Beagle Expedition (1831-1836); Geology -- South America; Volcanoes
The lavas of this basal series lie immediately beneath both the
basaltic and feldspathic rocks. According to Mr. Seale, they may be
seen at intervals on the sea-beach round the entire island. (“Geognosy
of the Island of St. Helena.” Mr. Seale has constructed a gigantic
model of St. Helena, well worth visiting, which is now deposited at
Addiscombe College, in Surrey.) In the sections which I examined, their
nature varied much; some of the strata abound with crystals of augite;
others are of a brown colour, either laminated or in a rubbly
condition; and many parts are highly amygdaloidal with calcareous
matter. The successive sheets are either closely united together, or
are separated from each other by beds of scoriaceous rock and of
laminated tuff, frequently containing well-rounded fragments. The
interstices of these beds are filled with gypsum and salt; the gypsum
also sometimes occurring in thin layers. From the large quantity of
these two substances, from the presence of rounded pebbles in the
tuffs, and from the abundant amygdaloids, I cannot doubt that these
basal volcanic strata flowed beneath the sea. This remark ought perhaps
to be extended to a part of the superincumbent basaltic rocks; but on
this point, I was not able to obtain clear evidence. The strata of the
basal series, whenever I examined them, were intersected by an
extraordinary number of dikes.
FLAGSTAFF HILL AND THE BARN.
(FIGURE 8. FLAGSTAFF HILL AND THE BARN. (Section West (left) to East
(right)) Flagstaff Hill, 2,272 feet high to The Barn, 2,015 feet high.
The double lines represent the basaltic strata; the single, the basal
submarine strata; the dotted, the upper feldspathic strata; the dikes
are shaded transversely.)
I will now describe some of the more remarkable sections, and will
commence with these two hills, which form the principal external
feature on the north-eastern side of the island. The square, angular
outline, and black colour of the Barn, at once show that it belongs to
the basaltic series; whilst the smooth, conical figure, and the varied
bright tints of Flagstaff Hill, render it equally clear, that it is
composed of the softened, feldspathic rocks. These two lofty hills are
connected (as is shown in Figure 8) by a sharp ridge, which is composed
of the rubbly lavas of the basal series. The strata of this ridge dip
westward, the inclination becoming less and less towards the Flagstaff;
and the upper feldspathic strata of this hill can be seen, though with
some difficulty, to dip conformably to the W.S.W. Close to the Barn,
the strata of the ridge are nearly vertical, but are much obscured by
innumerable dikes; under this hill, they probably change from being
vertical into being inclined into an opposite direction; for the upper
or basaltic strata, which are about eight hundred or one thousand feet
in thickness, are inclined north-eastward, at an angle between thirty
and forty degrees.
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