1902 — Mount Pelée Eruption

🥉The 3rd Deadliest Eruption of All Time

123 years ago…

On April 23, 1902, after 30 years of rest, Mount Pelée awoke.

It will be the 3rd deadliest eruption of all time.

Mount Pelée, a stratovolcano located in northern Martinique, France, rises 1,397 meters (4,583 feet) above sea level, dominating the landscape along the eastern Caribbean Sea.

On April 23, the volcano showed its first signs of activity, with a series of phreatic eruptions — steam-driven explosions caused by magma coming into contact with groundwater.

These eruptions continued to intensify in the following weeks, becoming the most significant volcanic activity recorded on the island since its discovery by Europeans.

But the date that will remain in all French memories is the 8th of May 1902.

In just a few minutes, a pyroclastic flow — a fast-moving surge of superheated gas and volcanic material — swept down Mount Pelée, completely destroying Saint-Pierre, the island’s largest city.