Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique
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How it came to be
The mountains of northern Martinique lie in the middle of the Lesser Antilles island arc. To the south are the older Pitons du Carbet and Morne Jacob massifs; the Pitons du Carbet are twelve lava domes, the highest of which, Piton Lacroix, reaches 1,197 m. To the north rise the younger Mount Pelée, 1,396 m, and Piton Mont Conil.
On 8 May 1902 pyroclastic flows from Mount Pelée swept over the town of Saint-Pierre and destroyed it within minutes, the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. Only three survivors are known. One of them, Ludger Sylbaris, lived because he was held in a poorly ventilated prison cell. The eruption gave its name to the Pelean type and became a reference point for volcanology worldwide.
Mount Pelée erupted again in 1929 to 1932, and this time the danger area was evacuated at once. The forests hold 1,058 native vascular plant species, and their 401 tree species make up 87 per cent of the tree flora of the Lesser Antilles. Home to the Martinique volcano frog and the Martinique lancehead, the area was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2023.
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