Mount Pelée

Mount Pelée is an active stratovolcano on Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. Its 1902 eruption destroyed Saint-Pierre with a deadly pyroclastic density current.

Lava dome: A steep-sided mound of viscous lava that accumulates above a volcanic vent. Viscous lava built a dome at Pelée before repeated collapses generated destructive flows.
Saint-Pierre, Martinique: A coastal city in Martinique that was largely destroyed by Mount Pelée's 1902 eruption. The city bore the eruption's deadliest impact and was subsequently rebuilt.
Lesser Antilles volcanic arc: A chain of volcanic islands formed above the subduction zone east of the Caribbean Sea. Martinique and Mount Pelée are part of this active volcanic island arc.
Volcanology: The scientific study of volcanoes, their eruptions, and related processes. The 1902 disaster helped make direct observation of active volcanoes a scientific priority.
Pyroclastic density current: A fast-moving mixture of hot gas, ash, and volcanic fragments flowing along the ground. The current that devastated Saint-Pierre belongs to this broader class of volcanic flows.
Louis-Auguste Cyparis: A prisoner in Saint-Pierre who survived the 1902 eruption in a poorly ventilated stone cell. His survival became one of the best-known human accounts of the catastrophe.
Subduction: The descent of one tectonic plate beneath another into Earth's mantle. Subduction beneath the Caribbean region supplies magma to Pelée and neighboring volcanoes.
Volcanic risk: The likelihood and consequences of harm to people and assets from volcanic hazards. Pelée demonstrates how dense settlement and limited warning can magnify volcanic risk.
Pelean eruption: A volcanic eruption style characterized by lava-dome growth and collapse producing pyroclastic flows. The eruption style takes its name from Pelée's dome-collapse activity.
Frank Perret: An American volcanologist who studied Mount Pelée and documented its eruptive behavior. His observations helped establish a detailed record of Pelée's later activity.

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