55 



but tliey do not tend to sustain Mr. Woods' theory of multiplo 

 vents. The quaquaversal dip points to one centre of eject- 

 ment, whilst the depressed areas of the Blue Lake, the Leg of 

 Mutton Lake, and the Valley Lake are undoubtedly sunken 

 areas, the subsidence taking place late in the period of activity, 

 or even after the volcano ceased to eject material. 



This was the view taken by Mr. Brown, the Government 

 Geologist, in the report already referred to, where he says : 

 "From the contour of the Blue and Valley Lakes, and Lakes 

 Edward and Leake, together with the appearances in their 

 neighborhood, I think that they are not craters, but merely 

 depressions caused by subsidence of the crust, consequent on 

 the removal from below of such vast quantities of material as 

 it is evident has been erupted." 



A section, visible on the road which passes between the Blue 

 Lake and the Leg of Mutton Lake, shows ejected material 

 dipping away from the Blue Lake toward the Leg of Mutton 

 Lake, looking as if it had formed part of a cone built up around 

 the brink of the former. This I take to be a, false dip, caused 

 by the subsidence of the ground where the present Leg of 

 Mutton Lake occurs, and thereby giving a tilt inwards of the 

 beds around the subsided area. 



The outline of the crater, proper, can be easily traced at the 

 western extremity of the lakes, distinguished by the nearly 

 circular outline of the walls and the quaquaversal dip of the 

 cone. The southern segment is apparently almost intact, 

 constituting the highest point of the Mount. The western 

 and northern walls have suffered considerable erosion, whilst 

 the eastern wall appears to have disappeared with the subsi- 

 dence which gave rise to the Valley Lake. A small sheet 

 of shallow water occupies the bottom of the crater, known as 

 the "Crater Lake" or ''Browne's Lake," and is alternately an 

 independent sheet of water, or merges into the Valley Lake, as 

 the water of the sunken areas mysteriously rises and falls. 



The interior of the crater is marked by the presence of much 

 stalactitic lava, which, when broken, has a pitchstone lustre. 

 Some of it is evidently in situ, notably on the western side, 

 w^here there is a most instructive face, about 30 ft. in height, 

 that must have formed the true walls of the funnel. The 

 consolidated igneous material can be seen in great folds, drip- 

 ping sheets, and bulging bosses, separated by open spaces. The 

 same kind of lava can be seen in situ near the bottom of the 

 crater, as it passes under the lake which occupies the depression. 

 Much stalactitic lava also occurs, mixed with the ash, at all 

 elevations on the inner face of the vent. Some of these isolated 

 fragments have been probably broken from the face of the 

 funnel at lower levels, and hurled upward by force of the ex- 

 plosions. 



