Pelee noticed a lake had formed in the Etang Sec crater and volcanic debris was feeding the lake with boiling water.

On April 28th, there were ground rumblings and the vapor column rose higher. Flooding occurred on Riviere Blanche. Two days later the Roxelane River and Rivière des Pères also flooded. Trees and boulders were carried from the top of Mt. Pelee. A steady stream of ash covered the villages of Ste. Philomène and Prêcheur. Pyroclastic debris started to flow down the mountain towards Saint-Pierre.

Late on May 2nd, Mt. Pelee produced earthquakes every six hours. Loud noises, a large pillar of black smoke and a blanket of ash spread across the northern part Martinique.

On May 5th, the rim gave way on the Etang Sec crater and boiling water rushed down Riviere Blanche. The hot water mixed with pyroclastic debris generated a huge mud flow (lahar) which travelled at a speed of 50 mph. The lahar ran north of St. Pierre and continued to the sea. It spawned a nine foot tsunami which flooded the waterfront area of St. Pierre.

The Eruption of Mt. Pelee

On May 8th, Mt. Pelee erupted at 7:50 am. A massive black cloud consisting of ash, rock and hot gas rushed down the south slope at the speed of 100 mph. It only took one minute for the cloud to blast through St. Pierre.

The force of the blast knocked down cement walls and twisted metal girders. The extreme heat caused bonfires and explosions. The ocean did not stop the cloud. At least twenty ships in the harbor capsized by the force of the wind or caught fire from the scorching heat.

There were no evacuation orders given because a team of local professionals called the Volcano Committee climbed up Mt. Pelee prior to May 8th and issued the following report to the Governor:

As news of the eruption on St. Pierre spread to the world, scientists from France and the United States went to Martinique to study the effect of the volcano.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), “the coastal town of St. Pierre, about 4 miles downslope to the south, was demolished and nearly 30,000 inhabitants were killed by an incandescent, high-velocity ash flow and associated hot gases and volcanic dust.”

At the time of the eruption, the population of St. Pierre was approximately 30,000. Today, it is a popular tourist destination with a population of 6,000 people.