xii MOUNT MBATINI 173 



not over 1,500 feet above the sea, and on the south with the 

 mountain-ridge of Mariko by a col which appears not to be 

 under 1,000 feet in elevation. 



My ascent of this mountain was made from the north by the 

 way of the Lovo valley. In ascending the Lovo valley one 

 reaches, at an elevation of about 1,000 feet, the foot of the north 



Soro-levti. Mbatini. 3437* 



Mount Mbatini from the top of Koro-mbasanga. The distant peak on the right is one of 

 the summits of the Mariko ridge. 



View from Muanaira on the south coast of Natewa Bay. 



slope of Mbatini. The slope is somewhat steep up to 2,000 feet, 

 the rocks exposed on the surface being closely similar in the 

 groundmass to those displayed in the upper part of the Lovo 

 valley. They are compact-looking blackish augite-andesites 

 (sp. gr. 27), the very small felspar-lathes of the groundmass, 

 which are in flow arrangement, averaging only -05 mm. in length. 

 Like the rocks below, they are a little altered ; and here the inter- 

 stitial glass is also scanty. But they differ in the absence of 

 rhombic pyroxene and are therefore referred to the augite-andesites 

 (genus 13). 



At 2,000 feet, where one crosses the foot-track from Nukumbolo 

 to Korolau, the ascent of the true Mbatini ridge begins, the summit 

 lying nearly two miles to the south-east. Whilst following along 

 this lofty mountain-ridge we were for the greater part of the time 

 in the rain-clouds, so that very little was seen of our surroundings. 

 The crest is densely wooded so that our progress was very slow. 

 The rocks are but sparingly exposed. At the commencement of 

 the ridge (2,100 feet) is displayed an altered hypersthene-augite 

 andesite, rudely columnar blocks of which, up to 2 feet in dia- 

 meter, were lying about. It belongs to genus I of this sub-class 

 (see page 286) which also includes the rocks exposed farther along 

 the ridge. In these rocks the felspar-lathes are small ('05 x>7 

 mm. long) and are not in flow arrangement. The interstitial glass 

 varies in amount, and the specific gravity is about 27. 



