THE GEOLOGY OF FUNAFUTI. 63 



the prevalent ocean currents, it is somewhat doubtful what their direction really is. 

 According to the British Admiralty Chart of Funafuti Atoll, the current during July 

 flows from about E.S.E. to W.N.W., except where it is locally deflected by the atoll. 

 Mr. G. H. Halligan has drawn our attention to the fact that on the " Quarterly 

 Current Charts — Pacific Ocean," published by the Admiralty, October 23th, 1897, 

 there is the following note : " Note A. — The currents among the EUice, Gilbert, and 

 Marshall groups are very irregular and uncertain, both in strength and direction, 

 more particularly from November to March." 



From Beeghaus's " Physikalischer Atlas " (11 Abt., Hydrographie, Taf VI) Funafuti 

 appears situated just on the inside of a circular current which sweeps in a north- 

 westerly direction, skirting the N.E. side of the Ellice group, thence trending westerly 

 between the Ellice and Marshall Islands, thence in part turning south towards the 

 Santa Cruz Islands, and finally recurving towards the southern end of the Ellice 

 group. The direction in which pumice has been found to drift across the Pacific to 

 the Ellice group is also in favour of an easterly current, for, as stated elsewhere in 

 this report, pumice, erupted in May, 1878, at Blanche Bay, New Britain, nearly 1500 

 geographical miles west of Funafuti, literally covered the shores of the Solomon 

 Islands, and thence vast quantities of this material were carried further eastwards to 

 the Ellice group, and we learn that hundreds of tons were thrown up there on every 

 island.* 



The trader, Mr. O'Brien, at Funafuti informed us that the drift pumice at Funafuti 

 arrived from the west, and this statement is borne out by the fact that at Funafuti 

 Atoll the pumice is more abundant and occurs in larger pebbles on the west side of 

 the atoU. than on the east side. Possibly the (so-called) Carolinian Monsoon current 

 may extend further east than is usually supposed, and this might account for the 

 easterly drift of pumice from New Britain to Funafuti.! On the whole, therefore, 

 it appears that whereas a W.N.W. current usually prevails at Funafuti during 

 the trade-wind season, an easterly current may jDrevail at other seasons of the 

 year. 



The elongation of Funafuti in a nearly meridional direction is therefore more likelv 

 due to its being situated on a volcanic zone, or fold ridge than to any influence of 

 prevalent winds and ocean currents. This would account for the remarkable 

 elongation of Funafuti towards its southern end, the neck of the head. The 

 submarine relief of the atoll at this point is very suggestive of some rock other than 

 coral forming the nucleus of the foundation. It will be observed that the atoll has a 

 second axis of elongation in an east and west direction, nearly normal to the 



* 'Nature,' vol. 19, 1878-9, p. 108. 



t Fragments of our raft, which was wrecked on August 6th, 1897, about 4 miles west of the Mission 

 Church, were picked up by us about a week later at Tengako and Funafara, respectively at the N.E. and 

 S.E. extremities of Funafuti Atoll. In view of the fact that no winds other than the S.E. trades had been 

 blowing during the interval, this direction of drift from west to east seems remarkable. 



