ROTORUA QUAKING

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 846, 18 June 1910, Page 6

ROTORUA QUAKING

"PECULIAR YELLOWISH LIGHT- ! NINC FLASH." MAORIS GREATLY ALARMED. Tuesday night, or rather Wednesday morning (writes our Rotorua correspondent/brought some alarming seismic disturbances here. In fact, it is twenty years sinco such continuous ■ shocks wore experienced in Rotorua. Between 5.15 a.m. and G. 15 a.m. there were fifteen distinct- shocks. Two of them, which were, particularly severe, wore preceded by a peculiar yellowish lightning flash. The Maoris , were very greatly alarmed, somo of the Natives riding in miles from the East Coast direction with the news that White Island had disappeared during tho disturbance. However, telegraphic news from Wdiakatano exploded the rumour.

A SERIES OF TREMORS. LOUD RUMBLING NOISE. The Auckland "Horald's" Rotorua correspondent telegraphed:—There was a series of earth tremors between 5.30 and 0.30 a.m. Ten strong shocks wore counted, the heaviest being at 6.15. The shocks followed each, other at close intervals, and were accompanied by a rumbling noise. A gentleman who came to Auckland by the express states that considerable apprehension was felt by those iaßotonia- during the hour or more that theshocks lasted. The first was felt about five a.m., and 21 followed during the next hour. Some of these.were very slight, but at least nine were of sufficient severity to make tho houses shake. Two were specially severe. No damage was done to buildings, but pictures were shakeii off tho walls of several houses and dashed to tho ground. Crockery which was not secured to the walls or shelves by hooks or bars was in danger of falling off, and in some cases did, white other articles of a. fragile- -nature wore injured by knocking against each other. The shocks were, accompanied by a loud rambling noise, which caused tho Maoris at Ohinenmtu and Whakarewarewa much concern. Their excited conversations bore principally on the danger of another disaster such as that of 1886. Alarm, however, was not confined to Maoris, as some European.' households were seriously tikinking of seeking safety in tho open when the shocks ceased. One or two women, indeed, sought the streets in undress, and stood till the shakes ceased in spots where they thought thero would bo littlcv danger of injury from falling buildings. It is stated that at Turakina, a few mites away, no shocks were felt. SCIENTIFIC OPINIONS. NO CAUSE FOR ANXIETY. No particular significance is attached to tho shocks hy Professor A. P W Thomas, of tho Auckland University t/ollege, who is particularly , well versed in tho past history of tho hot lakes district. In reply to an inquiry from a Herald" 'representative, Professor lhomas. pointed out that most of tho earthquake shocks, experienced at Rotorua were distinct from those affecting the main lino of seismic activity, which runs from Wellington to the Kist Coast. "I should expect these carthquakos," ho said, "to bo purely local disturbances, . connected with the volcanic phenomena of tho district, llioro are many localities there wherevolcanic action has been rife in the past, and where there are still hot springs testifying to tho activity of natural forces." When questioned as to tho probable cause of the earthquakes, Professor lhomas said that they were probably duo to subterranean explosions of steam: It was not difficult to understand that the result of steam working its way along underground in this way should bo explosion after explosion.' Iho occurrence of an unusually largo number of shocks might thus'be accounted for. So far as he was aware, most of the earthquake shocks felt at Rotorua did not originate there. Some, ho knew, started at Tarawera, and some appeared to come from the neighbourhood of Orakei-Ivorako, on tho' Upper Waikato, between' Rotorua and Taupo. Tho main line of those disturbances was to the east of Rotorua, in a lino stretching from White Island to Tnrawera and Ruapelm. "Rotorua is the centro of a volcanic district, and thero will bo plenty of earthquakes and plenty of eruptions," declared Mr. T. F.' Cliccscman, curator of _ the Auckland Museum. "It contains abundant signs of previous volcanic disturbances of all kinds', and accordingly this experience should occasion no surprise. The fact that thbso disturbances havo occurred in the same month as the eruption of 1886 is purely a coincidence, and therefore no importance can bo attached."