Mount Scenery
{{short description|Volcano in the Caribbean Netherlands}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Scenery
| photo = Saba with cloud cover.jpg
| photo_caption = Saba with Mount Scenery's peak in the clouds
| elevation_m = 870
| elevation_ref =
| prominence_m = 870
| prominence_ref =
| map = Saba#Lesser Antilles
| map_alt =
| map_caption = location in the Lesser Antilles
| label_position = left
| listing = Country high point
| range_coordinates =
| coordinates = {{coord|17|38|06|N|63|14|21|W|type:mountain_region:BQ_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| location = Saba, Caribbean Netherlands
| range =
| topo =
| type = Stratovolcano with lava dome
| volcanic_arc = Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc
| age =
| last_eruption = 1640
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
Mount Scenery (pronounced like the word 'scenery') is a dormant volcano in the Caribbean Netherlands. Its lava dome forms the summit of the Saba island stratovolcano. At an elevation of {{convert|870|m|ft|0|abbr=on}},{{Cite web |date=2024-11-21 |title=Hoogste punt Nederland lager dan gedacht: berg op Saba 'slechts' 870 meter |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2545374-hoogste-punt-nederland-lager-dan-gedacht-berg-op-saba-slechts-870-meter |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=nos.nl |language=nl}} it is the highest point in both the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and, since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010, the highest point in the Netherlands proper.
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.{{Cite web |title=Active, dormant, and extinct: Clarifying confusing classifications {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/active-dormant-and-extinct-clarifying-confusing-classifications#:~:text=Volcanologists%20use%20that%20term%20as,volcano%20that%20is%20currently%20erupting |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.usgs.gov}} The last eruption was in or around the year 1640{{cite gvp |vn=360010 |title=Saba |access-date=30 August 2020}} and included explosions and pyroclastic flows. The most recent major eruption was at least 5,000 years ago.{{Cite web |date=2018-06-21 |title=About Saba |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/about-saba/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Saba Tourism |language=en-US}} According to the U.S. Global Volcanism Program, Saba's volcano is the northernmost active volcano in the Caribbean.
On 2 September 2019, Mount Scenery Nature Park was elevated to the status of national park.{{cite web |url=http://www.saba-news.com/national-park-status-for-mount-scenery-nature-park/ |title=National park status for Mount Scenery Nature Park - Saba News |website=www.saba-news.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907001050/http://www.saba-news.com/national-park-status-for-mount-scenery-nature-park/ |archive-date=2019-09-07}} 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.
History
The formation of Mount Scenery began about 500,000 years ago, when the subaerial part of Saba began forming.{{Cite book |last=Roobol |first=M. John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oRW_swEACAAJ |title=Volcanology of Saba and St. Eustatius, Northern Lesser Antilles: Textbd. |date=2004 |publisher=Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen |language=en}} About 100,000 years ago, another phase of volcanic activity created the hills that surround The Bottom. It was likely during this time that Mount Scenery's lava dome summit formed.{{cite gvp|vn=360010|title=Saba|access-date=30 August 2020}} 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.
Volcanic activity on Saba occurred up to the mid-17th century, just before European settlement on the island. 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.
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,{{Cite journal |last=Price |first=A. Grenfell |date=1934 |title=White Settlement in Saba Island, Dutch West Indies |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/209493 |journal=Geographical Review |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=42–60 |doi=10.2307/209493 |jstor=209493 |bibcode=1934GeoRv..24...42P |issn=0016-7428|url-access=subscription }} and through the late 19th and early 20th century, the majority of Saban families were dependent upon "farming The Mountain" or fishing.{{Cite web |date=2019-08-28 |title=The Mountain |url=https://thesabaislander.com/2019/08/28/the-mountain/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=The Saba Islander |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Crane |first=Julia G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vip7AAAAMAAJ |title=Educated to Emigrate: The Social Organization of Saba |date=1971 |publisher=Round the World Publishing |isbn=978-90-232-0702-3 |language=en}} Common foodstuffs farmed included bananas, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, tannias, cabbage, pumpkins, and onions. 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". Today, most of the farmland on Mount Scenery is gone; although ruins of old farmland are visible on some of Saba's hiking trails.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=Hiking {{!}} Saba Tourism |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/hiking/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |language=en-US}}
