New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CHARACTERISTICS or voLcANOEs. wv C0nirIIbn.
DANA'~ VOLCANOES.


CHARACTERISTICS OF VOLCANOES. with Conribn.
tons Of Facts and Principles from the la" ,I,
Islands. Iy James ID. Dana Map, anu i', ~.
tratOns. Svo PIP. Xvi-3J9. Dcdd. Mcah w.
The most important fact Of volcanic "ctoh "io
still unknown. In Professor Dana'S words " lhc
origin of volcanic heat. the source OF lavaooii'''N
beneath the volcano the cause OF the aS'ehsN" i''
in the lava column. arc subjects on whoh s''c"'o
has various opinions and no positive Kho"""s0'
Observation of active volcanoes. however, mas o"ch
rewarded by the discovery Of much when was P'o
viously unknown. and the volcanoes Of the i'a"'an
Islands have offered the best opportunity III 'ns
respect. In the present volume Professor p'"' Has
brought together all tho Hawaiian voio'ni' memo
randa attanabe. The record dating back 10 inc pcS
ming Of the century and becoming fuller ana more
exact as il approaches our own time. Inc a''"""N
Of many travellers and men Of science are gwen IN
abstract or sufficiently cOpiOus citations. ana when
ever possible graphic Illustrations OF the icN' nave
been added. The work opens with an elementary
essay on volcanoes and volcanic acton cNpe'i"lN
adaptcd to the use Of students and tourists Then
the working OF the fires in the Hawaiian volcanoes
DR. 10 speak more precisely IN the two active cracrS
f those islands. is described and illustrated the OBJ
iect being show the successive steps by "hich III"
.atastrophe-an ofuption-iS reached The thlTu part
II the work contains an account Of the topography
u the Pacific basin. with map Of dccp-sca Pacific
aud Atlantic soundngs, and discussion OF the lnhu-
cnce Of volcanic upon the depth OF the ocean,
The fourth part treat, Of dcnudaon, valley making
upon volcanic islands. Professor Edward = Dana
contributes to the second part an essay on inc
netrography Of the Hawaiian Islands, IN when me
character of the different is fully examined ana
set forth.
The results Of volcanic observation thus far stated
,y Profe sor Dana are as follows Science has learned
Of volcanic activity unrestricted by altitude up 10
1000 feet of the possibility of two first class craters
working simultaneously within the area OF ono
mountain DOME and having the lofticr the more fire.
in ff- nph
Of them ordinarily responsive 10 the Other even when
in eruption and of the outflow of the heaviest OF
chrysoe various attitudes 10 the very summit
Science has learned from Hawaii more than II knew
OF the mobility of liquid basat: of the consequent
range in now-angle OF basait-lavas. from the lower
limit horizontally TO the vertically OF water
fall and therefore of lavacones of the lowest angle
and driblct cones of all angles; of lavalakcS tossing
mp lets their fiery surfaces like the Jets OF ebulll
ton and in other playing srandly in fountains
hundreds of yards in height and. consequently OF the
absence from the craters of large cinder-cccons.
1t has further learned of degree OF system IN the
changes within crater from epoch Of eruption to
the state Of readiness for another of a subsistence,
after an cruptivc discharge Of lava that has carried
down. hundreds Of feet large part Of cTacr's floor
without loss Of level in its surface; and, following
this of Slow rising OF the subsidized floor. chiefly
through the ascension upthIust action OF the lavaS
Of the lava column. and the lifting force taking ad
vantage of the fault-planeS hat were made at the
subsistence and also Of debris ridges and Of debris
cones. 100 10 200 feet in elevation, made. by the
lit out OF the taus Of the pwalS II has learned
that it-shaped cIaerS characteristic of true ba>au
volcanoes and result of the free mobility Of The lavaS
whether the action in the lava-akes within be fountain
like or boiling like that floating Islands Of solid lava
may exist in the lakes that regular oscillation be-
tween fnsing ard cooling takes place at times in the
thin crust Of lava-lakc> that the solid lava Of the
margin Of Lake may be refused, and also even the
mass of floating island and the blocks Of debris
until the whole cone has disappeared
1t has also been asccrtained that the greatest Of
cruptons may occur without the violence and noise
Of an earthquake ard without an increase OF activity
in the crater that in place Of increase there may
he sudden extinction Of the fires all light and heat
and vapors disappearing as soon as the discharge
begins Of the greater frequency Of erupOns during
the wetter season of the year of the agency of fresh
water from the rains and SHOWS In the supplying Of
steam power for volcanic action Of the full suhcency
OF from this source without help from the
ocean and further. of great augmentation Of the
activity so produced with the increase in altitude Of
the working crater All nearly all these facts arc
derived from observation Of the Hawaiian craters. and
which had not previously been learned from observa
ton Of Vesuvus and Ena. But Professor Dana points
out that much still remains 10 be ascertancd from
Hawaii. and he proceeds to cnumerate some Of the
volcanic problems calling for solution such The
work in the summtcratc between It's eruptiOns; the
rate Of flow OF lava streams and the extent of the
tunnel making the flow; the maximum thickness Of
streams the existence not Of assures underneath
stream supplying lava; the temperature Of the liquid
lava the constitution OF the lava at the high temper
atures existing beneath the surface; the depth at
which vescuatiOn begins, the kind Of vapOr gases
escaping from the vents or lakes; the sOlfataric
action about the cratcrs; the source Of the flames
observed within the Of ava-lakc,' etc etc. II
is evident that the solution Of some Of these problems
for instance that Of the temperature Of liquid lava
and that Of the constitution Of the lava at the high
temperatures existing beneath the surfacc-mus be- IN
the nature Of things exceedingly difficult. science
however is fertile Of invention and courageous
rashncss and doubt day even these hard nuts
will be cracked
Professor Dana's volume marks the utmost limits
of existing knowledge to the characteristics Of
volcanoes and it Will be- probably for many years %
come the leading manual the subject in the English
language II is handsomely printed and illustrated
and while thoroughly scientific in form and context
will be found highly interesting By The non scientific
tN ff.. fuipr