BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 



VOL. 16, PP. 243-288, PLS. 43-47 MAY 12, 1905 



PELE AND THE EVOLUTION OP THE WINDWARD 

 ARCHIPELAGO 



BY ROBERT T. HILL 



[Presented before the Society December 81, 1904) 

 CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 244 



Volcanic eruptions of 1902 and how they were studied 244 



Literature 245 



Scope of the larger story of Pele" 245 



The volcano Pele" 246 



Summary of the recent eruption necessary 246 



Mechanism and work of the volcano 246 



Products of the eruptions 250 



Rock products . . . . , 250 



Water products 250 



Gas products 251 



Pele's contribution to the earth's surface 254 



The larger story 255 



Character and antiquity of Pele 255 



Pel6 a type of the volcanic battery of the Windward archipelago 256 



How the larger story may be studied 257 



Vague theories concerning origin of the islands of the Windward archi- 

 pelago 258 



Geographic differentiation of the Windward islands from the other islands 



of the West Indian archipelago 259 



Configuration of the islands 260 



Land heights and oceanic depths 260 



Surface configuration 261 



Submarine configuration 262 



The three Windward ridges . 264 



Volcanic origin and arrangement of the material of the islands 265 



Antiquity of the volcanoes as attested by the age of the rock material.-- 267 



How the ocean tears away as the volcanoes build up 269 



Oscillations of the ocean's bottom 273 



Summary 274 



Discussion as to origin of the volcanoes 277 



Deductions from the Windward volcanoes 277 



Inadequateness of crustal theories in explaining eruptions of Pele" 279 



XXXHI-BcLt,. Geo*. Soc. Am., Vol. 16,19(4 (243) 



