CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1934, 3 September 1888, Page 2

CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES.

In hU work on " E.rthqrjakes,' Professor Milne, nf the Imperial College of Bngiueerlacr, Tokio, Japan, who it reooz. nlaed a* the highest authority oq the subjtfot, oonoludeo » chapter on "The Cause of Earthquake! " m follows: — Although It would bo an easy matter to dlaoass the relationship of earthquakes, and other phenomena, we ma«t oonelu'ie that the primary oaose of earthquake, U endogenous to oar earth, and tb 4 t exogenoni phenomena, like ths •♦.trwtloa •jfthe ion and moon and Urometrla fluctuations, play bat a imal' 4 ptr t t a the actual production of tW, phenomena, their greatest effect b*: mg \ o oMle . sll«ht preponderance i a tho nDm bw. of earthquake* at partlcr^, seasons. The* may, therefore, eom'jtlme, bo regarded •• Eaa) oauses. The majority of earthquake! are due to exp^sive efforts at volcanic f ?° i Th f ,sf^«teir nnmber of tbeie explosions takr, p u 0B beneath the sea, and are probaMy doe to the admission of water through fissures to the heated rook* beneath. A. smaller number of earthquakes originate at aotual volcanoes, Som« earthquakes are produced by the sudden fracture of rocky atrata or the production of faults. This may be attributed to stresses brought ■boat by elevatory pressure. Lastly, we have> earthquakes due to the collapse of underground excavations.

t*KB MUUS ASaoOUTXOir] mii . L Wibtport, September 3. Distinct shooke of earthquake wore flit on Saturday at 4 and another at 6.45 o m, Oft ■• 6 a ? d lUO ••»• **w£ at 8.15 this morning.

Mmlboubhb, September 2. Great excitement was occasioned ia. the city, and also m Adelaide yesterday on receipt of information that' a seriousearthquake had been experienced m New Zealand. A rumor got abroad thatWellington had been destroyed, and. the excitement waa then intense, andt only allayed when particulars readied! here.