OUR GENESIS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1689, 4 March 1913, Page 4

OUR GENESIS.

RECENT BURST FROM SEAjjFLO'OR. (By Telegraph.—l'rosa Association.) ' ' Auckland, March 3. Professor Percival,_ of Freiburg University, who came to New Zealand to study thermal activity, states that comparatively recently, judged by geological p-.'iiods, Now Zealand was raised from the bottom of the sea. Evidence of this could fits adduced from the fact that there tun now bo found on Mount Hdcn shells of living specimens. This upheaval of the ocean's bottom, ho said, took place probably in what is known as the pliocene period. At (hut time tlio lons-lost continent of Atlan. vis wns in oxistonco, the-Isthmus of Panama did not exist, and _ North and South America were separate islands. All evidenco pointed to tho fact that numerous scattered islands such as Easter Island, with its wonderful slono figures, must have been part of olio continent', for otherwise tho inhabitants could not have gained their architectural. knowledge.. Owing to some great volcanic activity, tho centre of which it was impossible to trace, this continent was' submerged, mid New Zealand raised above tin* surfaco of the ocean. For some little tiino I'limcroils volcanoes in tho district had been active, but gradually they became quiesCOllt. Tho professor's conclusions, as for ns New Zealand is concorncd, alo decidedly reassuring. Ho says that volcanic activity throughout tho world is on Ino decrease: volennio bolts tend to become less and less active.ns time goes on, quiescence starting from the ends of belts towards the centre. As Auckland is 011 Iho voiy extremity of New Zealand's volcanic area, it is extremely unlikely that any f'">iber disturbance will bo experienced.