Type of Volcano

Mount Pelee is a Cinder-Cone volcano and has a single vent. Its lava chamber is filled with andsitic magma and is formed over 3 different Calderas

Geologic Location

This is a topographical veiw of Mount Pelee of the Carribbean coast

Mount Pelee was formed when the oceanic crust of the South American Plate subducted under the oceanic crust of the carribbean plate. It is found on the Island of Martinique which belongs to France and is off the Carribbean Sea.

Eruption History

Mount Pelee has had 20 major eruptions in the past 5,000 years. It's most famous eruption happened in 1902 when an eruption destroyed th whole town of St.Pierre,France. It killed an estimated 30,000 people in the city with it's one eruption. There was only one survivor of the eruption and he was safed by being locked two stories underground in a prison.

Volcano Structure

The Height of Mount Pelee is 4,583 feet from its summit.Mount Pelee is a vent volcano and has calderas around it where the volcano was formed.. The area that holds the magma of Mount Pelee is called I'Etang crater.Pelee is shaped like a cone and has a single vent on the top of it's peak.

Eruption Style

Mount Pelee is an explosive volcano that has erupted andesitic lava. When it erupted some hazards the eruption created were lahars, pyroclastic flows,and a small tsunami caused by the lahar flowing into the ocean.The Pyroclastic flows happen most of the when when this volcano erupts and they are very large ones. Debris also cover a large area around the volcano when it erupts.

Enviornmental Dangers

Some enviornmental benefits of the volcano are that eruptions in history have left the soil very fertile and precious to farmers. It has also enlarged the island of martinique.Dangers of the volcano include lahars from the debris that fly around when the volcano blows and pyroclastic flows. The large amounts of lava can also damage surrounding cities.

Citations

Mount Pelee." http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1600-12=. Smithsonian Institution. 27 Mar. 2009 http://www.volcano.si.edu/.

Ritchie, David, and Alexander E. Gates. Encyclopedia of earthquakes and Volcanoes. New York: Checkmark Books, 2001.

"Mount Pelee." http://www.mount-pelee.com/index.php/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ lang,en/. 27 Mar. 2009 .http://www.mount-pelee.com/