EXHIBITION: "SOUND! PLAY WITH WAVES" July 2026–February 2027 – CDST Sound will hold no more secrets for you! How is sound created? How do waves travel? Why do some sounds seem lower, higher, louder, or softer to us? Through a fun, interactive exhibition accessible to everyone, the CDST—Center for the Discovery of Science and the Earth—invites you to explore the fascinating world of vibrations, waves, and sound phenomena that surround us every day. Hands-on activities, experiments, discoveries, and science games will allow young and old alike to learn while having fun and to better understand this invisible—yet omnipresent—phenomenon. An original exhibition where you can listen, test, experiment, and discover science in a whole new way. SARGASSUM: THE GREAT INVASION An investigation by Marie Briere de la Hosseraye Once rare, sargassum now invades the shores of the Caribbean. Foul-smelling and toxic, it poses health, environmental, and economic challenges. A Science Actualités exhibition designed by the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie – Universcience The year 2025 will be remembered for the exceptionally high volume of Sargassum washups in Martinique. In a report published on December 24, Météo-France cited volumes and areas never before observed since satellite monitoring began in 2011. THE SOIL Soils provide resources for human populations; they are home to exceptional biodiversity, largely unknown to the general public; they perform regulatory functions (such as flood control), as well as water storage and purification; they also play a major role in carbon sequestration. Beneath our feet, the soil of Martinique tells a story of volcanoes, tropical rains, and forests. These soils allow forests to grow, crops to thrive, and provide a foundation for all our structures. They are an essential resource… but a fragile one. FLORA AND NATURAL HABITATS OF MONTAGNE PELÉE AND THE PITONS DU NORD Natural habitats refer to a homogeneous area where several plant species grow together. Understanding natural habitats means taking an interest in both the species and the ecological conditions in which they thrive. Several types of habitats can be distinguished, including forests, thickets, grasslands, and coastal areas, which may be muddy, rocky, or sandy. All these habitats have specific characteristics and vary depending on rainfall. Exhibition provided by the National Botanical Conservatory of Martinique: “Deadly Volcanoes” (permanent exhibition), produced by the National Museum of Natural History. On May 8, 1902, the eruption of Mount Pelée killed 28,000 people and devastated the town of Saint-Pierre, reminding us that it is one of France’s most dangerous volcanoes. The “Deadly Volcanoes” exhibition explores all aspects of Mount Pelée’s volcanism, its geodynamic context, the history of the volcano’s formation, details of the catastrophe of May 8, 1902—including a precise chronology of the various events related to the eruption as well as anecdotes about the survivors—the specific eruptive characteristics of this volcano, and volcanic monitoring. The explanatory panels are accompanied by photographs taken after the disaster by Alfred Lacroix, a model of Mount Pelée with a cross-section showing the volcano’s interior, and a glossary detailing terms used in volcanology. The CDST’s Mineralogy Gallery (permanent exhibition) The display cases feature rocks and fossils from Martinique as well as samples from various regions of the world, accompanied by panels summarizing the main concepts of geology: Mineralogy – Paleontology - Petrology. Rocks from Martinique and around the world held by the CDST, along with their characteristics—click on this link: roches-du-cdst. Martinique from the Sky (permanent) Take a bird’s-eye view of Martinique with the 1:10,000-scale map of the island, measuring 6 m x 6.30 m, created by assembling 1,600 orthophotos taken from an airplane.These images showcase the island’s great diversity of landscapes, human settlement patterns, and land use. Visitors can navigate freely across the map to locate specific places, their homes, the CDST, and more. Major Hazards (Permanent) A hazard is a random, potentially dangerous event that becomes a major risk when it occurs in a location where human, economic, or environmental interests are at stake. Hours of Operation Open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission at 4:00 p.m.). Open on the following holidays: Easter Sunday, Victory Day (May 8), Ascension Thursday, Pentecost Sunday, Bastille Day (July 14), Assumption Day (August 15), Armistice Day (November 11) CDST, Hab Perinelle, La Galere, St-Pierre, 0596 52 82 42
