﻿Vol. 66.~] VOLCANO OP MATAVANU IN SAVATI. 631 



The Outflow of Lava into the Sea. 



This is one of the most striking features of the eruption, and 

 it seems to have been going on, with the exception of one day, since 

 1905 ; but, like the flow of lava-streams elsewhere, it is never the 

 same for many hours together. 



The lava, on descending to the low ground, has spread itself like 

 a fan, and by successive flows has covered the coast at different 

 times for a distance of 9 miles, destroying four villages (Salago, 

 Toapaipai, Malaeola, Sataputu), and the buggy-road between them, 

 also the whole of the town of Saleaula except two houses. This 

 part of the coast was collectively known as Le Ala Tele, and about 

 half of it, reaching from Saleaula to Toapaipai, was encircled by 

 a coral-reef. The lava has filled up the whole of the space inside 

 this reef. Capt. Allen is quite clear that the lava first filled up 

 part of the space between the shore and the reef, 1 and, on reaching 

 the outer edge of the latter, did not continue to extend into deep 

 water, but turned to the westward along the reef and continued to 

 extend along it for some distance. The space between the shore 

 and this part of the reef was not filled up until later. He agrees 

 with me, however, that much of the reef farther west, which 

 is now strewn with lava-blocks, has been so covered by the action 

 of the waves and currents, and that the blocks are not in situ. 

 He thinks that the reason why the lava spread along the reef 

 rather than into deep water was that the lava-front exposed to the 

 open sea was much more rapidly and effectually cooled than that 

 which flowed only to the shallow water on the reef ; this, I agree, 

 is the probable explanation. 



Having twice tried from the land to examine the place where 

 the lava fell into the sea, and having been each time stopped by 

 hot lava-flows, I determined to examine the coast from a boat. 

 The reef was covered with breakers and consequently inaccessible. 

 Its surface is certainly strewn with large basalt boulders, but, for 

 some distance at the western end at any rate, these appear to be 

 water-borne from the lava coast adjacent. Rowing farther east- 

 wards, we came to the lava in situ forming a wave-washed, iron- 

 bound coast of cliffs, 20 to 30 feet high and higher yet farther 

 •on. Though at sea the wind was slight and the surface smooth, 

 the heavy low swell of the Pacific was breaking with tremendous 

 force on the shore, the spray dashed nearly to the top of the 

 cliffs, and a very steep beach of basalt-boulders at their foot was 

 obviously undergoing rapid denudation. The cliff consisted of 

 numerous irregularly beaded sheets of massive lava a few feet 

 thick, with thin bands of the usual scoriae and ash separating them 

 at their joints. One or two small natural arches presented no 

 special features, beyond showing the rapidity of the erosion. On 

 coming nearer the point of entrance of the lava into the sea near 

 the headland of Asuisui, the cliff rises to a height of 40 or 50 feet 

 or more ; while, close to the spot where the explosions occur, and 



1 See his photographs of this in H. I. Jensen's paper, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 

 vol. xxxi (1906) pis. lv-lvii. 



