BSF's Submarine Volcano

Dangerous to Shipping

Honiara, June 20.

MR. J. C. GROVER, the Govern ment Geologist in the British Solomon Islands, recently re turned to Honiara from a five

weeks’ tour of the Western islands during which he visited Tetepari, Rendova, New Georgia, Kolomban gara, Gizo, Simbo and Gatukai.

The Protectorate patrol vessel in which he travelled had had to put back to Gatukai for two days be cause of bad weather, he said, and he was able to make observations of the activity of the submarine volcano south of Gatukai, which' erupted on April 16, immediately after the coastal vessel M.V. Loma had passed over it. This erruption was only ,a minor one.

Mr. Grover reports that on June 1 when he viewed it, the volcano erupted violently at one minute intervals for nearly 11 hours, the detonations being audible in the Marovo Lagoon about 30 miles away.

He considers that if the eruption astern of the Loma had been on the scale of those of June 1, the Loma would probably have been destroyed.

A considerable volume of smoke and water rises from the sea and almost immediately forms a swell ing column of cloud which rises to a great height.

The heavy weather hampered the taking of exact bearings and the Geologist has requested that obser vations of bearings should be for warded so that the volcano s position can be accurately charted.

He advises that the volcano is at preseht dangerous to shipping, which should give the area a wide berth until the centre of activity can be pinpointed on the charts.