The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-09-01
On The Geological Formation Of
The Hawaiian Group.
ISLANDS ARE BUT VAST NEEDLES
Sticking End Up IN the Ocean and
Lisb TO Overthrow by
Earthquakes.

| The High School auditorium was
crowded yesterday morning to hear
the lecture by Professor Hitchcock of
Dartmouth College upon the geologi-
cal structure of the Hawaiian Islands.
Professor Hitchcock's researches in
determining the formation of the
group and the age of each island form
a valuable contribution to Hawaiian
science. His theory that each island
is needle, so to speak, extending
thousands of feet below the surface of
the ocean, is a novel one, and more so
when the Professor definitely states
that a sufficient shaking Of the earth
would overbalance them and the ISL
ands would become submerged. There
was small likelihood of such an event
occurring, but from a scientific stand
point 1t is contended that his theory
has the earmarks of being probable.
I'VE find that there are some eight
or nine islands in the Hawaiian group
which include only the larger ones:
49,. -
''' '''''' %. '"'' p''' vi 'e'!
large archipelago numbering not less
| than 700 miles in length. and in
reality tho numher of isI,nds 10 No,
,a., ,,, .,,.,
'" 'i"" '"'"'' ''"' '"'' e""''e' "'
to understand somewhat as to the orr
gin of the group itself ! make use in
this connection of tho well-kpowp tho
-, o., o.,,,,, 80 -,
VI o'.a"'' anu WI ~
's'""uS' ior number vi these are VOL
canic and number are coral. There
is a series of low islands which extend
I'm, -, ,orv obort d;s,oroo o,,o,o .;,o
NJ,
""'''' Inc '''s'' vi the '"o MINUS
VIZ, the high and the low islands, Is
, very obvious; the high island is OF
= volcanic origin and the low islands are
made up of coral animals. 1t is sup
= posed that there Is a high island un
derneath the low, or submerged, isl
] and, but the original material of which
J. it was composed Is out of sight. Nov
Y from this statement it Is easy to eX
e plain or, rather understand, the theor.
y for the age of the Hawaiian Islands
1t is said that the Island of Hawaii i
o the newest of the group; that is be
l. cause 1t has volcanoes, active; the 9th
C ers are of volcanic origin, becaus
It they have had their volcanoes; an
IS therefore the one having volcanoes
i the newest; we find, however. this
e supplemented by the formation of cor
IS al islands.
). I'm this formation we find, first,
high island; then coral reef extend
n ing entirely around 1t close to tn
q shore; then, according to the theor
!. of Darwin anad Dana, there is Sigh
sinking down OF this high island, an
i as 1t sinks down the coral islam
y comes up; there Is considerable
space between the reef OF coral an
the island, so that you can see tina
after while the high Island SINK
out or sight ana the coral reef has Deel
growing all the time, ana this mail.
comes up INTO an Island under Tn
. name OF an atoil lhese lslahus II
the remoter part OF the archlpelaS
were once high Islands ana nave sine
: their formation sunk down ana TN
= reefs come up. we nave other arsu
/. ments which are very satisfactory IN
deed TO snow the Inference III age pe
tween the isiahus Vi hauai al" -"
wall; the point IN question Is IN
plant system ana their ae'eiopmeh'
r ana the animals ionhu' III ,he mrs
5 place, such ISLANDS as these nave III
4 Original Vegetatioh OF amman me; III
5 the Vegetation ana the aniHais nav
been brought 10 the lslanus III SOM
2 way or another; the hrst lsiahu
{ formed are solitary In the ocean, com
posed OF lava rock with nothing what
ever upon II; well, the hrst thihg ma
$ rine animals would come 10 III thei
some kind OF plant-life coming iron
, the sea would DRIFT upon the shores
5 and plants would grow from III u
!. make long story snort tnat Is TN
a way vegetation has started IN thes
4 Islands, and, In fact, all Islands; tax
4 a catalogue OF the island plants, ant
d you VIII see they come from the con
g tinental islands that are adjacent ant