Petit and Gros Piton
Soufriere, St. Lucia
N 13° 51.190 W 061° 03.980
Petit and Gros Pitons, the Pitons, are locate on the southwest coast of the island of St. Lucia, south of the town of Soufriere.
Long Description:
The Pitons are the most famous and photographed landmarks in St Lucia. They have become the signature set image of the island of St. Lucia. The nearer and steeper peak is Petit Piton, which is 1 km in diameter and 743 meters high. The farther peak is Gros Piton, which is 3 km in diameter and 771 meters high. Between them is the Piton Mitan ridge. The Pitons Management Area are a UNESCO world heritage site.
Both peaks are volcanic in origin. They were created when magma hardened within the vent of an active volcano. When the volcano ceased to be active the surrounding rock eroded exposing the harder solidified magma plug, thus producing these distinctive upright landforms.
The Pitons are part of the Soufriere Volcanic Centre complex which are the remains of a huge collapsed stratovolcano. The volcanic complex overlies a tectonic plate subduction zone which forms a 700 km volcanic arc along the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean.
The iconic view of both Pitons shown on the stamp can only be seen from a watercraft sailing west of the town of Soufriere in Soufriere Bay. The top stamp was issued in 1938 as part of a set of 17 stamps. The bottom stamp was issued in 2003 as the higher value of a pair of definitive stamps.
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