Chapter 1 · ≈ 3 million years
The birth of the island
Réunion was born around 3 million years ago, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, through volcanic activity. Today's landscape is the result of millions of years of successive tectonic movements, eruptions and erosion.
Volcanism
The Piton des Neiges and the Piton de la Fournaise shaped the island.
How the cirques formed
Erosion carved out the three cirques (natural amphitheatres): Cilaos, Mafate and Salazie.
An island that never stops changing
The Piton de la Fournaise is still reshaping the landscape today.