Morne Diablotins, Stratovolcano in northern Dominica.
Morne Diablotins is a stratovolcano in northern Dominica and the island's highest peak at approximately 1,447 meters. Its summit features multiple merged lava domes with steep slopes throughout the mountain.
The summit is built from at least five coalescing lava domes, and pyroclastic flows left the Grand Savanne Ignimbrite down to the coast 22,000 to 40,000 years ago, one of only two Quaternary eruptions in the Lesser Antilles rated VEI 6 or higher. The last eruption was about 30,000 years ago. Earthquake swarms in 1841 and 1893 are attributed to Morne Diablotins, though they may have come from Morne aux Diables.
The name comes from the Dominican Creole word diablotin, "little devil", for the black-capped petrel; morne is French for a small isolated mountain. The petrel was once caught and eaten on Dominica, and the bird's local name passed to the peak.
The climb to the 1,447 m summit takes about three hours, so set out early enough to descend before dark. The route lies inside Morne Diablotin National Park in the northern interior, roughly 24 km north of Roseau and 10 km southeast of Portsmouth. Carry water for the steep, humid ascent and arrange a local guide before setting off.
The Grand Savanne Ignimbrite, a pyroclastic-flow deposit from one of only two Quaternary eruptions in the Lesser Antilles with a VEI of 6 or greater, reaches the coast from the volcano. The Glanvillia Hotsprings, onshore and underwater, sit near the northwest flank at Glanvillia, Portsmouth.
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