656 geology of samoa and the eruptions in savaii, 



4. History of the Volcanic Activity. 



Pere Mennel informed me that the Afi (fire, eruption) of 1902 

 was preceded by violent earthquake shocks, which frightened all 

 the people of Aopo and Safune, so that they fled to Safotu, where, 

 indeed, the shocks were also extremely violent. The natives were 

 particularly scared, as neither their parents nor grandparents had 

 ever experienced earthquakes of such violence. The eruption 

 commenced on October 30th and lasted three weeks. Repeated 

 earthquakes and great detonations took place during this time, 

 and huge flames curled into the air. This record shows that the 

 eruption was connected with earth-Assuring, and was of an 

 explosive character. There was no previous crater where it 

 broke out. 



The natives had no experience of eruptions, and were greatly 



• frightened. Only the existence of names like the " Mu " 



(meaning " burnt ") and Mauga Afi (fire mountain) evidences 



that some remote ancestors of the Samoans had witnessed 



similar events.* 



The new volcano, Maugi Afi of Olenono, is also situated on a 

 spot where no crater was known to exist before. The outbreak 

 commenced at 9-10 p.m. on August 4th, 1905, and was accom- 

 panied by an earthquake shock, which was strongly felt only 



* In the " Samoan Reporter" (which was published half-yearly by the 

 London Missionary Society, and of which only one copy is extant), we find 

 published, in September, 1846, — "On the north-west side of Savaii, about 

 12 miles west of Safune, passing inland, on emerging from the bush you 

 are astonished at the sudden bursting to view of an extensive field of lava, 

 which you at first think cannot have been thrown up more than a few years. 

 Much of it is still hard and compact, and shows the waves and ripples on 

 its surface as when it cooled. Other parts are partially broken up, and the 

 masses lie in wild confusion. This scenery extends for some miles longitudi- 

 nally, and in breadth from the summits of the mountains to the sea. The 

 people know very little about the facts of the eruption, but their vague 

 tradition seems to fix it three or four generations back, and ascribes it to the 

 anger of one of their Aitus (demons), and says that the natives, with 

 difficulty, escaped in their canoes. The name they give it is significant, 

 'OleMu' (the Burnt)"! 



