Laing. — Chief rhj/siographic Features of Norfolk Island. 323 



Art. XXXIX. — Notes on the Chief Physiographic Features of Norfolk 



Island* 



By K. M. Laing, B.Sc. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 6th November, 1912.] 



Norfolk Island is a small volcanic island with a well-known history, 

 whose geological characteristics have received less consideration than they 

 deserve. The '" town " lies in latitude 29° 3' south, and longitude 167° 6' 

 east. The greatest length of Norfolk Island (from north-west to south- 

 east) is about six miles, and its greatest breadth (north to south) is about 

 four miles. It contains 8,500 acres, and is roughly rectangular in shape. 



EWNCOMBE BAY 



Sketch-map of Norfolk Island. 

 (Scale, 1| miles to an inch, approximately.) 



Approximately it is distant 400 miles (geographical) from New Caledonia, 

 420 miles from the north end of New Zealand, 490 miles from Lord Howe 

 Island, 780 miles from the Australian coast, and 750 miles from the Ker- 

 madecs. Though not lying on the New Zealand plateau as defined by 

 Farquhar,t the soundings between it and New Zealand probably do not 

 exceed 1,000 fathoms, and its fauna and flora have undoubted relationsliips 

 with those of New Zealand. 



* These notes are the result of a five-weeks trip to Norfolk Island in January- 

 February, 1912. They make little pretence to completeness, as the time spent upon the 

 island was given chiefly to botanic research. 



t Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 39, p. )S6. 



11* 



