A black lava flow, one of only six erupted in historical time from vents outside the caldera of Piton de la Fournaise, reached the sea in April 1977, forming a new lava delta. Following minor lava ejection that began on March 24-25 SE of Dolomieu crater, lava effusion began April 5-7 from several vents on the NE flank. The resulting lava flows, active until April 16, burned sugar cane fields and destroyed houses in the town of Piton Ste Rose before reaching the sea below the town.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1977.

Copyrighted image used with permission. All Rights Reserved. Contact photographer for any usage requests.

Piton de la Fournaise