The Pelada Mountain is the most dangerous volcano in the French Antilles.
A destroyed city
On May 8, 1902 , an explosion shook the city of Saint Pierre , in Martinique: the Bare Mountain had awakened. A cloud of gas, ash and burning blocks descended from the volcano. It reached Saint Pierre in 2 minutes and destroyed a part of the city. The fires ended up devastating the richest city in the Antilles.
The first public enemy
A month earlier, the volcano showed signs of waking up: an earthquake, violent explosions … however, Saint Pierre was not evacuated, so there was a balance of 30,000 victims. It was the biggest catastrophe caused by a volcano in the 20th century . Since then, an observatory has been monitoring the volcano.
A lava claw
The lava on Pelada Mountain is too thick to descend normally. Pushed by the gases, it slowly rises from the summit, almost solid. In 1902 it formed a dome of then a lava needle that looked like a gigantic claw: it ascended about 300 meters before collapsing.
WE LEARN A NEW CONCEPT
Dome: It is a roof that has a rounded shape of a half orange, like those that can be seen in churches or palaces.
