August 30, 1902 Eruption of Pelee

Name: August 30, 1902 Eruption of Pelee
Start: 1902-08-30
Location: Pelee, Martinique

August 30, 1902 · VEI 4 · 1,500 deaths

Pelee in Martinique erupted on August 30, 1902 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. The eruption killed 1,500 people. It caused a tsunami.

Where it erupted

Pelee, Martinique, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: August 30, 1902
Volcano: Pelee, stratovolcano
Country: Martinique
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Location: 14.809° N, 61.166° W

The toll

Deaths: 1,500

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Around 21:00 local time, at least three great nuees ardentes were directed not only toward Saint-Pierre, but also down the northern and eastern flanks of the mountain. They partly destroyed Morne Rouge and Ajoupa Bouillon. These 1000 casualties added to the 8 May disaster that killed 28,000. (reference #2687)

CAVW gives estimate of 1,000 but Heilprin reports that at Morne Rouge 1,200-1,500 died and that fatalities also occured in Ajoupa-Bouillon, Morne Capot, Moine Balar, and Bourden. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Pelee

Every eruption in 1902 The 1900s Pelee Earthquakes near Pelee This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4508.