VEI 4 - Mount Pelée

• Martinique, West Indies
• 1400m above sea level

1902, May 8th 

• 28,000 killed (almost everyone in Saint Pierre, capital)
• Pyroclastic flow
• Summit explosion 
• Authorities knew it was going to erupt - adequate warning was given by the volcano 

6 weeks before: New fumaroles, Hotter ground, Sulphur smell, Steam & Gas

25 days before: Geysers, Increase water temp, Crater lake has sulphur balls, Trees around volcano died, Water from river blanche was brown, Increased ash fall - mud flows

May 1st: Numerous explosions woke residents, Ash clouds made breathing hard, Ash was several inches thick (blocking roads) 

May 3rd: Bigger explosion, More ash, Request for evacuation (No response)

May 5th: Hot mud/water from crater lake flows down rivers, Buried mill killed 20 workers

May 6th: Red glow from summit of volcano - shows new rock, Lava plug formed

May 7th: More lahars (destroy houses & vegetation), Fish killed from hot water/lahars, Pyroclastic flow starts, 400 killed from lahars, Smoking

May 8th: Large Pyroclastic flow, City destroyed

Only 2 men survived