The volcanological report of the Royal Society expedition to Tristan da Cunha, 1962

Abstract

On the night of 9 October 1961, following a period of severe but localized earth tremors, a volcano erupted on the Settlement Plain of Tristan da Cunha only 300 yards to the east of the village. The island was evacuated the following day. In November of that year the Royal Society approved a proposal to send an expedition to the island to study the new volcano, to make a geological survey of the Tristan group and to investigate the effect of the volcanic activity on the vegetation and fauna of the island. A Tristan da Cunha Committee, with Professor L. R. Wager, F. R. S., as chairman, was set up. Professor W. Q. Kennedy, F. R. S., was appointed Senior Scientific Director and Professor C. F. A. Pantin, F. R. S., Biological Director to the Expedition. The Trustees of the World Wild Life Fund supported the project enthusiastically and made it possible for a botanist and zoologist to be included in the party. On 6 December 1961, Dr P. G. Harris and Dr R. W. Le Maitre left the United Kingdom for Tristan travelling from Freetown, Sierra Leone, aboard H. M. S. Jaguar. The object of the visit was to examine the state of the volcanic activity at that time and to make any reconnaissance that might be of assistance to the main Expedition scheduled to arrive on the island during January 1962 (Harris & Le Maitre 1962). The main Expedition consisted of twelve members: Dr I. G. Gass (leader), Dr P. G. Harris, Dr R. W. Le Maitre and Mr P. E. Baker (geologists); Mr J. H. Dickson (botanist); Nlr D. E. Baird (zoologist); Lt.-Com. A. B. Crawford, S.A.N.R. (meteorologist and deputy leader); Mr D. Simpson (agriculturalist); Staff-Sgt. R. Shaw and Cpl. T. McCormack (Royal Corps of Signals); and Mr Joseph Glass and Mr Adam Swain (Tristan Islanders; guides). The Expedition sailed from Simons town, South Africa, on 22 January 1962, aboard the South African Navy frigate S. A. S. Transvaal, and after two days delay due to bad weather landed on Tristan on 29 January. The party was relieved by the Royal Navy ice patrol vessel H. M. S. Protector on 20 March 1962. The account presented herein is based on 7 weeks' field work in the area, 6 weeks being spent on Tristan da Cunha and 1 week on the nearby islands of Inaccessible and Nightingale. A detailed study was made of the new parasitic volcano and a record kept of its activity during the Expedition's period of residence. A geological survey of Tristan da Cunha was made, and geological investigations were undertaken on Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands. The effects of the volcanic activity on the vegetation, and the direct and indirect effect on the introduced and indigenous fauna were examined.