NEW ZEALAND RISING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 233, 20 June 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND RISING

■A GEOGRAPHICAL PROBLEM EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKES Evidences of tho elovation of New Zealand within recent geographical limes wero uiscusseu by Dr. J. Henderson in a paper read before the Wellington I'hilosopnical Institute last night. Dr. Henderson expressed the opinion that New Zealand as a whole had changed its level at various times. There had been periods when tho level had fallen, but ho did not think thut there had been much local variation. The raised beaches that wero found all around New Zealand proved, in Ins opinion, that tho whole country hail risen and 'fallen. Ho drow attention specially to levels that might be culled the 1001't., ioOft., and -500 ft. strand lines, and mentioned that there was evidence of a. small rise, n few l'eot only, within quite recent times. Ho quoted a mass of evidence bearing on the subject. Dr. C. A. Cotton, in the course of the discussion that followed the reading of tho paper, said he disagreed with Dr. Henderson regarding the nature of the movement that had taken place. Ho believed that there had been 'a great deal of differential movement. His observations had led him to believe that the levels of the. raised beaches were by no means regular. Mr. G. HoglMn said it was hard to believe that so large an area of land could rise and fall without local variations. He mentioned the evidence that the big earthquake of 1855 raised tho level of tho land in Wellington and neighbouring districts. Later Mr. Hogben read a paper dealing with the earthquakes experienced in New Zealand during tho years 19H to 1917 inclusive. He said that the movements all had their origin in fault lines situated beneath the ocean from 180 to 250 miles east of New Zealand, and extending roughly from the longitude of Kaikoura to that of East Cape. The disturbances must have been very severe to make themselves felt in New Zealand.

Tho speakers were thanked by the nieoting for their papers.