Prev | Current Page 566 | Next

Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

"The Voyage of the Beagle"


The sea black and boiling.
Direction of the vibrations.
Stones twisted round.
Great wave.
Permanent elevation of the land.
Area of volcanic phenomena.
The connection between the elevatory and eruptive forces.
Cause of earthquakes.
Slow elevation of mountain-chains.
CHILOE AND CONCEPCION: GREAT EARTHQUAKE.
(PLATE 70. PANORAMIC VIEW OF COAST, CHILOE. OSORNO AND
QUELLAYPO.)
(PLATE 71. INSIDE ISLAND OF CHILOE. SAN CARLOS.)
(PLATE 68. GUNNERA SCABRA, CHILOE.)

On January the 15th, 1835 we sailed from Low's Harbour, and three
days afterwards anchored a second time in the bay of S. Carlos in
Chiloe. On the night of the 19th the volcano of Osorno was in
action. At midnight the sentry observed something like a large
star, which gradually increased in size till about three o'clock,
when it presented a very magnificent spectacle. By the aid of a
glass, dark objects, in constant succession, were seen, in the
midst of a great glare of red light, to be thrown up and to fall
down. The light was sufficient to cast on the water a long bright
reflection. Large masses of molten matter seem very commonly to be
cast out of the craters in this part of the Cordillera.


Pages:
554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578