16 Christmas Island — Coves. 



resumed ; but it is of a different chaT'actcr from that found elsewliore 

 on the north and east coast, and consists of Miocene limestones. It 

 seems probable that this cliff likewise is the result of a slipping 

 down of the seaward portions of the island, and on the terrace 

 above it there are several ridges marking similar slips of less extent. 

 The cliff on the southern side of the headland of Egeria Point 

 shows signs of a similar origin, and there it can be clearly seen 

 that a number of minor slips have occurred, giving rise to several 

 small vertical cliffs Avhich do not extend any great distance and 

 occur at different levels ; they are all situated above the main 

 cliff face. 



Although, as already stated, the main slipping occurred before 

 the elevation of the present shore terrace, similar movements of 

 small extent have taken place since, and at North- East Point itself 

 a distinct fault, with a throw of about five feet, cuts across the 

 shore terrace and runs out to sea in a north-easterly direction. 



At Steep Point (Fig. 6) a dislocation of a somewhat different 

 character has occurred. There little downward displacement has 

 taken place, but the projecting angle of the island which forms the 

 headland has split away from the main mass and tilted slightly 

 outward in such a way that it is separated from the main mass of 

 the island by a narrow valley. The result of this is that at the 

 Point the shore terrace is interrupted for some distance, and the 

 sea washes the base of what is elsewhere the first inland cliff, but 

 which here forms a fine headland, with a vertical cliff some 150 to 

 200 feet high. This dislocation also took place before the elevation 

 of the present shore terrace, and there is some evidence that the 

 bottom of the narrow valley, marking the line of fracture, was for 

 a time, at least in part, filled with water, and Steep Point Hill 

 must then have formed a small island, or was perhaps joined to 

 the mainland by a small isthmus formed by talus. 



Besides Steep Point, Flying Fish Cove is the only place round 

 the island whei'e the shore terrace is interrupted, and here also this 

 seems to have been the result of the slipping of the outer portion 

 of the lofty cliff, but in this case the talus has accumulated in such 

 a way as to form the foundation of the crescent-shaped platform on 

 which the settlement stands, and to make the submarine slopes 

 sufficiently gentle to allow the fairly broad fringing reef to grow 

 outward, giving rise to the present anchorage. The structure of 

 Flying Fish Cove will be described in greater detail in the geological 

 section. 



Cracking and slipping of the outer flanks of the island may be 

 said to be universal, and in the neighbourhood of Flying Fish Cove 

 both the sea cliff and even the present reef can oe seen to be fissured 

 by cracks, traceable for several hundred yards and running roughly 

 parallel to the coastline. This circumstance gives a key to many 

 peculiar, and at first incomprehensible, features on some of the 

 hio'lier terraces. 



