Mount Pelee, on the Carribean island of Martinique, is one of about a dozen
recently active volcanoes in the 700 kilometer long Lesser Antilles island
arc, formed as result of westward subduction of oceanic crust of the South
American plate under the oceanic crust of the small Carribean plate.
Martinique was a prosperous French colony at the time of the 1902 eruption.
The town of St. Pierre had a population of over 20000, and was located 6
kilometers to the south of the peak of Pelee, a volcano had that a mild eruption
in 1851 with little significant damage. On APril 25, 1902, minor explosive
eruptions started and the following days saw a steady increase in activity.
By May 3rd, there were frequent loud explosions from Mt. Pelee and substantial
amounts of ash were accumulating in the streets of St. Pierre. On May 5th,
a very large mudflow originating from the crater of Mt. Pelee swept down
the valley of Riviere Blanche, to the north of St. Pierre. Although many
of the residents of St. Pierre attempted to leave the town, the city
administration actively discouraged them from doing so, and evacuees from
the surrounding country side had swelled the population of the town by May
8th.
At 7:50 local time on May 8th, a series of deafening explosions were heard from Mt. Pelee, and a huge black cloud issued from the summit of the volcano. The cloud, known as a nuee ardente, or pyroclastic flow, of searing superheated gas and incandescent volcanic ash and dust rushed down the southern and southeastern slopes of Mt. Pelee, and within two minutes (the clocks in the town stopped at 7:52), swept over and engulfed St. Pierre. It set the town ablaze, and killed by intense heat, all but 2 of the population. Masonry walls one meter thick were blown down by the blast, and a 3-ton statue was moved 16 meters! The only survivors were a prisoner in the town jail and a man from a part of town on the fringe of the nuee ardente. A number of ships at anchor off St. Pierre were also devastated, the crew on deck killed and ships caught on fire.
The eruption continued after May 8th, and on May 20th, a second powerful
pyroclastic flow hit St. Pierre, but the damage had already been done by
the first cloud. On August 3rd, another pyroclastic flow engulfed the village
of Morne Rouge and 2000 people died in almost identical circumstances to
those in St. Pierre. The eruption continued well into 1903.