THE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

Kumara Times, Issue 3017, 5 July 1886, Page 2

THE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

DR. HECTOR ON THE OUTBREAK. The Wellington correspondent of the Christchurch Press telegrphed on Wednesday last as follows :—"This evening at the meeting of the New Zealand Institute Dr. Hector, in his address, referred to the recent eruptions in the Hot lakes district. Numerous sketches taken by Dr. Hector, and subsequently .■nlarged by Mr H. M. Gore, diagrams showing the extent of the country affected, and some interesting sketches taken by Mr A. Koch at the time of Dr. Hochstetter's visit nearly thirty years ago were displayed. Dr. Hector gave a brief account of the geological formation of the North Island, aud then proceeded to give a graphic and lucid description of the eruption and its effects. The matter ejected fell partly as mud on a narrow line extending from Wairoa to Tupeke, in consequence of the condensation of the steam and dust-hearing cloud by a cold S.W. wind, which saved Rotorua. There was further a light grey d„st, known as the Tauranga dust, different from the dust deposited at Hicks' Bay and the dust at Poverty Bay, besides the depo.Mt covering the country in the immediate vicinity of the focus. The conclusion to be drawn from the eruption was that although on a gigantic scale, it was yet of a simple nature and purely local. No unusual activity beyond that caused by a sudden change of weather from a long dry period to cold and rain was observed at Rotorua <Vhakarewarewa, Taupo, Tokano, and other places. Ruapeliu, Tongariro, and Ngaruhoe were unaffected, and the eruption completely disproved the existence of any underground conneclion between the different sources of volcanic energy. There was on the whole no ground for anticipating a renewal of the volcanic energy, but what was the circumstance that had broken m upon tho long period of rest had still to bo suggested. It was pointed out that there were no traoes of molten lava, and therefore the eruption was merely the much more than usual development of great hydrothermal forces, the conversion of boat and dispersal of tho same through the atmosphere by the action of water Jbese occurrences had conpletely explained the formation „f the deep tec faces of the Waikato and other similas