Notebook No.195, March 1854

This black notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s geological travels with George Hartung around Las Palmas, Canary Islands in the company of Mary Lyell, and Charles and Frances Bunbury, and is one of the longest. It starts March 21st, 1854, complying Lyell’s observations in La Palma focusing on Caldera of Palma, Alejanado [Bejenado?], Barranco de las Angustias, Fuencaliente, Tazacorte, Barranco del Pinar, San Pedro, Puerto la Ville, and Santa Cruz de Palma. This notebook primarily focuses on the geological features and formations and includes a vast number of drawings and sketches of stratigraphical and geological features, primarily concerning volcanic activity, dikes, tuff, lava, dips, alluvium, barometer readings and eruption. Some drawings of particular note (page 40 and 62) show Lyell’s view of La Palma’s Caldera from Tazacorte, containing detailed geological peaks, plant sketches, and clouds. Lyell also compares La Palma to Etna in his theoretical development. There is an itinerary and some Greek lettering on page 44. There are illustrations throughout of the landscape including the view from a boat, and with plants and settlements. The last page is a list of things to pack, including Eckersbergs glass.

p.1 Caldera of Palma dip 20 to 30° of basalts in walls p.2 View of Alejandros & panorama
p.5 Dip 22 & 28
p.6 Agglomerate 300 to 400 ft thick opposite Alejandro
[p.6] Volcanic mass (with ropy scoria) 500 ft thick
p.8 section of wall of upper form[ation]
[p.8] Dikes 1ft 1/2 to 3ft -
p.10 Buried cone & ropy lava Llanos de Las Piedras
p.10 Dike shew the cliff remained entire to the end - & then barranco -
p.12 Palma more of a chain than Etna
[p.12] Lower form[atio]n attend
p.14 Breccia in lower form[atio]n
[p.14] Lower form[atio]n in barranco – Dip from the Caldera 26° & 27° W etc 2,
p.18 Barometer of meeting of the water height below H. de Tenerra 2200 ft or 1500 above sea
p.18, 20} Opposite dips & synclinal in the barranco -
p.22 1/3rd of Alejandro of newer form[atio]n unconformable
p.24 Barom[ete]r La Viña. La Viña 600 or 700 ft above sea -
[p.24] Upper fom[atio]n cones to river a little below La Viña & occupies then whole of both banks
p.26 View of Barranco de las Augustus
p.28 Do looking S.
Oct 29. 1855.
p.30 Below La Viña 800 ft of conglom[erate] - with 3 beds of basalt -
p.32 Dip of beds in sea cliff to W. 15 S
p.34 Sea Cliff steeper than the ravine cliff
[p.34] - 25 beds with red laterites.
Left side of Barr[anc]o alluvium (with lava) 500 ft -
p.36 Tazacorte view of lava & alluvium
p.38 Do. & section of Puerto beds
[p.38] Cascade of lava down the hill
p.40 View of Alejandro & La Tosca
p.42 Tosca, calc. Sinter. Hill -
[p.42] Periods of erup[tio]n 4 but also others -
p.43 Why conglom[erate] alternating with angular lava & more of Curral gravel with Funchal system lavas?
p.44 Itinerary
p.46 Why inequalities of lava may form steep beds of laterite & wedging of scoria & columnar lava
p.46 Montaguetto on flambe flank of Alejanadro
p.48 - 20 minor cones between the Cumbre & B de las Augustus
[p.48] Cumbrecita lower formation 250 ft below H. de Tenerra -
[p.48] numerous dikes in lower formation etc -
p.50 Wells of Caldera near Cumbrecita lower Form[atio]n specimens.
p.52 appearance of rivers as V[on] Buch supposed in centre, but not so
p.52 Outward dip of upper & lower form[atio]n
p.54 Line of junction of 2 form[atio]n at angle of 26 - (upper thickening away from the Caldera - )
p.56 Part of Panorama-
p.58 Section that Cumbrecita southend w[oul]d resemble that of B. de las Aug[ustus]
p.60 Continuation of upper cliff the most difficult if Explosion (qy like the 2 outlets of C. of Tiraxana [Sic Tejeda]?)
[p.60] Torrent wh[en]. new causes a small cliff
p.62 Sketch of El Paso-
p.64 Suppor[te]d Bar[ranc]o de loa Pinos
p.65 Speculat[ion]s as to ancient cliffs & denudat[ion] of Caldera
p.66 Compression of walls of Caldera to Sa Ursula [sic Santa Úrsula] & Tigaiga
[p.66] Paso hollow in lava inclined at 10° might be followed by basalt
[p.66] Stream from Verigoguo
p.70 Verigoguo [?] a transverse chain -
[p.70] Craters the rule here
[p.70] Lava of V. Slope 70 -
Corazoncillo somma-like crater craters -
p.74 - view of same
[p.74] Barranco de las Muchas dip of allu[vium] 70 rounded & angular rocks
p.76 Angle of 20° of solid blue lava
[p.76] Slope of 13 – 17 & 8° - of lava -
[p.76] Channel of lava with ventricle wall & flags of stony. Le Manohar
p.78 - do & covered tunnel.
p.78 Islands left by lavas or oasis in desert -
p.80 Lava slope at angles of 12 to 18°
[p.80] Solid lava in top of Sd stream
[p.80] Cascading of lavas over the cliffs. Pinus canariensis on old lava
p.82 Hoyo frio [sic Hoyo del Feo?]
[p.82] Fuen-Caliente channel in lava cone & crater described
p.85 View of lava cascading down cliff seen from Hoyo Frio - [sic Hoyo del Feo?]
p.87 Outcrop of arch lava in Fuencaliente -
p.88 View of Gomera Hierro & Pico from Fuencaliente
p.92 Channel in lava 26 yards wide 18ft deep – solid layers through inclination of lava 15° -
[p.92] Another channel in steep lava
p.94 Outline of lava – huge block
p.96 Gomera & 100
p.98 View from Breña alta of lavas [rounded?] back by S. Pedro -
p.100 Barranco de la Madera [Tedothe?] dip of beds 18 to 22.
p.102 Ravine cut back by waterfalls
[p.102] Alluvial tuff in Barranco de la Madera
[p.102] Gomera view of with cones on it. Dike in ravine of Madera
p.104 Barranco de las Nieves swells out of basalt-
p.106. S. Pedro outline of
p.108 Pico Teyde [Sic Teide?] from do [ditto Tedothe?]
p.110 Tenerffie [sic Tenerife] from Tedoth & Mt. Taco - [drawing of mountains from boat]
p.112 Plan for Tenerife excursion
[p.112] with Mt Smith & H [Hartung]. to Cinder cones Puerto Oratase
p.116 Tigaiga view of
p.118 View of Circus of Peak of Teyde [Sic Teide]
p.120 Do.