A MUD VOLCANO.

Northland Age, Volume 2, Issue 49, 10 July 1906, Page 2

A MUD VOLCANO.

EXTRAORDINARY ISLAND SCENE Some time ago the natives of British North Borneo reported that a huge marine monster —a kind of octopus—had made its place of recreation on the island of Lihiman, which lies some 20 miles north of Sandakan town. Remembering the occurrence of a mud eruption on the island some years ago, the governor of the colony formed his own opinions regarding the existence of the-supposed monster, and when an opportunity occurred, made examination of the ' island. It appeared from his inves- ! tigations, says the “British North 5 Borneo Herald,” that the “track” I made by the marine phenomenon was ' a river of hardened mud, sun-dried i and cracked till it bore the appearI ance of a glacier of grey mud, com- ! pletc with its crevasses and boulders, ! lacking only the moraines and the exhilarating glacier air to make the resemblance complete. At the lsnver end, where it .debouched into the sea a good quarter of a milo from its source, the mud-riv r er was, perhaps, 150 ft. broad, narrowing to 80ft. At j its highest point—looft. above sea i level—where it emerged from the 1 crater, it appeared to have cut through the solid soil, which stood up on each side a good Bft. or 10ft. above the surface of the mud, which was freely strewn with small blocks of grey sandstone. The edges of these blocks were in many cases as sharp as those of newly-broken road metal. A BOTTOMLESS POOL OF MUD. The crater itself, a depression about 30ft. or 40ft. in diameter, was covered with a crust of mud just strong enough to bear the weight of a man, but giving slightly as one walked over it, thus indicating that it was merely a crust. In the very centre was a small pool of liquid mud, into which a long stick was thrust without finding bottom. Round the crater rose the walls of mud, 10ft. to 15ft. high, with large blocks of sandstone, and rocks bearing streaks of quartz, perched in such position as proved that they must have been hurled into the air by the force of the eruption, and dropped into their present positions. The island gave evidence of at least two eruptions, the latter, of very recent occurrence, having spread a layer of mud over part of the older stream.