OBSERVATOIRE VOLCANOLOGIQUE ET SISMOLOGIQUE

A first observatory operated from 1912 to 1925 under the direction of mineralogist Alfred Lacroix. He, who had studied the 1902 eruption so much, felt that Mount Pelée was best observed from the Morne des Cadets. Then the establishment closed its doors, as its activities were deemed useless. The stealthy awakening of Mount Pelee in 1929 prompted the state to resume its surveillance of the volcano. Since 1935, the Observatory has been recording the slightest jolt of Mount Pelee as well as the island's seismic activity in general. The twenty-ton seismograph formerly used by Alfred Lacroix can also be found there. You can get there from the Saint-Pierre road by turning left about 2 km after leaving Fonds-Saint-Denis, signposted "Le Cocotier". The slope is in places very steep on this stony trail. From the observatory, which unfortunately does not welcome the general public, the 360-degree view is absolutely magnificent, one of the most delightful on the island, encompassing the peaks of Le Carbet and Mount Pelée. Continuing beyond the observatory, one goes back down to Le Carbet by a splendid small panoramic road that passes in front of the arrival of the Slave Canal. It should be noted that a new observatory under construction is practically finished, on a dull ground practically opposite the present one, a modern construction which dominates all the bay of Saint-Pierre.