286 Transactions. — Geology. 



the shock of 2.30 a.m., 12th October, was followed by inces- 

 sant booming like the tire of artillery in the distance, but some 

 of the explosions seemed quite close at hand. A visitor thus 

 describes them : " On Friday, the 12th October, at 2.25 a.m., 

 I was awakened out of sleep by a most violent shock, or, rather, 

 double shock, as there was a break of some two or three 

 seconds in it. As soon as this had subsided these underground 

 explosions began, and followed each other at intervals of, say, 

 five seconds for some minutes, when they diminished in quan- 

 tity but increased in strength, until every explosion made the 

 house (a galvanized-iron one) quiver and rattle. This continued 

 until 8 o'clock a.m., during which time we had seventeen 

 shocks, five of which may be termed sharp." I myself heard 

 two booms on the 3rd November and three on the 9tb Novem- 

 ber. Those of the 3rd November were at about twenty 

 seconds' interval, and each lasted about five seconds. The 

 sound was like that of a distant avalanche ; they were not 

 loud, and were not followed by any shock. Those on the 9th 

 November were of quite a different character : they were 

 short and sharp, like the explosion of a cannon at a distance. 

 They were not followed by a shock, but I fancied that there 

 was a slight shake simultaneous with the sound and quite as 

 short. This, of course, would be an air-reverberation, and not 

 an earth-wave. One of these booms was at 10.30 a.m., an- 

 other at 3.14 p.m., and the third at 3.20 p.m. There was also 

 another of a similar nature at about 2 a.m. the next morning. 

 Mr. McKay mentions having heard noises of two different 

 characters — one on the 7th October, which resembled the 

 rumble of a distant avalanche, and was accompanied by a 

 slight shock ; the other, which was later on the same day, 

 resembled a strong blasting-shot in a mine, and was not suc- 

 ceeded by a shock. Inquiries made on the ground lead me to 

 think that these two kinds of sounds have been lieard all 

 through, and that each kind, when loud, was followed by a 

 slight shock at about two seconds' interval. 



On the 13th November there was a loud boom at 2.10 a.m. 

 and another at 10.5 a.m. Both these were followed, at 

 between one and two seconds' interval, by a sharp short shake, 

 like the blow of a hammer, quite distinct in character from 

 the earthquakes unaccompanied by a boom, one of which took 

 place at 11 a.m. on the same day, and has already been men- 

 tioned as a swaying movement lasting for thirty seconds. 



These sounds have been heard in the valleys of the Hope 

 and tlie Edwards, and doubtfully at Cannibal Gorge, as well 

 as on Hanmer Plains and the hills immediately surrounding 

 them ; but they were not heard at Culverden or Waikari on 

 the south, nor at Tarndale on the north, nor at Eeefton or 

 Boatman's or Lyell on the west. At the Hanmer Plains it is 



