468 THE CONTINENTAL ORIGIN OF FIJI, 



At the Aillage of Naseuvou, a little further on, there are two 

 hot springs, or rather two groups of hot springs; and here for the 

 first time plutonic rocks were met with m situ. 



At the first spring the water issues from four irregular holes 

 situated in a fissure in solid quartz diorite. The fissure is 5 inches 

 wide by 8 feet long. It runs S. 32° E. and N. 32° W., and dips 

 towards the south at 75°. A fifth small aperture is situated 

 3 feet 6 inches W. of the S.E. end of the main fissure. A second 

 set of joints runs S. 65° W., the dip being E. 65° S. at 57°. 

 Having no thermometer, I could not measure the temperature of 

 the water. The heat was such that the hand could just be held 

 in it indefinitely. A small quantity of gas is given off, but the 

 odour was so faint I could not determine it. The fissure is lined 

 by brown filiform plants. 



A second spring is situated N. 18° E. of the first, and at a 

 distance of about 40 yards from it. It rises from rock exactly 

 similar to that described above. Only one set of joints is very 

 marked, running S. 9*^ E. and almost vertical, but the jointing 

 here is not nearly so regular as in the first case. The water is 

 not quite so warm, and the plant grow^th more abundant. 



The second group of springs is situated about three-quarters of 

 a mile N.N.W. of the first. The vegetation here is extremel}^ 

 dense, so that nothing like a complete examination could be 

 made. There must be quite a number of springs, as the ground 

 for quite 100 yards round the main aperture consists of a very 

 hot "slush," w^hich makes examination difficult and rather pain- 

 ful. Quite a considerable stream of hot water is formed. The 

 main fissure, which is only a few yards from the river bank, is an 

 irregular hole in solid andesite agglomerate, about 3 feet b}^ 2 feet, 

 and 4 inches deep. In the centre is an inner opening about 9 

 inches in diameter, the total depth being about 14 to 15 inches 

 (up to one's elbow). The water here is considerably hotter than 

 that in the first spring, so that the hand cannot be held in it for 

 more than an instant. The amount of gas evolved is considerable, 

 and I fancied I was able to detect a slight odour of sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. No plants occur in this basin. The Waidina gravels 



