The Saba volcano is potentially dangerous. It is currently classified as "dormant", which means it is an active volcano that is not erupting now, but could erupt in the future.[2] The last eruption was in or around the year 1640[3] and included explosions and pyroclastic flows. The most recent major eruption was at least 5,000 years ago.[4] According to the U.S. Global Volcanism Program, Saba's volcano is the northernmost active volcano in the Caribbean.[3]
On 2 September 2019, Mount Scenery Nature Park was elevated to the status of national park.[5] It has a hiking trail to the summit of the volcano, which is one of Saba's biggest tourist attractions. Along the way up the mountain are the multiple climate zones of Saba, including a cloud forest at the summit.[6][7]
History
The formation of Mount Scenery began about 500,000 years ago, when the subaerial part of Saba began forming.[8] About 100,000 years ago, another phase of volcanic activity created the hills that surround The Bottom.[8] It was likely during this time that Mount Scenery's lava dome summit formed.[9] The last major eruption happened about 5,000 years ago, during the Holocene era. The volcano was plugged by a massive basalt rock, which is why there is no typical volcanic crater at Mount Scenery's summit.[8]
Volcanic activity on Saba occurred up to the mid-17th century, just before European settlement on the island.[8] Some of this activity may have occurred while Amerindians were living on the island, as it is believed that Amerindians inhabited the island (at least periodically) for approximately 2,500 years before Europeans arrived.[8]
Farming plots on the slopes of Mt. Scenery, above Windwardside village (in 1909 or 1910)Banana harvesting on Saba (between 1910 and 1940)
During the early years of European settlement, Mount Scenery (known locally as "The Mountain" through the mid-20th century) was an important location for farming,[10] and through the late 19th and early 20th century, the majority of Saban families were dependent upon "farming The Mountain" or fishing.[11][7] Common foodstuffs farmed included bananas, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, tannias, cabbage, pumpkins, and onions.[7] Farmers from the village of Windwardside farmed an area of The Mountain called "Big Rendez-Vous", and farmers from the village of St. Johns farmed an area called "Little Rendez-Vous".[11] Today, most of the farmland on Mount Scenery is gone; although ruins of old farmland are visible on some of Saba's hiking trails.[12]
In the late 1960s, a stone stairway was built from Windwardside to the summit of Mount Scenery, consisting of 1,064 steps.[13][14][15] The stairway was built by hand, step by step, by local Sabans.[14] Today the stairway is known as the Mount Scenery Trail, and is a popular hiking trail.[16][17][18]
In 2018, Mount Scenery Nature Park was established.[19][20] The park covers an area of approximately 3.42 square kilometres (1.32 sq mi), which is about 26% of Saba's total area.[20] The park supports eco-tourism, maintains the trail system, protects biodiversity, and preserves historical structures.[20] In 2019, the park was elevated to the status of national park, and is now called Mount Scenery National Park.[19]
In 2006, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) began monitoring seismic activity related to Mount Scenery.[21] As of 2018, the KNMI had four seismic monitoring stations on Saba.[21] In 2022, the KNMI installed four cost-effective GNSS units Saba, one of which is located at the top of Mount Scenery. The units are solar-powered, and were installed as part of a pilot study to assess the suitability of cost-effective GNSS use for monitoring volcanic activity.[22][23]
The Mount Scenery Trail is Saba's most popular hiking trail.[16][17][18] The trail is a strenuous out-and-back trail, which goes up 1064 steps to Mt. Scenery's summit and back.[24] It takes about 90 minutes each way.[25]
The main trailhead for Mt. Scenery Trail is located on the road just outside Windwardside, across from the Trail Shop.[26] There are two alternative accesses to the trail: one from the end of the Mountain Road, which reduces the hike by about 25 minutes;[24] and one from the Bud's Mountain Trail, which joins the Mt. Scenery trail at the highest shelter.[24] At the top of the trail, there are three different viewpoints of the island.[27]
The Elfin Trail is Saba's newest hiking trail, established in 2018.[31] The trail begins on the Sandy Cruz Trail, and ends when it intersects with the Mount Scenery Trail.[32] The hike takes about 1 hour one-way.[32]
In 1972, British Cable & Wireless began construction of a microwave relay station at the top of Mount Scenery.[13][33] The purpose of the microwave relay was to link the islands of Antigua and Tortolla via Saba.[13] Though no longer in operation, the relay station and tower still sit at the top of Mount Scenery today.[14]
JRCC Curaçao (the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center at Curaçao),[34] has one of its emergency monitoring stations located on Mount Scenery.[35] The station, "DSC Station Mt. Scenery",[35] is a Digital Selective Calling (DSC) station, meaning that it has "equipment that allows mariners to instantly send or receive automatically formatted distress alerts to vessels and coast stations in the area".[36] DSC Station Mt. Scenery provides 24-hour monitoring with a range of 70 nautical miles (130 km; 81 mi).[35][37]
On the lower slopes of Mount Scenery in the village of St. Johns, the St. John's Lighthouse was constructed. The navigational aid is a 15-metre-high (49 ft) tower mounted to a 1-story white concrete base.[38] Its light emits two white flashes every 10 seconds.[38]
Gallery
Mount Scenery in the clouds, as seen from Windwardside
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