Blackened ruins in Saint-Pierre (Martinique)
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Blackened ruins in Saint-Pierre (Martinique)

by Audrey Michaud-Dubuy

The Church of the Fort in Saint-Pierre shown here, was filled with people on the 8th of May 1902 when a first explosion at the base of the Mount Pelée lava dome occurred. It created dilute ground-hugging pyroclastic flows that rushed down to the city then dubbed « Le Petit Paris ». Almost 28,000 people perished that day, making this eruption the deadliest of the 20th century. Projected and collapsed columns confirm the violence of the phenomena.
Shot with a Nikon D90, 16-85 mm Nikkor lens, 16 mm focal length, f/7.1, 1/125s, ISO 200