In the late 1960s, a stone stairway was built from Windwardside to the summit of Mount Scenery, consisting of 1,064 steps.{{Cite book |last=Hartog |first=Johannes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BVsAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Saba |date=1975 |publisher=Saba Artisan Foundation |location=Netherlands Antilles |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Greaves-Gabbadon |first=Sarah |date=2015-08-28 |title=Hiking Saba's Mount Scenery |url=https://www.caribjournal.com/2015/08/28/hiking-sabas-mount-scenery/ |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Caribbean Journal |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-02-06 |title=The Chronological History of Saba |url=https://thesabaislander.com/2021/02/06/the-chronological-history-of-saba/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=The Saba Islander |language=en}} The stairway was built by hand, step by step, by local Sabans. Today the stairway is known as the Mount Scenery Trail, and is a popular hiking trail.{{Cite web |title=Hiking on Saba {{!}} Sea Saba Dive Center |url=https://www.seasaba.com/hiking-on-saba |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=seasaba |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Greaves-Gabbadon |first=Sarah |date=March 27, 2013 |title=This 5-square-mile Island Has a 'Disappearing Beach' — and It's Called the 'Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean' |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/saba-island-caribbean-7371775 |work=Travel + Leisure}}{{Cite web |last=Werner |first=Laurie |title=Ultimate Caribbean Seclusion: The Under The Radar, Newly Reopened Island Of Saba |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriewerner/2021/05/13/ultimate-caribbean-seclusion-the-under-the-radar-newly-reopened-island-of-saba/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Forbes |language=en}}
In 2018, Mount Scenery Nature Park was established.{{Cite news |date=Sep 4, 2019 |title=National park status for Mount Scenery Nature Park |url=https://bes-reporter.com/national-park-status-for-mount-scenery-nature-park/ |work=BES Reporter}}{{Cite web |title=Mount Scenery National Park |url=https://sabapark.org/mount-scenery-national-park/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=Saba Conservation Foundation |language=en-US}} The park covers an area of approximately {{convert|3.42|km2}}, which is about 26% of Saba's total area. The park supports eco-tourism, maintains the trail system, protects biodiversity, and preserves historical structures. In 2019, the park was elevated to the status of national park, and is now called Mount Scenery National Park.
Volcanic monitoring
Scientific monitoring of Mount Scenery's volcanic activity began in the 1970s. From 1978 to 1983, the Lamont–Doherty Geological Observatory monitored Saba's seismic activity.{{Cite journal |last1=De Zeeuw-van Dalfsen |first1=Elske |last2=Sleeman |first2=Reinoud |date=2018 |title=A Permanent, Real-Time Monitoring Network for the Volcanoes Mount Scenery and The Quill in the Caribbean Netherlands |journal=Geosciences |language=en |volume=8 |issue=9 |pages=320 |doi=10.3390/geosciences8090320 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018Geosc...8..320D |issn=2076-3263}} Between 1992 and 2004, the Seismic Research Center in Trinidad operated a seismometer on Mount Scenery's summit.
In 2006, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) began monitoring seismic activity related to Mount Scenery. As of 2018, the KNMI had four seismic monitoring stations on Saba. 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.{{Cite report |url=https://www.knmidc.org/volcanoes/Volcano_Monitoring_Updates_Saba_and_St._Eustatius_2017-2023.pdf |title=Volcano Monitoring Updates Saba and St. Eustatius 2017 - 2023 |last=de Zeeuw-van Dalfsen |first=Elske |date=2023 |publisher=Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-08 |title=Seismic and Volcano Monitoring Team on Saba |url=https://www.saba-news.com/seismic-and-volcano-monitoring-team-on-saba/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Saba News |language=en-US}}
Hiking
= Mount Scenery Trail =
The Mount Scenery Trail is Saba's most popular hiking trail. The trail is a strenuous out-and-back trail, which goes up 1064 steps to Mt. Scenery's summit and back.{{Cite web |title=Plan your Hike |url=https://sabapark.org/mount-scenery-national-park/plan-your-hike/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Saba Conservation Foundation |language=en-US}} It takes about 90 minutes each way.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Mt. Scenery {{!}} Saba Tourism |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/hiking/mt-scenery/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |language=en-US}}
The main trailhead for Mt. Scenery Trail is located on the road just outside Windwardside, across from the Trail Shop.{{Cite web |date=2018-06-22 |title=The Trail Shop {{!}} Saba Tourism |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/shopping/information-services/the-trail-shop/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |language=en-US}} There are two alternative accesses to the trail: one from the end of the Mountain Road, which reduces the hike by about 25 minutes; and one from the Bud's Mountain Trail, which joins the Mt. Scenery trail at the highest shelter. At the top of the trail, there are three different viewpoints of the island.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=Hiking: Mt. Scenery |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/hiking/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Saba Tourism |language=en-US}}
The lower portion of the trail goes through rainforest and secondary rainforest.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=Hiking: Lower Slopes |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/hiking/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Saba Tourism |language=en-US}} Here hikers can see tree ferns, Elephant Ears (Taro), wild plantains (Heliconia), Mountain Palm (Euterpe precatoria), and "Mountain Manna" (Begonia retusa).{{Cite web |title=Hiking Trails: Flora and Fauna |url=https://www.sabapark.org/hiking_trails/flora_fauna/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=www.sabapark.org |publisher=Saba Conservation Foundation}} The upper {{convert|50|m|ft}} of the trail is a cloud forest called the Elfin Forest.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=Hiking: The Summit of Mt. Scenery |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/hiking |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Saba Tourism |language=en-US}} Here hikers can see Mountain Mahogany,{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Species Action Plan: Mountain mahogany |url=https://www.dcbd.nl/sites/default/files/documents/Work%282020%29_speciesActionPlanMountainMahogany.pdf |website=Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database}} as well as orchids, liverworts, mosses, ferns, and other epiphytes.
