Miscellaneous

According to current knowledge planet Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. But the visible surface of the Earth is comparatively young and continuously in motion, so that current topography is only ever a snapshot. Unsurprisingly, some islands are relatively old in Earth terms, whilst the birth of others, mostly in volcanic island regions such as Iceland or Tonga, can be witnessed live and in colour. La Désirade is a silent witness of the formation of an entire tectonic plate. The Caribbean Plate initially formed about 150 million years ago through hotspot volcanism on the Pacific sea floor and subsequently moved east over thousands of kilometres – into the Atlantic Ocean which was only just emerging then. The plate reached its current position about 100 million years ago where it represents the foundation of an entire island region. Bizarre tuff and basalt formations along the rugged coast of the island are indicative of this history. Special forms of pillow lava point to the island’s underwater origins at a depth of 3,000 to 4,000 m; marine microfossils are evidence of its long plate-tectonic journey. Humans first settled on La Désirade around 5,000 years ago. In the middle of the last millennium, the island, which is only 22 km² in size, was the desired anchoring point for European conquerors after their long and uncertain journey across the Atlantic. The indigenous population fought valiantly to prevent a European takeover, but the military forces of the colonisers were vastly superior. The last indigenous residents were eventually deported to a neighbouring island, and a plantation-based economy was introduced, typical at the time for the entire region. Although the first European visitor sailed under the Spanish flag, today’s 1,500 residents mostly speak French and earn their living from agriculture, fishing and a little tourism. Above all, though, the island has remained a Mecca for geologists from all over the world.*

Island Details: La Désirade