IV.— GEOLOGY. 



Abt. XLIX. — A few Notes on Thermal Springs at Lyttelton. 



By E. M. Laing. 

 [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 4th October, 1883.] 

 Hot springs are found on the sides of most active volcanos, and very often 

 in the vicinity of extinct ones, hence their presence at Lyttelton is not to be 

 wondered at ; nor is it strange that the ones to be described should hitherto 

 have been overlooked, for they are out of the way of ordinary travellers. 

 On going along the road from Lyttelton to Governor's Bay, several beaches 

 of sand and one of shingle are passed on the left. It is on the southern 

 extremity of the last mentioned beach that the springs in question are 

 situated, at a distance of about two and a half miles from Lyttelton, and 

 half a mile from Raupaki (the Maori pa). 



They are two in number ; the more northerly one lies on a grass bank 

 several yards above high-water mark. The water bubbles up from a muddy 

 bottom into a brick well, about three feet in diameter, and two feet six 

 inches deep. Thence it flows into a second and much larger cistern, which 

 is used as a drinking trough for cattle. These troughs were, I believe, 

 built by Mr. W. Webb, of Lyttelton, who, however, does not seem to have 

 noticed the temperature of the water in them. The second spring, which 

 is just within high-water mark, is situated about twenty-five yards to the 

 south of the other, at the foot of a steep bank. The water flows out from a 

 crevice in the rock on to the shingle, and runs down in a streamlet to the 

 sea. Midway between the two springs the sand and shingle are cemented 

 together by carbonate of lime into a crust several inches in thickness, that 

 extends from high to low water-mark. In this cement numerous shells 

 are embedded, apparently the same as those existing on the beach at the 

 present day. Since the sea is continually washing over this incrusta- 

 tion, and breaking off pieces here and there, it is probable that at the 

 time of deposition the outlets of the springs were further from high-water 

 mark than they are now. At that time, too, the flow was probably greater, 

 for in many other places between the springs there are patches of carbonate 

 of lime coating the rocks, and in a crevice close by there are a number 

 of small stalactites composed of the same substance. 



The water in both springs, as it issues from the ground, is clear and 

 bright in appearance, and almost tasteless. As yet it has not been chemi- 

 cally analysed, consequently its medicinal properties, if any, are unknown. 