= The Elfin Trail =
The Elfin Trail is Saba's newest hiking trail, established in 2018.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Caribbean Journal |date=2018-08-20 |title=A New Hiking Trail in Saba |url=https://www.caribjournal.com/2018/08/20/a-new-hiking-trail-in-saba/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=Caribbean Journal |language=en}} The trail begins on the Sandy Cruz Trail, and ends when it intersects with the Mount Scenery Trail.{{Cite web |title=Plan your Hike |url=https://sabapark.org/mount-scenery-national-park/plan-your-hike/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=Saba Conservation Foundation |language=en-US}} The hike takes about 1 hour one-way.
The trail follows the old paths used by farmers of earlier generations. Hikers of the trail will go through three ecosystems: woodlands, rainforest, and cloud forest. Hikers can see Elephant Ears (Taro), Mountain Fuchsia, Maxillaria Orchids, large Banana trees, and other flora. The trail also provides views of Old Booby Hill, Cove Bay, and the airport.
Communications technology
File:Mt. Scenery from Windwardside.JPG
In 1972, British Cable & Wireless began construction of a microwave relay station at the top of Mount Scenery.{{Cite report |url=https://www.dcbd.nl/sites/default/files/documents/MacRaeAndDeMeyer%282018%29_MountSceneryNatureParkManagementPlan.pdf |title=Mount Scenery Nature Park Management Plan. |last1=MacRae |first1=D.R. |last2=De Meyer |first2=K. |date=July 2018}} The purpose of the microwave relay was to link the islands of Antigua and Tortolla via Saba. Though no longer in operation, the relay station and tower still sit at the top of Mount Scenery today.
JRCC Curaçao (the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center at Curaçao),{{Cite web |title=The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) |url=https://www.sintmaartengov.org/Ministries/Departments/Pages/The-Dutch-Caribbean-Coast-Guard.aspx |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=www.sintmaartengov.org}} has one of its emergency monitoring stations located on Mount Scenery.{{Cite book |url=https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?key=16694477/SFH00000/117chapter4.pdf |title=Radio Navigational Aids |publisher=National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency |year=2014 |volume=117 |location=Springfield, VA |pages=81 |chapter=Chapter 4: Distress, Emergency, and Safety Traffic}} The station, "DSC Station Mt. Scenery", 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".{{Cite book |url=https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?key=16694477/SFH00000/117chapter4.pdf |title=Radio Navigational Aids |publisher=National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency |year=2014 |volume=117 |location=Springfield, VA |pages=3 |chapter=Chapter 3: Radio Navigational Warnings}} DSC Station Mt. Scenery provides 24-hour monitoring with a range of {{convert|70|nmi}}.{{Cite report |url=https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Safety/Documents/Documents%20relevant%20to%20SAR/GMDSS.1-CIRC.22%20GMDSS%20Master%20Plan.pdf |title=Master Plan of Shore-Based Facilities for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System |last= |first= |date=30 July 2018 |publisher=International Maritime Organization}}
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 {{convert|15|m|4=-high|adj=mid}} tower mounted to a 1-story white concrete base.{{Cite web |title=Lighthouses of Saba and Sint Eustatius |url=https://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/sab.htm |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=www.ibiblio.org}} Its light emits two white flashes every 10 seconds.
Gallery
File:Mount Scenery.jpg|Mount Scenery in the clouds, as seen from Windwardside
File:Windwardside Village with Mount Scenery.jpg|Mount Scenery as seen from Windwardside
File:Saba Hell's Gate (cropped).jpg|Mount Scenery as seen from Lower Hell's Gate
File:Third of the Way Up Mount Scenery Trail (6550015583).jpg|One of the Mount Scenery trailheads
File:Mount Scenery Trail Steps (6550016605).jpg|Mount Scenery Trail steps
File:Anolis sabanus on Philodendron giganteum.jpg|Saba anole on an Elephant ear, on the Mount Scenery Trail
File:Marcgravia umbellata, vine and flower.jpg|Marcgravia umbellata on the Mount Scenery Trail
File:Pilea nummulariifolia (and other plants) on a mossy rock.jpg|Creeping Charlie on the Mount Scenery Trail
See also
{{Commons category}}
- List of volcanoes in the Netherlands
- Vaalserberg - the highest point in the Netherlands in Europe
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Saba}}
{{Authority control}}{{Highest points of North America}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Scenery, Mount}}
Category:Volcanoes of the Atlantic Ocean
Category:Volcanoes of the Netherlands
Category:Potentially active volcanoes
Category:Landforms of Saba (island)
Category:Highest points of countries
Category:Hiking trails in the Caribbean