View source for Mount Scenery

{{short description|Volcano in the Caribbean Netherlands}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Scenery
| photo = Saba with cloud cover.jpg
| photo_caption = [[Saba (island)|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 = [[List of countries by highest point|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 (island)|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)|Saba]] island [[stratovolcano]]. At an elevation of {{convert|870|m|ft|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> The last eruption was in or around the year 1640<ref name=":4">{{cite gvp |vn=360010 |title=Saba |access-date=30 August 2020}}</ref> and included explosions and [[pyroclastic flows]]. The most recent major eruption was at least 5,000 years ago.<ref>{{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}}</ref> According to the U.S. [[Global Volcanism Program]], Saba's volcano is the northernmost active volcano in the Caribbean.<ref name=":4" />

On 2 September 2019, Mount Scenery Nature Park was elevated to the status of national park.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" />

== History ==
The formation of Mount Scenery began about 500,000 years ago, when the [[subaerial]] part of Saba began forming.<ref name=":02">{{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}}</ref> About 100,000 years ago, another phase of volcanic activity created the hills that surround [[The Bottom]].<ref name=":02" /> It was likely during this time that Mount Scenery's [[lava dome]] summit formed.<ref>{{cite gvp|vn=360010|title=Saba|access-date=30 August 2020}}</ref> The last major eruption happened about 5,000 years ago, during the [[Holocene]] era. The volcano was plugged by a massive [[Basalt|basalt rock]], which is why there is no typical [[volcanic crater]] at Mount Scenery's summit.<ref name=":02" />

Volcanic activity on Saba occurred up to the mid-17th century, just before [[Saba (island)#History|European settlement on the island]].<ref name=":02" /> Some of this activity may have occurred while [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|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.<ref name=":02" />
[[File:Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-10021156 Stadsgezicht, gelegen in een vallei met op de achtergrond een berg gezien vanaf een bergtop Saba -Nederlandse Antillen fotograaf niet bekend.jpg|thumb|Farming plots on the slopes of Mt. Scenery, above Windwardside village (in 1909 or 1910)]]
[[File:Collectie NMvWereldculturen, TM-10028908, glasnegatief 'Bananen oogst op Saba', fotograaf niet bekend, 1910-1940.jpg|thumb|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,<ref name=":22">{{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 }}</ref> and through the late 19th and early 20th century, the majority of Saban families were dependent upon "farming The Mountain" or fishing.<ref name=":12">{{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}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{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}}</ref> Common foodstuffs farmed included [[banana]]s, [[Potato|white potatoes]], [[sweet potato]]es, [[Xanthosoma|tannias]], [[cabbage]], [[pumpkin]]s, and [[onion]]s.<ref name=":2" /> Farmers from the village of [[Windwardside]] farmed an area of The Mountain called "Big Rendez-Vous", and farmers from the village of [[St. Johns, Saba|St. Johns]] farmed an area called "Little Rendez-Vous".<ref name=":12" /> Today, most of the farmland on Mount Scenery is gone; although ruins of old farmland are visible on some of Saba's hiking trails.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-10 |title=Hiking {{!}} Saba Tourism |url=https://www.sabatourism.com/hiking/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the late 1960s, a stone stairway was built from Windwardside to the summit of Mount Scenery, consisting of 1,064 steps.<ref name=":hartog">{{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}}</ref><ref name=":cj">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> The stairway was built by hand, step by step, by local Sabans.<ref name=":cj" /> Today the stairway is known as the Mount Scenery Trail, and is a popular hiking trail.<ref name="Sea Saba Dive Center">{{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}}</ref><ref name="Sea Saba Dive Center 2">{{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}}</ref><ref name="Ultimate Caribbean Seclusion: The Under The Radar, Newly Reopened Island Of Saba">{{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}}</ref>

In 2018, Mount Scenery Nature Park was established.<ref name=":32">{{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}}</ref><ref name=":42">{{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}}</ref> The park covers an area of approximately {{convert|3.42|km2}}, which is about 26% of Saba's total area.<ref name=":42" /> The park supports [[Ecotourism|eco-tourism]], maintains the [[Trail|trail system]], protects [[biodiversity]], and preserves historical structures.<ref name=":42" /> In 2019, the park was elevated to the status of national park, and is now called Mount Scenery National Park''.<ref name=":32" />''

== Volcanic monitoring ==
Scientific monitoring of Mount Scenery's volcanic activity began in the 1970s. From 1978 to 1983, the [[Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory|Lamont–Doherty Geological Observatory]] monitored Saba's [[Seismology|seismic]] activity.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":52">{{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}}</ref> Between 1992 and 2004, the [[UWI Seismic Research Centre|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.<ref name=":52" /> As of 2018, the KNMI had four seismic monitoring stations on Saba.<ref name=":52" /> In 2022, the KNMI installed four cost-effective [[Satellite navigation|GNSS]] units Saba, one of which is located at the top of Mount Scenery. The units are [[Solar power|solar-powered]], and were installed as part of a pilot study to assess the suitability of cost-effective GNSS use for monitoring volcanic activity.<ref>{{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]]}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

