42 



I'F.KCN (JUKNSEL 



I■"iJ,^ 2. 'I'lu' south sIoijc of the high ridge along the western lialf of Masatierra as seen from 



Portozuelo. Photo C. Skottsberg. 



what rcscinblin<; a water-spotit, was seen ascending from the sea off point l^acalab, 

 which proved to be smoke, but at 7 |).m. volcanic flames were visible through 

 the smoke, which lasted till 2 a.m. on the 2ist. The depth of the water on the 

 spot, where the eruj)ti()n took j)lace, was from 50 to 80 fathoms; no alteration 

 in the dej)th was detected after the eruption had subsided" (17, p. 818). Sutclifife 

 has published an account of the 'earthquake' in a separate publication (18) and 

 reproduced a sketch of the sidj-marine eruj)tion (19, p. 387). 



It is obvious that these narratives must refer to a sub-marine volcanic explo- 

 sion. Cii ARMS 1) \i<\\ IN also mentions the phenomenon in his 'Geological Observa- 

 tions on the X'olcanic Ishmds' (20, p. 149). Renard gives the f)osition of the 

 e.\|)losion as i I-jioHsh mile from the island and remarks "that the close prox- 

 imit>- of a \olcanic centre seems therefore to be implied" (8, p. 176). 



1 he sid) marine eruption nuist be taken as conclusive evidence that the 

 iuHuediate nei^hl)f)iMhood of the Juan I'Y-rnandez Islands has been the seat of 

 volcamc action within the last 11; years. A point of further interest is that the 

 e.xplosion was simultaneous with violent earthcjuakes on the Chilean coast, as 

 Darwin already obserxcd (see j). 75). 



Hruggen refers to some finther observations of sub-marine eruptions in 

 the vicinity oi' the Juan l-'ernandez Islands, recorded by Fk. Goll in his paper 

 'J)ie lu-dbeben Chiles' (Munchener Geogr. Studien 1904, Nr. 14). The following 

 denotements by GoM, are taken from Hriiggen (16, p. 332): 



