Story: Volcanoes

Lava Cascade, Macauley Island (3rd of 3)

Lava Cascade, Macauley Island

This black basalt lava flow fills a valley in the light-coloured Sandy Bay Tephra on the west side of Macauley Island. The heat from the lava has baked the light-coloured pumice and ash, leaving a brown oxidised strip at the contact between the two rock types.

This cascade is one of the few places where you can get to the upper part of the island – the cliffs in the Sandy Bay Tephra are impossible to climb. In the 19th century a castaway depot was built at the top of the lava cascade.

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Photograph by Simon Nathan

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How to cite this page:

Richard Smith, David J. Lowe and Ian Wright, 'Volcanoes - The Kermadec Ridge: submarine volcanoes', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/8725/lava-cascade-macauley-island (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Richard Smith, David J. Lowe and Ian Wright, published 12 Jun 2006