News Notes 
Scientific reconnaissance of Taongi and Bikar, 
in the Marshall Islands, has been started by a two- 
man field party of the Geological Survey, Secre- 
tary of the Interior Oscar L. Chapman has an- 
nounced. 
The geology will be mapped and hydrologic 
data will be collected by Charles G. Johnson, 
geologist, stationed at Tokyo, Japan. Vegetation 
studies will be made by Dr. F. Raymond Fosberg, 
botanist, Washington, D. C. 
Knowledge of these atolls is expected to be of 
special significance because no scientific observa- 
tions other than those made at a distance (from 
shipboard) have been recorded. They are re- 
ported never to have been inhabited and there- 
fore should be almost entirely primitive and show 
less change from their original state as a result 
of human alterations. Further, they lie in the 
northernmost and driest part of the Marshalls 
so the vegetation is expected to differ somewhat 
from that found on atolls having heavier rainfall. 
Inspection of Taongi and Bikar was scheduled 
as a major objective of the Marshall Islands recon- 
naissance made by F. Stearns MacNeil, Dr. Fos- 
berg, and Theodore Arnow of the Geological 
Survey, from November, 1951, to April, 1952. 
During that time the field party examined more 
than 60 islands on the atolls of Utirik, Taka, 
Ailuk, Likiep, Jemo, Kwajalein, Ujelang, Wotho, 
Ujae, and Lae, but unfortunately a landing could 
not be made on Taongi or Bikar because of rough 
seas and strong currents. 
The islands visited thus far range in size from 
tiny sand bars to islands nearly 3 miles long. Al- 
though it was not possible to study every island 
in every atoll, an attempt was made to visit the 
ones that would show the conditions on every part 
of an atoll. It is believed that most, if not all, of 
the stages in both the construction and the ulti- 
mate destruction of atoll islands were observed. 
Special attention was given to the types of ma- 
terials comprising atoll sediments and to the shape 
and location of the deposits themselves. Direct 
observation of currents and waves actually trans- 
porting sediments contributed materially to an 
understanding of the mechanics involved in the 
construction of various physical forms. 
Hydrologic studies indicate that a lens of fresh 
or relatively fresh ground water exists in each of 
the large islands of the atoll. This fresh-water lens 
is maintained by the accumulation of rain water 
in the clastic and reef deposits forming the island, 
and because of its lesser specific gravity, floats on 
the sea water saturating the rocks below it. The 
thickness, areal extent, and relative freshness of 
the lens are governed by the size of the island, the 
amount and distribution of rainfall, and the nature 
of the rocks containing the lens. Short-term obser- 
vations were made of ground-water levels, tidal 
fluctuations in the ground-water bodies, and the 
quality of the water. Wells dug by natives and 
test holes dug during the investigation were util- 
ized for the observations and, where conditions 
permitted, continuous records of water-level fluc- 
tuations were obtained by means of an automatic 
recording gauge. Ground-water levels and the 
relations between water-level fluctuations and 
ocean tides were determined from datum planes 
and tide gauges established by the geodetic con- 
trol party. Quality-of-water studies included de- 
terminations of total salinity, chloride, pH, and 
hardness on samples from more than 100 wells 
and test holes. These determinations were made 
also for samples of ocean water, lagoon water, and 
rain water. The data obtained during the observa- 
tions will be of value in the estimation of quantity 
and quality of water available in islands of atolls 
for present and future utilization. 
Examination of the soils showed that, in most 
situations, there has been rather little alteration 
of the original sediments, the foraminiferal sand, 
the coral, and the algal fragments which make up 
the surface layers of the islands. Varying amounts 
of humus have been added to the surface layers, 
producing a greater or lesser darkening in color. 
In places, a thin layer of a form of peat has ac- 
cumulated, and in excavations formerly used for 
taro gardens a dark-brown muck may be found. 
In many parts, burning of coconut trash and 
subsequent grass fires greatly reduce the amount 
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