The plateau, of which Mount Saint Peter is part, is bounded on the east by the Meuse river (Dutch: Maas) and on the west by the Geer (Jeker).

Mount Saint Peter's limestone composition, its deposits of flint nodules and its geographic position make it a remarkable place.

In the part of Mount Saint Peter that is in the Flemish municipality of Riemst, archaeological evidence of an Iron Age fortress has been found.

Around 1765 the skull of a Mosasaurus was discovered here in a limestone quarry, one of the first recognised reptile fossils, which was later acquired by the Teylers Museum in Haarlem.

The succeeding geologic layers include loess, gravel, quartz sand and chalky limestone of the Maastricht Formation with inclusions of flint.

Guided tours of these limestone quarries, some with ancient inscriptions, drawings and other works of art, constitute one of Maastricht's main tourist attractions.

In modern times limestone from Mount Saint Peter continues to be quarried in surface mines, mainly for portland cement production.

An abandoned part of the ENCI quarry has become in recent years the breeding ground of the Eurasian eagle-owl, locally known as oehoe (pronounced: uhu).

On the northeastern section, now overlooking the ENCI quarry as well as the river Meuse, is the farmstead Lichtenberg, largely dating from the 18th century but which includes an 11th-century keep.

Further south, in the Walloon municipality of Visé, is another ruined castle overlooking the Meuse, Caestert, of which only some of the farm buildings remain.

South of the village remnants of the 17th-century Franciscan Slavante Monastery can be seen, including a small baroque chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony.

A sinister reminder of World War II is the fortress Eben-Emael, constructed in 1931–35 to protect the Belgian border near the Albert Canal.