Volcanic Activity In New
p. 72 · Read in the full issue
Guinea
MR. S. CAREY, a geologist with Oil Search Ltd. in New Guinea and Papua, lectured to the Pacific Is lands Club at the Carlton Hotel. Sydney, on October 5 on “Volcanic Acivity in New Guinea”. He pointed out that while the damage wrought by the recent Rabaul eruption had been severe, matters would have been much worse had the other volcanoes surrounding the township erup ted with the same force as Vulcan. He
said that if Rapindik, just behind Ra baul, had blown up. history might have repeated itself with a second Pompeii.
Mr. Carey explained the origin of what were erroneously called “tidal waves”, which have been experienced from time to time on New Guinea coasts. Volcanic eruptions on the bed of the ocean caus ed the sea in the vicinity to boil and steam quickly rose to the surface: the water thrown back by the explosion and steam jets caused a large wave. Similarly a series of explosions caused a series of large waves.