During 1969 both the Senior Geologist and Geologist v,rere away part of the time on leave in the United Kingdom, Dr. Mallick from June to September and Mr. Ash from October 1969 to February 1970. The Voluntary Service Overseas cadet attached to the department was changed in August when Mr. N. P. Host had finished his tour and was replaced by Mr. G. Draper. The main efforts of the Survey continue to be directed towards the preparation of reliable 1 :50,000 geological maps of the Group, with subsidiary emphasis on the preliminary investigation of some features of potential economic interest. During the year Dr. Mallick almost completed the geological survey of Pentecost, returning early in 1970 to take additional soil and stream sediment samples from an area of copper-pyrite mineralisation. Some of the samples still await analysis, but preliminary l'esults are not indicative of any deposits of economic size and grade. The survey has provided some details of the only known occurrence of Basement Complex rocks in the New Hebrides. Mr. Ash completed his mapping of Efate and its offshore islands, but was unable to land on Mataso, the remaining island between Efate and the Shepherd Islands, until he returned from leave. On his return from leave Dr. Mallick began work on Santo with a photo-interpretation and rapid reconnaissance of the Queiros Peninsula area in which only Plio-Pleistocene limestones are exposed. Miscellaneous investigations coupled with the geological mapping were the collection of soil profile samples on Santo and Pentecost to test for bauxitic and nickel contents and the systematic sampling of three areas on Pentecost, Nguna and Efate where there were visible traces of copper mineralisation. Further details of these are to be found in the Economic Geology Section. During the year the following reports were published:
Annual Report for 1967 "Geology of North Santo" by G. P. Robinson In addition the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics published the results of the gravity survey of the New Hebrides undertaken by Dr. A. Malahoff in 1967. These results will be later incorporated in a New Hebrides Geological Survey report which will also include the aeromagnetic survey of the group undertaken at the same time. A list of the publications currently available is given in Appendix I. The records of the volcanic activity of the Group kept by the Geological Survey are rather incomplete as they depend wholly on casual reports from ships, aircraft, planters, missionarie and Geological Survey staff, but indicate that, in general, the volcanoes maintained only mild activity during 1969. There was a spate of renewed interest in the mineral potential of the Group by mining companies during the year and numerous enquiries for information on the geology of the islands were received. Interest in base metals was limited by the fact that B.R.G.M., who have completed half a two-year prospecting programme, hold licences for the major areas of interest, the Lower Miocene rocks of Santo and Malekula. A byproduct of the interest caused by the oil seep in Tonga has been renewed interest by oil companies in other areas of the Pacific, notably in Fijian waters, but also resulted in the first offshore seismic profiles being made in the New Hebrides.