Mt. Pelée: Killer of the Caribbean
Abstract
In 1902, Mt. Pelée erupted and killed 26,000 to 36,000 people in Saint-Pierre on the
island of Martinique. Mt. Pelee is located along a subduction zone between the
Caribbean and South American Plates. Since colonization of the island, four eruptions
have occurred: one in 1792, another in 1851, the catastrophic eruption of 1902, and a
reawakening in 1929. This stratovolocano is capable of erupting deadly gases, tephra
fall, lava flows, mudflows, pyroclastic flows and surges, landslides, and creating
tsunamis. In 1902, Mt. Pelée produced deadly pyroclastic flows and surges that rolled
through the town of Saint-Pierre covering the nearly 30,000 residences and killing
most of them. There were a few lucky survivors, like Ludger Sylbaris, who was being
held in the town’s underground jail. In 1929, Mt. Pelée again produced a pyroclastic
flow. The eruptions in 1902 and 1929 dramatically illustrated two previously
undocumented hazards for volcanologists to address, pyroclastic flows and surges.
A reawakening in 1929
Prepared by: Alicia Thompson
Western Oregon University
On August 16th a sudden outburst threw a vapor column, and light ash falls.
Some landslides were reported thereafter on the summit.
Eruptive History
September 16th a violent eruption caused spontaneous evacuations of all the
villages around the volcanoes. The population was allowed to return to their
homes at the beginning of October, after an assessment made by a visiting
geologist.
Since the colonizing the island four eruptions have occurred:

1792- a minor events, a violent earthquake vents on open near the crater and scorched
trees and killed many birds and there was a strong sulfur smell in the area.
October 14th a new eruption, far more violent than the previous ones, threw
dense ash falls on Prêcheur.
1851- Ash eruption with small mudflow, some tremors, but NO lava and the area smelled
of hydrogen sulfide.

October 18th the whole western side was covered with ashes.

Introduction
Killer strikes the island of Martinique and killed approximately 26,000 to 36,000 people
living Saint-Pierre in 1902. This eruption was one of the most devastating event in
France’s history. It left the island of Martinique in rowan, it economy devastated, died
crops buried in ash and reduced St. Pierre to rubble and looters ravaged city. This
eruption would forced the world to act in the event of an eruption and to move people
to safely and out of the way of pyroclastic flows, surges, and mudflows. (Boer and
Sanders)
MT. PELÉE

The big catastrophic eruption of 1902- kill
A reawakening in 1929
The Big Catastrophic Eruption of 1902
Timeline: Year
of 1902
Per eruptions events:
April
– An ash eruption
May
Main eruption events:
2th
–Ash begins erupting
3th
–All the streams began drying up
Definitions
St. Pierre before the eruption
(Ph. Lacroix) (Pelée. com)
St Pierre ruined (Ph. Lacroix)
(Pelée. com)
5th
–Mudflow ( destroys a sugar mill) Kills 25
6th
–Rivers around the volcano began to flood; communications are knocked out; volcano is
glowing as hot magma had broken though to the surface. Lava began poring the creator
from a new lava dome
7th
Location
Mt. Pelée is location on the French colonized island of Martinique along the
Caribbean Subduction zone. The Atlantic Plate subducted under the Caribbean
Plate about 2 centimeters a year at about 50 to 60 degree angle. Mt. Pelée is a
stratovolocano capable of eruption deadly gases, tephra fall, lava flows, mudflows,
pyroclastic flows and surges, landslides, and tsunami. (Boer and Sanders) (see
picture below)
October 22nd eruption delivered a pyroclastic flow which took
10 minutes to reach the sea along
the Blanche river valley. (Pelée. com)
8th
20th
Aug
• Pyroclastic flows are high-density mixtures of
hot, dry rock fragments and hot gases that move
away from their source vents at high speeds. They
may result from the explosive eruption of molten or
solid rock fragments, or both, or from the collapse
of vertical eruption columns of ash and larger rock
fragments. (USGS)
•Pyroclastic surges are turbulent, low-density
clouds of rock debris and air or other gases that
–A volcano commission goes to the create, looks AROUND and said
move over the ground surface at high speeds. They
typically hug the ground and depending on their
“All the phenomena which have occurred so far are normal, and are commonly
observed on all volcanoes around the world. Since the craters of the volcano are wide
density and speed, may or may not be controlled by
open, the expansion of the vapors will continue with no earthquake or rock projection.
the underlying topography. Pyroclastic surges are of
According to the location of the craters and the position of the valleys leading to the
two types: "hot" pyroclastic surges that consist of
Saint- Pierre after the
sea, the City of St. Pierre is perfectly safe.” (Pelée. com)
"dry" clouds of rock debris and gases that have
–Pyroclastic flow and surge emanating form a lateral blast rolled down the mountain at catastrophe (Ph. A Heilprin) temperatures appreciably above 100 degrees C,
(Pelée. com)
an estimated speed of 160 kilometers per hour or more with temperature at lest 900
and "cold" pyroclastic surges, that consist of rock
degrees Celsius destroy St. Pierre. Grand-Rivière, Macouba and Basse-Pointe are
debris and steam or water at or below a
destroyed by mudflows
temperature of 100 degrees C. (USGS)
–Houses began collapsing and trees fall of weight ash
–Another pyroclastic flow finished what was left
Post eruption
Conclusions
–Avalanche destroy the villages of Morne-Rouge, and Ajoupa-Bouillon, and claims about
1,000 lives.
(1) First recognized example of what French geologists call nuée ardente
(Francis, Oppenheimer, Pelée. com, Boer and Sanders, USGS)
(glowing cloud) today know as a pyroclastic flow.
Survivor
Louis Cyparis (all so knew as Ludger Sylbaris )
"Cyparis said that the cell he occupied in the St. Pierre prison was
an underground dungeon, which had no other window than a
grated aperture in the upper part of the door. On the morning of
May 8th, while he was waiting for breakfast, it suddenly grew very
dark ; and almost immediately afterward hot air, mixed with fine
ashes, came in through the door-grating and burned him. He
rushed and jumped in agony about the cell and cried for help ; but
there was no answer. He heard no noise, saw no fire, and smelled
nothing except "what he thought was his own body, burning." The
intense heat lasted only a moment, and during that time he
breathed as little as possible. There was no smoke in the cell and
the hot air came in through the door-grating without any noticeable
rush or blast. He had on, at the time, hat, shirt, and trousers, but no
shoes. His clothing did not take fire, and yet his back was very
severely burned under his shirt.“ (Pelée. com)
(2) Put the study of volcanoes form a minor branch of geology in to an important
field science of it own.
(3) After the May 8th eruption on the island of Martinique, people were evacuated
were a new eruption was to begin.
(Boer and Sanders)
References Cited
mount-pelee.com
http://www.mount-pelee.com/1902-a-major-disaster-6.html
Volcanoes: Francis, Peter, Oppenheimer, Clive ED. 2 Oxford University Press
Oxford, New York 2004. pps. 72-81
Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions. Jelle
Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders; Princeton University Press
Princeton, New Jersey 2002. pps. 187-207
USGS: Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver ,Washington
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/