ISLANDS BORN IN A DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12859, 6 May 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

ISLANDS BORN IN A DAY.

MANY PARALLELS TO JAPAN'S RECENT EXPERIENCE.

Japan's new-born island. Nushima, has many parallels in the world's history. Ages ago the sudden upheaval of land was a common occurrence, and many of these volcani-cally-fashioned places to-day support life and are the scenes of human activity. The Azores, in the North Atlantic Ocean, are typical of islands whose existence i:; due to subterranean volcanic eruption. St. Michael, St. Mary, and the seven smaller islands of the group, although fertile and lovely, in this way sprang unexpectedly into being. So recently as 1811 a new island rose suddenly among the Azores to a height, of 300 ft, then as suddenly disappeared. Upon his return from a voyage across the Indian Ocean the captain of a trader reported the presence of an island unmarked upon the chart. Investigators, unable to discover any sign of the new land, made facetious references to whisky and the sea serpent. Yet, it, -was pointed out, the phenomenon of ail island of a day was by no means beyond the bounds of possibility. In this self-same ocean, and 2000 miles from the nearest land, •is the small island of St. Paul. Its existence is due to the energy of submerged Volcanoes. * °

"Instances of this sort might be multiplied indefinitely," said a. member of the Royal Geographical Society to an Express representative recently. . "The raised beaches of the Isle ol Mail and Ayrshire and some of the rocky islands round our own coasts are due to submarine volcanoes. Whether or not Japan's new island has come to stay it is impossible now to suggest It certainly is not safe foothold at present Japan is pre-eminently die land ot earthquakes. 1 do not think, though, that the country is in serious danger from this cause One might compare Italy with its Vesuvius to Japan with us volcanic system, only the latter is more active and energet*." *