The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-12-17

lake was brimming over, with no bank.
The west cOnelet was spouting lava
from its summit in blobs, and above
il ragged hole in the wall glowed
dull red within.
December IL overflows from the east
and south coves were in action at IL
a. m. enclosing peninsula between the
two coyes and prolonging the coves
southeastward. The western eonelet,
at the other end of the lake, had broken
open on the lake side and poured out n
torrent of lava which first flooded the
SW. part of the platform and then
made a straight channel for itself into
the west end of the lake. The glowing
magma poured through this channel for
two hours, from II a. m. to l p. m,
meeting a west flowing surface current
in the lake at its mouth. Careful
alidade measurement of the level of the
cone-cave-n whence this stream poured,
as compared with the other end of the
main lake, showed that the cavern was
from 5 to feet higher, and the molten
river was literally pouring down hill.
The glowing hole in the wall above is
still higher by three or four feet.
At 3 p. III. the torrent from the west
cone had stopped; it was brdged with
black crust, and only small pot of
lava splashed lazily within the orifice
of the half-cone, which was shaped like
the prompter s box in an opera house.
1t appears to be ready to build up the
broken half again with spatter.
A very intere-ting mechanism was
observed while the first flood from tho
conelet was overlooking the platform.
The great weight of the flow, us it ad-
vanced, bent down the crusted lava
over which it flowed, so that finally the
platform rifted again and again along
the front of the flow and the glowing
lava beneath welled up the cracks and
merged with the lava of the flow. This
showed conclusively that the outer lin
1t of the platform, during this rising
stage ut any rate, is the real limit of
the molten lava, and that the crust
which rims the active pool is thin
veneer over melt beneath. The size
of the liquid pool and the width of this
rim of crust probably vary with the
amount of heat supplied; an excess of
heat brought up by the gases or other.
wise should increase the size of the lake
at the expense of the platform. In
general at the coves and spatter ram
parts the lava is seen to be rushing in
under the platform, while it is rising
and spreading radially, not from Old
Faithful, which is one of the downsuck-
ing areas, but from quiet middle re-
gion of the lake. 1t would seem that
the relative areas of lake and platform
may prove a useful measure of activity
and of heat
FIVE earthquakes have been record.
ed since last week, all local in origin,
as follows:
December 6, from 1921 a. m. to
lO.33-l3 a. m. II. s. T. Origin distant
about IS miles, intensity l7-1OO mini.
mum perceptible.
December 7, from 4-52-OO p m. to
4'53-10 p. m, II. s. T. Origin distant
about 26H miles, intensity l71OO min
imum perceptible.
December Z, from 5.O6O2 p. m. to
5-0754 p. M, II. s. IT. Origin distant
about 1879 miles, intensity l4-1OO min
imum perceptible.
December Z, from 0-03.59 p. m. to
9-05-17 p. m, II. S. II. Origin distant
about l7.5 miles, intensity 6-10O mini
mum perceptible.
December 10, from s-5349 a. m. to
1888 a. M, II. s. IT. Origin distant
about sA miles, intensity 0-l00 mini.
mum pereeptible.
Microseismic motion and motion of
fitting has been strong during the past
three days. Very respectfully.
Il. A. JAGGAR. JR.,
Director.