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Morne Watt

Watt, Morne

Stratovolcano · Dominica · 1224m

Fumarolic clouds mark the Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake thermal areas, NE of Morne Watt (Watt Mountain) volcano in SE Dominica. The Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake are major tourist attractions within the national park east of Roseau. A major eruption from Morne Watt produced pyroclastic flows about 930 years ago. The only historical eruptions on the island of Dominica were a moderately large phreatic explosion at the Valley of Desolation thermal area in 1880 and a smaller phreatic explosion in July 1997.
Fumarolic clouds mark the Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake thermal areas, NE of Morne Watt (Watt Mountain) volcano in SE Dominica. The Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake are major tourist attractions within the national park east of Roseau. A major eruption from Morne Watt produced pyroclastic flows about 930 years ago. The only historical eruptions on the island of Dominica were a moderately large phreatic explosion at the Valley of Desolation thermal area in 1880 and a smaller phreatic explosion in July 1997. · Photo: Photo by Paul Jackson, 1998 (Seismic Research Unit, University of West Indies). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Dominica
Region
Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions / Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1224m
Coordinates
15.307, -61.305
Last eruption
1997
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

Morne Watt (Watt Mountain) volcano lies SE of the Trois Piton/Micotrin lava-dome complex in SE Dominica, E of the capital city of Roseau. The two best-known volcanic features on Dominica, the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake thermal areas, lie on the flank; both are major tourist attractions within the national park. Morne Anglais stratovolcano lies 4 km SW of Morne Watt. Soufrière Hills volcano, with dated pyroclastic-flow producing eruptions ~10,000 years ago, lies 3 km E. A major eruption from Morne Watt producing pyroclastic flows occurred ~1300 years ago. A moderately large phreatic explosion took place at the Valley of Desolation thermal area NE of Morne Watt in 1880, when ash fell over a 4-km-wide sector at the coast, 10 km from the vent. A smaller phreatic explosion occurred in July 1997, when ashfall was confined to the Valley of Desolation area. These mark the only known historical eruptions on the island.

From Wikipedia

Morne Watt or Watt Mountain is a mountain consisting of one or more stratovolcanoes at the south end of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean Sea. With an elevation of 1,224 m (4,016 ft), it is the third highest mountain in Dominica after Morne Diablotins and Morne Trois Pitons. The mountain is home to the Boiling Lake and Valley of Desolation thermal areas, both of which are the best-known volcanic features in Dominica and major tourist attractions in Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1800 BCE~1600 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1001 BCE~801 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?598~798 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1797~1997 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21800 BCE801 BCE1 BCE9981797

Detailed timeline

  1. 1997VEI 1Observed
    1997-07-15 – 1997-07-15
    NE of Watt Mtn (Valley of Desolation)
  2. 1880VEI 2Observed
    1880-01-04 – 1880-01-04
    NE of Watt Mtn (Valley of Desolation)
  3. 640 (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    640 – Ongoing
    West flank of Morne Watt
  4. 950 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 950 – Ongoing
    NE of Watt Mtn (Valley of Desolation)
  5. 1800 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1800 – Ongoing
    NE of Watt Mtn (Valley of Desolation)

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.