They were erected in various eruptions as a result of the collapse of the caldeira of the former Pitons du Carbet paleovolcano, which developed 10 kilometers to the southwest of the older shield volcano of Morne Jacob.

[1] The deposits of ash and boulders at the foot of the peaks show that their emplacement was not smooth and that they or parts of them have collapsed several times in their history.

The ascent of these peaks is possible but should be reserved for the highly trained hikers due to the very steep slopes and trails made slippery by the extreme humidity of the climate (trails eastward from Morne-Vert on the Caribbean coast or westward from the abandoned thermal station of Absalon or Plateau Boucher near the Route de la Trace in the deeply forested central north of the island).

It's primeval rainforest include very diverse and complex fauna and entomofauna (including the West Indian Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), the most feared Spearhead snake (Bothrops Lanceolatus), the Martinique Northern Tarentula (Caribena Versicolor) and rare or endemic species of hummingbirds such as the Blue headed hummingbird, the green throated carib, the purple throated carib or the Antillean crested Hummingbirds), as well as exceptionally rich and precious flora and plant organisations (some of which are virgin, primary forest free of any past human modifications).

In addition, at the highest altitudes, the cloud forest is densely populated with endemic species including bryophytes, Praestoea montana and/or tree ferns.