== Hiking ==
[[File:Mount Scenery Hiking Trail Beginning (6550017271).jpg|thumb|Mount Scenery Trail [[trailhead]] in [[Windwardside]]]]

=== Mount Scenery Trail ===
The Mount Scenery Trail is Saba's most popular hiking trail.<ref name="Sea Saba Dive Center" /><ref name="Sea Saba Dive Center 2" /><ref name="Ultimate Caribbean Seclusion: The Under The Radar, Newly Reopened Island Of Saba" /> The trail is a strenuous [[Trail#Linear|out-and-back]] trail, which goes up 1064 steps to Mt. Scenery's summit and back.<ref name=":plan">{{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}}</ref> It takes about 90 minutes each way.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

The main [[trailhead]] for Mt. Scenery Trail is located on the road just outside [[Windwardside]], across from the Trail Shop.<ref>{{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}}</ref> There are two alternative accesses to the trail: one from the end of the Mountain Road, which reduces the hike by about 25 minutes;<ref name=":plan" /> and one from the Bud's Mountain Trail, which joins the Mt. Scenery trail at the highest shelter.<ref name=":plan" /> At the top of the trail, there are three different viewpoints of the island.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

The lower portion of the trail goes through [[rainforest]] and [[Secondary forest|secondary rainforest]].<ref name=":ls">{{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}}</ref> Here hikers can see [[tree fern]]s, Elephant Ears ([[Taro]]), wild plantains ([[Heliconia]]), Mountain Palm (''[[Euterpe precatoria]]''), and "Mountain Manna" (''Begonia retusa'').<ref name=":ls" /><ref name=":flora">{{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}}</ref> The upper {{convert|50|m|ft}} of the trail is a [[cloud forest]] called the Elfin Forest.<ref name=":3">{{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}}</ref><ref name=":flora" /> Here hikers can see [[Freziera undulata|Mountain Mahogany]],<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> as well as [[orchid]]s, [[Marchantiophyta|liverworts]], [[moss]]es, [[fern]]s, and other [[epiphyte]]s.<ref name=":flora" /><ref name=":3" />

=== The Elfin Trail ===
The Elfin Trail is Saba's newest hiking trail, established in 2018.<ref name=":5">{{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}}</ref> The trail begins on the [[Zion's Hill#Hiking trails|Sandy Cruz Trail]], and ends when it intersects with the Mount Scenery Trail.<ref name=":6">{{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}}</ref> The hike takes about 1 hour one-way.<ref name=":6" />

The trail follows the old paths used by farmers of earlier generations.<ref name=":5" /> Hikers of the trail will go through three ecosystems: [[woodland]]s, [[rainforest]], and [[cloud forest]].<ref name=":5" /> Hikers can see Elephant Ears (Taro), [[Fuchsia|Mountain Fuchsia]], [[Maxillaria|Maxillaria Orchids]], large [[Banana|Banana trees]], and other flora.<ref name=":6" /> The trail also provides views of Old Booby Hill, [[Cove Bay]], and [[Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport|the airport]].<ref name=":6" />

== Communications technology ==
[[File:Mt. Scenery from Windwardside.JPG|thumb|Communications tower at the top of Mt. Scenery]]
In 1972, British [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]] began construction of a [[Microwave transmission#Microwave radio relay|microwave relay station]] at the top of Mount Scenery.<ref name=":hartog" /><ref>{{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}}</ref> The purpose of the microwave relay was to link the islands of [[Antigua]] and [[Tortola|Tortolla]] via Saba.<ref name=":hartog" /> Though no longer in operation, the relay station and tower still sit at the top of Mount Scenery today.<ref name=":cj" />

[[Rescue coordination centre|JRCC Curaçao]] (the [[Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard]] Joint Rescue Coordination Center at Curaçao),<ref>{{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}}</ref> has one of its emergency monitoring stations located on Mount Scenery.<ref name=":msi">{{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}}</ref> The station, "DSC Station Mt. Scenery",<ref name=":msi" /> is a [[Digital selective calling|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".<ref>{{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}}</ref> DSC Station Mt. Scenery provides 24-hour monitoring with a range of {{convert|70|nmi}}.<ref name=":msi" /><ref>{{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]]}}</ref>

On the lower slopes of Mount Scenery in the village of [[St. Johns, Saba|St. Johns]], the [[List of lighthouses in Saba|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.<ref name=":03">{{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}}</ref> Its light emits two white flashes every 10 seconds.<ref name=":03" />

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="150" heights="150">
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 [[Zion's Hill|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|[[Anolis sabanus|Saba anole]] on an [[Philodendron giganteum|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|[[Pilea nummulariifolia|Creeping Charlie]] on the Mount Scenery Trail
</gallery>

==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]]
[[Category:Dormant volcanoes]]
[[Category:17th-century volcanic events]]
[[Category:Active volcanoes]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of the Caribbean]]