The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-06-13

1SER: HONOLULU, JUNE 13,
like this. Now suppose the cliff the re-
suit of fault determined by the Civ
ing way of the foundation, and all is
clear. The catastrophe may have been
caused Immediately by internal vol
canic force, perhaps by a assure ad-
hitting water 10 the heated interior of
the mountain; it was made possible
after all by the peculiar form and
| structure of the substratum.
But look again at the remarkable val
! ley of Waipio, at the extreme east end
OF the precipice-a gorge with walls
nearly perpendicular, over which.
! whenever it rains, scores of cascades
| fling themselves, one perennial stream
! plunging in a series OF leaps nearly
! two thousand feet, without having
worn itself as yet any deep channel In
/ the rock. This gorge surely cannot be
! the result of erosion. See how its
! course turns almost at a right angle,
! so that its upper part is nearly par
| allel with the coast, and directly across
! the direction of the slope of the noun
! tain. Then look at that second valley
| at the west end of the precipice and see
| how that one also turns near its head
| at right angle. Do you see what it
all means? We suppose that a block
of land has split off from the noun
! tain and been engulfed in the ocean;
| second block, it seems, split away, but
did not quite go the way of the first.
Can you find any other satisfactory
explanation of the facts? l do not
know that any has been hitherto Of
fered.
In the light of this instability of the
foundation of a volcanic island, look
| again at the chasm which splits the
summit of Haleakala, forming the koo-
| lau and Kaupo, gaps in its crater, and
| observe how. it can be accounted for
| by supposing that the western half OF
| the mountain has slipped away, from
yielding of it's underpinning. Then
study the coast line and find vertical
| ton of the theory in the evidence you
will see that the coast here has actual
| ly been submerged. The fact has been
pointed out; it's significance seems not
| to have been recognized.
The deeply cleft mountain or west
| Maui, with its stupendous chasms, can
be explained, no doubt, in a similar
way, and such explanation is the more
probably correct since this mountain,
| DIS WStl DIS E1dlSdhdld, ID IuOE0 SIcCP
| than the average lava cone. @ * (
Southern Hawaii furnishes several
examples of lines of fault running par
allel with the coast and at no great
distance from it, which can be readily
explained again in the same manner;
in most of these cases the land that
has slipped down has not been SUBJ
merged. Occasionally, as at Kealake-
lyVN h,x- Ill rI,o cd
Look once more at MOlokai and see
how perfectly. it's physiograp pc
culiarities are accounted for by q sim
liar catastrophe. The straight line of
lofty cliffs, cutting off fully one-third
of the mountain, the chasm of Halawa,
parallel with this principal line of
fault, and having at it's head, as in the
analogous case of Waipio Valley, a
high waterfall, are perfectly explained.
We now understand, better that be-
fore, the little dots of islands at lit
tie distance from the precipitOus
coast-the tips of submerged portions
of the mountain. Further, the little
recent volcano at the foot of the cliffs,
with it's extraordinary deep crater, is
just what we might look for. The
catastrophe may have been caused,
possibly, by the opening of the assure
through which this lava was emitted,
but, again, and perhaps more prOba-
bly,, the heat which fused the rocks to
form this lava may have been the
mechanical equivalent of the energy
represented in the down rush OF that
mighty mass of rock. Notice that the
ocean just north of Molokai is exceed
ingly deep, as will be seen by consult
ing the chart in Dapas wo1k On Ha-
waiian volcanoes.
Turn now TO Oahu, ana see whether
we cannot now account satisfactorily |
for its great inland precipice. Sup
pose the foundation on the windward |
sleeper side of the mountain to have
given way, parting the mountain near |
ly in the middle and allowing the |
northern half to slip down two thous- |
and feet or so, and cast over at the |
same time seward. We should have |
some portions Of the mass wholly sub
merged, while that which remained |
would exhibit just such ridges and |
peaks as we actually find. Here again
the catastrophe has been accompanied |
or followed by volcanic eruption, but
only on a small scale. Near the base
OF the precipice we find a score, per-
haps, of small cinder cones, evidently
quite recent At one point only, so
far as I know, lava was emitted in
quantity sufficient to form flow. That
was close to the pass called the pail,
at an elevation of more than 1000 feet
above sea level. The lava was i'm
perfectly fused, and has flowed down
the face of the newly found precipice
at a point where it is not very steep,
forming cOulee perhaps half a mile
eng and fifteen or twenty feet deep.