BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 

 VOL. 20, PP. 417-426, PLS. 43-45 DECEMBER 31, 1909 



CLEAEING OUT OF THE WALLIBU AND EABAKA GOEGES 

 ON SAINT VINCENT ISLAND 1 



BY EDMUND OTIS HOVEY 



(Presented orally before the Society December 29, 1908) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 417 



Wallibu gorge and valley 418 



Manner of stream work 419 



Leeward shoreline 423 



Rabaka River valley 424 



Windward shoreline 425 



Introduction 



Interesting phases of the process of carding to the sea the vast quan- 

 tity of debris thrown out by a great volcanic eruption are shown by the 

 history of the gorges of the Wallibu and Eabaka rivers, Saint Vincent, 

 British "West Indies, since May 7, 1902, when the volcano known as the 

 Soufriere suddenly resumed violent activity. Practically the entire catch- 

 ment basins of these streams were affected by the eruptions. The 

 northern half of each lies upon the southern slopes of the volcano, and 

 therefore felt the full force of the avalanches of debris and the blasts 

 accompanying the rolling clouds of dust-laden steam. On these slopes 

 the vegetation, including the big forest trees with few exceptions, was 

 completely destroyed or swept away, together with most of the soil, and a 

 deposit some meters thick of new ash was laid down on the ridges, while 

 thicker accumulations formed in the valleys. 



The southern halves of the basins lie on the northern slopes of the 

 Morne Garu mountains, facing the crater. These received a thick mantle 



1 Published by permission of the American Museum of Natural History. 

 Manuscript received by the Secretary of the Society August 30, 1909. 



XXXVIII — Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 20, 1908 (417) 



