May 5, 1902 Eruption of Pelee

Name: May 5, 1902 Eruption of Pelee
Start: 1902-05-05
Location: Pelee, Martinique

May 5, 1902 · VEI 4 · 23 deaths

Pelee in Martinique erupted on May 5, 1902 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. The eruption killed 23 people. It caused a tsunami.

Where it erupted

Pelee, Martinique, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: May 5, 1902
Volcano: Pelee, stratovolcano
Country: Martinique
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Waves or tsunami; Mudflows and lahars
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Location: 14.809° N, 61.166° W

The toll

Deaths: 23

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.

Soon after midday a fast lahar descended the River Blanche. The lahar destroyed the Usine Guerin factory near the mouth of the River Blanche, killing 23 people. A small tsunami was triggered by the mudflow as it entered the sea, but the waters quickly became calm again. (reference #2687)

Draining of crater lake upon failure of crater rim produced mudflows that destroyed a rum distillery, killing 23. (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 4707.