166 GEOLOGY OF QUEENSLAND COAST, 



gical data that the main islands of Fiji, New Caledonia, the New 

 Hebrides and the Solomons Avere previously coextensive, and 

 these, in turn with New Guinea, continental in origin. Since 

 then geologists* have proved a continental origin for Fiji. 

 Similarly for the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and the Solomon 

 Islands. If, then, the deep ocean separating these groups repre- 

 sents faulted or warped areas, it is very probable that some 

 relation exists between the subsidences in the ocean area between 

 the island clusters and the repeated uplifts in the groups them- 

 selves. The elevation of main Fiji probably proceeded along 

 much more rapid lines than those pursued in the Lau Group, 

 inasmuch as the Tertiary " soapstones," limestones and volcanic 

 conglomerates of Viti Levu appear to have no capping of recent 

 "raised reef," whereas each pause in the elevation of Lau was 

 attended b}^ the formation of "raised reefs" of recent age, having 

 as a base Tertiary rocks indistinguishable from the Viti Lcau 

 strata of similar age. (It must be remembered, however, that a 

 very recent uplift seems to have affected main Fiji, Lau, the 

 Solomons and North Australia;! and that, too, after a period of 

 quiescence, as is shown by the raised "coral reef platforms.'') 

 The elevations of main Fiji and Lau probably w^ere not synchro- 

 nous, the main islands of continental origin being rapidly elevated 

 to a great height in one movem.ent, while it is more than jDossible 

 that the intermittent elevations of Lau were due in great measure 

 to the existence of the large island masses (Viti and Vanua Levu) 

 lying to the West. New Caledonia and the Loyalties form a 

 similar group to Fiji and Lau, so also possibly do New Guinea 

 and the small " terraced " coral islands lying to the east.| Thus, 

 whereas the island groups of the Fijis, Solomons, Hebrides, 

 Tonga and New Caledonia have undergone a cycle of elevation, 

 Eastern Australia, as will be shown later, is in a cycle of develop- 

 ment attendant on subsidence. 



*W. G. Woolnough, B.Sc, Adelaide University, and Dr. H. B. Guppy, 

 in lift. 



t This elevation most probably occurred well into the historic period, 

 although the individual island upUfts may not have been contemporaneous. 

 J Maitland, Geological Observations in New Guinea, 1891, pp. 9, 10. 



