THE OREAT ERUPTION OF SAKURA-JIMA IN 1914. 97 



nucleus, from telluric or cosmic causes. Vulcanism is the straggling 

 outcome of the processes of general deformation. 



Since the beginnimi of the present century volcanoes distributed 

 over u'ide regions have been displaying activity. In the South Seas 

 there is a series of volcanoes on the inner side of the fore-deeps 

 of Kermadec and Tonga. To begin from the south, Taupo in 

 New Zealand was active in March 1886, one of the Kermadecs in 

 1902, Niuafau in the Tonga islands in 1886, Topia in January 1906 

 and 1907, Fanua-lai in 1906, and lastly, Mt. Matav in Sawaii of 

 the Samoa group in 1902, 1905 and 1906. In this volcanic chain 

 the correctness of the old dogma is again proven, that the alignment 

 of volcanoes is very intimately related to the tectonic structure of 

 the region. Ambrym Island in the New Hebrides, not far from 

 the above-mentioned chain, was the seat of activity from December 

 6th, 1913 ; Mt. Minnie collapsed on the 12th, and the burning 

 lava welled out, overwhelming all the villages of the north coast. 



Puna in Hawaii was active on September 21st, 1908 ; Korintji 

 in Sumatra on June 3rd, 1909 ; Sangir in the Dutch Indies on 

 March 14th, 1913. On June 6th, 1912, Katmai in Alaska burst 

 out, throwing up ash-clouds to a height of 12 km., causing an 

 afterglow of the sun in America and Europe. The dust thrown 

 up to the stratosphere was so dense that it had an influence 

 on meteorological phenomena, on the atmospheric temperature ; 

 and many writers came to the conclusion that volcanic dust 

 must have been a factor in the production of past cKmatic changes 

 — the glacial age. Mt. Colima (1901, 1902 and March 24, 1903), 

 Santa Maria (1902) in Central America were active, and Chirique 

 near the Panama (*anal a few years later. 



In the Atlantic, the eruptions of Martinique and St. A^incent 

 (1902) are well known. Teneriffe erupted in 1909. In the Medi- 



