﻿F. 
  A. 
  Perret 
  — 
  Some 
  Kilauean 
  Formations. 
  151 
  

  

  Art. 
  XYII. 
  — 
  Some 
  Kilauean 
  Formations 
  ; 
  by 
  Frank 
  A. 
  

  

  Perret. 
  

  

  The 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  pit 
  crater 
  of 
  Kilauea 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  

   more 
  than 
  ten 
  million 
  square 
  meters, 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  — 
  on 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  or 
  immediately 
  below 
  it 
  — 
  reveals 
  something 
  of 
  

   interest 
  or 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  investigator. 
  To 
  say, 
  therefore, 
  

   that 
  a 
  month 
  might 
  profitably 
  be 
  devoted 
  to 
  its 
  exploration 
  is 
  

   almost 
  to 
  state 
  an 
  absurdity 
  — 
  a 
  lifetime 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  appro- 
  

   priate 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  probable 
  that, 
  in 
  such 
  an 
  interval, 
  a 
  

   new 
  floor 
  will 
  have 
  been 
  laid, 
  witli 
  fresh 
  interests 
  for 
  the 
  

   visitor 
  at 
  every 
  step. 
  

  

  The 
  larger 
  portion, 
  by 
  far, 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  area 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  

   pahoehoe 
  lava 
  which 
  has 
  overflowed 
  from 
  Halemaumau 
  or 
  

   welled 
  up 
  through 
  more 
  ephemeral 
  vents 
  — 
  its 
  smoothly 
  undu- 
  

   lating, 
  glassy 
  surface 
  glistening 
  with 
  that 
  satiny 
  sheen 
  which 
  is 
  

   responsible 
  for 
  the 
  peculiarly 
  expressive 
  Hawaiian 
  name. 
  

   Here 
  and 
  there, 
  however, 
  a 
  long, 
  high-standing 
  AA 
  flow, 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  jagged, 
  dark 
  red 
  surface 
  contrasting 
  sharply 
  with 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  plain, 
  has 
  made 
  its 
  way 
  along 
  some 
  slight 
  decliv- 
  

   ity 
  from 
  a 
  now 
  hidden 
  vent 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  had 
  issued 
  tumultu- 
  

   ously, 
  hissing 
  with 
  gas 
  at 
  every 
  pore. 
  And, 
  between 
  these 
  

   extremes, 
  there 
  may, 
  in 
  places, 
  be 
  found 
  an 
  intermediate 
  type 
  

   passing 
  by 
  insensible 
  degrees 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  superficially 
  inco- 
  

   herent 
  AA 
  to 
  a 
  form 
  so 
  smooth 
  and 
  plate-like 
  as 
  almost 
  to 
  

   merit 
  the 
  appellation 
  " 
  ultra-pahoehoe." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  opening 
  sentence 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  a 
  hint 
  is 
  con- 
  

   veyed 
  of 
  interesting 
  things 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  that 
  these 
  

   exist 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  great 
  crater 
  floor 
  is 
  composed 
  

   chiefly 
  of 
  lava 
  flows. 
  A 
  stagnant 
  pool 
  of 
  the 
  Kilauean 
  lava 
  

   will, 
  in 
  cooling, 
  solidify 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  into 
  a 
  

   continuous 
  and 
  homogeneous 
  mass 
  of 
  rock, 
  but 
  a 
  flowing 
  

   stream 
  drains 
  away, 
  after 
  the 
  solidification 
  of 
  its 
  surface 
  layers, 
  

   leaving 
  a 
  tunnel 
  with 
  an 
  arched 
  roof. 
  The 
  gases 
  which 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  to 
  be 
  emitted 
  from 
  the 
  inner, 
  flowing 
  lava, 
  undoubtedly 
  

   assist 
  in 
  supporting 
  the 
  roof 
  during 
  consolidation 
  and 
  may 
  even 
  

   form 
  expanded 
  chambers 
  at 
  intervals 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  a 
  flow. 
  

   On 
  the 
  crater 
  floor 
  the 
  visitor 
  is 
  thus 
  walking 
  over 
  caverns 
  

   and 
  tunnels 
  of 
  whose 
  existence 
  he 
  is 
  unaware, 
  excepting 
  in 
  

   the 
  comparatively 
  few 
  instances 
  where 
  the 
  roof 
  has 
  foundered 
  

   and 
  revealed 
  the 
  "cave" 
  below. 
  The 
  larger 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  with 
  a 
  ladder 
  giving 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  interior 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  

   given 
  fantastic 
  names, 
  such 
  as 
  " 
  Pele's 
  Dining 
  Room," 
  etc. 
  

   In 
  certain 
  cases 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  to 
  ter- 
  

   minate 
  upward 
  in 
  a 
  prismatic 
  cupola 
  almost 
  — 
  and, 
  in 
  some 
  

  

  