Mont Pelee, seen here from the south, has a complex summit morphology. The eastern rim of the summit crater, the 1-km-wide Caldeira de l'Etang Sec, forms the notch just to the right of the summit. This crater cuts an edifice that was constructed within a larger horseshoe-shaped caldera, breached to the SW. It was formed during the Pleistocene as a result of a massive volcanic landslide. Two historical lava domes largely fill the Caldeira de l'Etang Sec. The 1929 lava dome forms the summit; the 1902 lava dome is out of sight behind it.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1981.

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

Pelée