V MOUNT SEATURA g- 



vegetated "talasinga" region the conformation of the land is well 

 displayed. Broad, deep and nearly parallel valleys, separated by 

 level-topped spurs and occupied by the Lekutu and its tributaries 

 score the mountain's slopes. The prevailing rocks are blackish- 

 brown ohvme-basalts and porphyritic basaltic andesites. such as 

 occur around the other parts of Seatura ; but grey olivine-basalts 

 also occur, possessmg opaque plagioclase-phenocrysts and lookine 

 like porphyrites. They are essentially holocrystalline and are pro- 

 bably more deeply situated than the other basaltic rocks Thev 

 are referred to genera 26 and 38 described on pages 261, 263 and 

 have a specific gravity of 275-2-83. Dark doleritic basalts distinct 

 trom all the others are exposed in places. 



A good idea of this region may be obtained by following the 



road westward from Tavua on the head-waters of the Sarawanga 



River to Wailevu on the westernmost tributary of the Lekutu 



River, a distance of about 6 miles. Leaving Tavua one at once 



begins to ascend and cross the long spur that descends from 



Seatura and divides the valleys of these two river-systems On its 



slopes are exposed much decomposed blackish basalts possessing 



scanty olivine and showing large porphyritic crystals of plagioclase 



rhey have a specific gravity of 2-84 and are assigned to the 



Dorphyritic sub-genus of genus 25 (page 259). At the summit, 800 



eet above the sea, occur blocks of a grey holocrystalline bLalt 



vith scanty olivine and semi-opaque plagioclase-phenocrysts 



referred to genus 26 and having a specific gravity of 276 It 



appears to form the axis of the spur. Descending to the main 



^.ekutu River, just below Kavula. where the elevation is about too 



.i.^et above the sea, one observes exposed in mass in the river-bed 



' dark semi-ophitic doleritic basalt similar to the doleritic rocks 



vithout olivine prevailing on the coast between Wailea Bay and 



Lekutu (see page 50), but differing in the absence of felspar- 



henocrysts. It displays a considerable amount of opaque in^ter- 



a4 t:^ Th " "T'^ '° ^'""' '^ "^ '^^ augite-andesites 

 ( >age 275). The specific gravity is 278, but there are a i^v^ 

 n inute irregular cavities in its substance. 



On leaving Kavula one crosses another of the Seatura spurs at a 

 k vel of 650 feet, descending then into a smaller river-valley occupied 

 b .a tributary of the Lekutu, on the banks of which lies the village 

 o Nawai, 350 feet above the sea. Then another spur is crossed It 

 a: . ebvation of 450 feet and the descent is made into the valley of 

 t e Wailevu tributary of the Lekutu. Crossing the valley which 

 ai the town of Wailevu is elevated 300 feet, one rises to a he^ht 



F 



