OVERVIEW
Mount Pelée is a stratovolcano located on the French island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the Caribbean. In the past 250 years, there have been an estimated four eruptions. The most recent eruption of this active volcano was in 1932. The terrain of the volcano consists of solidified lava and hardened volcanic ash. In the novel Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau, a horrific scene is displayed in one of the deadliest eruptions this volcano ever experienced.
Activity
Over its history Mount Pelée has experienced around an astonishing 5000 eruptions. In 1792 and 1851, Mount Pelée experienced phreatic eruptions which are explosions of steam buildup that destroy the cap of the volcano. In 1929, a similar eruption occurred. However, this time the authorities were ready for it and called for a mass evacuation. In more recent years, Global Volcanism Program states “A zone of damaged, browned, and dead vegetation was observed at the end of December 2020” (Global Volcanism Program). The volcano has still experienced multiple small activities which have destroyed nearby farmland, making the surrounding area uninhabitable.
Geology
The volcano became known as a secondary or intermediate volcano, a volcano that creates a steep slope around the center, 100,000 years ago. Since then, the volcano has experienced several eruptions that induced pyroclastic flows which created magma domes in the surrounding areas. In 1902 the land became unstable and created a landslide which created a steep slope along the edge, and according to Global Volcanism Program, “Magmatic eruptions built many lava domes during 1902-1905 and 1929-1932” (Global Volcanism Program). Through this time the domes formed over the city of Saint Pierre as well as the surrounding areas which allowed the volcano to grow substantially. Additionally, due to the domes formulated, the surrounding area experienced multiple cracks in the earth about 3 feet wide and 9 feet in depth, making for poor farmland.
The 1902 Eruption
On May 8th of 1902, the deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred. According to Vic Camp, “In less than one minute it struck St. Pierre with hurricane force. The blast was powerful enough to carry a three-ton statue sixteen meters from its mount.” The city was left in ruins moments after this event. Additionally, during the eruption, “A large black cloud composed of superheated gas, ash and rock rolled headlong down the south flank of Mt. Pelée at more than 100 miles per hour” (Vic Camp). Following that, lava created pyroclastic flows that ran down the mountain at about 62 miles per hour. Because of the speed of the approaching cloud and the sudden, unexpected, eruption, many people living in Saint-Pierre were unable to flee and became trapped in the city as the rocks, ash, and lava swiftly claimed it. “The cloud raced down the volcano annihilating the city of St. Pierre. Of the ~28,000 people in St. Pierre, there were only two known survivors” (Vic Camp). The survivors were Ludger Sylbaris, a prisoner in a poorly vented cell of a prison in which no one else survived the heat of the lava, and Léon Compère-Léandre, a resident of the edge of the town. They lived to tell the horrors of the eruption as it consumed their village.
Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau
In the 1992 novel, Texaco, the story of Martinique’s past is told through a woman who lived years after the eruption. Marie-Sophie Laborieux. She expresses the features of the land and how they have shifted due to the eruptions of the volcano in her time period. She explains, Estronome, her Father’s experiences of observing the ruins of Saint-Pierre: “The mountain covered the burnt-out bodies with new ashes. And all of it melted into gray stones with soft shapes” (Chamoiseau 153). She tells the tales of Esternome’s experiences through the volcanic eruption since he was a survivor of the tragedy: “Manic fleeing shook the Quarter. A fragrance of sulfur, or scorched-red wood, singed life, thickened the air” (Chamoiseau 147). She explained the frantic struggle to flee as the city went up in flames from the eruption, but unlike the others, Esternome spent the time panicking as he searched relentlessly for Ninon, whom he never found. Esternome’s body is covered in burn marks and scars that he obtained on the day of the explosion and continues to be a reminder of the horrific events he went through as he struggled to search for his wife in the chaos. The tragedy lead Esternome to move to Fort-De-France where he would no longer have the concern of another volcanic eruption.
Mount Pelée Today
“A prominent feature of Mount Pelée activity is that dome-forming eruptions may involve major hazards because of the possibility of highly energetic pyroclastic flows, as demonstrated by the high-velocity pyroclastic flow eruptions of May–August 1902” (Pichavant et al.). Mount Pelée has not erupted in over 100 years, but with the physical features of it, there is a possibility that it could erupt again. The last time that Mount Pelée erupted was in 1932, in a similar manner to the 1902 eruption. Although it is a possibility for Mount Pelée to erupt again, it is unlikely for it to do as much damage as in 1902 (Pichavant et al.).
Works Cited
Global Volcanism Program, 2021. Report on Pelee (France) (Bennis, K.L., and Venzke, E., eds.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 46:7. Smithsonian Institution.
Chamoiseau, Patrick. Texaco. Trans. Rose-Myriam Réjouis & Val Vinokurov. NY: Vintage, 1997.
Camp, Vic. “MT. PELÉE ERUPTION (1902).”
How Volcanoes Work – the Eruption of Mt. Pelee, Martinique, Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, http://sci.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Pelee.html.
Pichavant, Michel, et al. “Physical Conditions, Structure, and Dynamics of a Zoned Magma Chamber: Mount Pelée” Chemistry and Physics of Minerals and Rocks/Volcanology, 18 May 2002.
Editorial Collective
Nicholas Shaheen, Bailie Rabideau, Connor Mayall, Matthew Stedelin, LaRae Bigard, Anayah Lyons, Allison Rieser
