Earthquakes and Eruptions.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3004, 1 October 1878, Page 1

Earthquakes and Eruptions.

The year 1878 has already seen more than its fair share of disastrous earthquakes and similar phenomena. There are slight trtmhkments de terre in one part or another of the earth's surface, about once in three days, but.it is only occasionally that serious outburst occur which overl whelm cities, swallow up whole islands, or raise up the bed of the sea from a fathomless depth to a dangerous shoal. During the first half of the present year, however, the intensity of the shocks of earthquake and volcanic eruptions has undoubtedly been on the increase, and if this continues the thousandth anniversary of the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii, "which will occur next year, will be celebrated in ,an appropriate, if an undesirable, manner, by the forces of nature itself. .This activity has developed itself since June, 1877.. In the whole of 1877 there occurred, according to the compilation of Professor Fucks, 109 recorded earthquakes, though from our own observations, we believe the number to have been somewhat larger. In the three months of June, July, and August there were only 11 earthquakes; while 34 occurred in September, October, and November, and the rest in the previous sis months back to December 1, 1876. As usual, the most violent of these phenomena were those occurring in South America. The damage done to Iquique, Valparaiso, Lima, and other cities by the? outbreak of May 9,: 1877, was enormous, the vibrations recurring with startling rapidity, and lasting over several days. A few days later a submarine volcanic eruption occurred' off the coast of Peru, which also did great damage to shipping. The effects of these disturbances were felt in all parts of the Pacific. During the year several minor earthquakes, though of unusual intensity for the part of the world in which they were felt, occurred in Europe. Those of April 4, May 2, and October 8 in Switzerland, and of November 1 and 4 and December 22 at Lisbon, were the most alarming. Fortunately, a little or no serious damage done. The volcanoes of Europe were unusually inactive during the year, but in i>outk America, in Japan, and in the Pacific generally, the year was marked by several very violent volcanic explosions. The frequency with which outbreaks of this nature were observed in the open sea was a peculiarity of the year. Thus in February a very remarkable eruption occurred in the seas surrounding the Sandwich Islands, ten days after■ a violent outburst ' of the crater of Manna :Loa, on the 'mainland of the group, and a few, weeks before another .most remarkable.outflow of lava fromithe celebrated lava lake of Kilauea. • Here vast jets of liquid lava were, ejected to a great height through the hard crust of the solidifying lava of the'lake;; wiiich had lain undisturbed for many years. Much more serious' 1 was the eruption of Mount Cotopaxi in, June, accompanied by terrible showers of ashes, dust, and mud, which were carried by the wind far and wide over the country, devastating the fair lands and. destroying hundreds of 'lives. The insular volcano of Qoshima, in Japan; broke out in flames and burning'lava on January 4, and continued in' violent action' till the first Week in. February, causing, in combination with the earthquakes which accompanied it, a disastrous loss of life. Among the more noteworthy events of the year was the .eruption of a new volcano;in,-a district hitherto supposed to be free from volcauic disturbance —namely, on June 11, in a new crater near the Colorado river, California. About the same time an earthquake was felt in Canada. The submergence of several islands in the, great archipelago lying between the Malay Peninsula and Australia, the upheaval of new lands in the same district, and the observance of the effects 'of volcanic phenomena in the deep waters of the South Atlantic, and where the sea is some 20,000 feet deep would have been sufficient of themselves to mark the past year as .an uncommon period of strange volcanic phenomena. As already hinted, however, -we believe- -that the current twelve months will, unless a sudden cessation of activity occurs, prove to be even more prolific of such events than any of its recent predecessors. - •,.