290 MESSRS. LACE AND HEMSLEY ON THE 
Geology. 
The geological formation of the country consists chiefly of 
Cretaceous rocks, the highest and most extensive ranges being 
composed of a hard limestone, occasionally of conglomerate, and 
the Khwaja Amran range of shales. Trap rocks crop out here 
and there between the ranges; for instance, between Kach and 
Kan, at an elevation of 7000 ft. In the lower hills sandstones 
and marls are common, and the hills near Khattan, where petro- 
leum springs are being worked, are particularly rich in fossils. 
The soil immediately below the high ranges is usually dry 
and stony. In the middle of the Quetta valley it is somewhat 
clayey, and in the Peshin plain consists principally of a deep, 
sandy loam. In some localities, as at Sharigh, the soil is appar- 
ently the produce of old swamps, and is black and poor in quality 
and often waterlogged. A great deal of land in this country, 
particularly in the Peshin district, contains various salts, some 
of which appear as efflorescence on the surface after the land has 
been irrigated, or after the winter rains. 
The principal mineral products of the country are coal and 
petroleum. The coal exists in small seams in various parts, and 
is being worked at Khost near Shahrag, and at Gandak, a few 
miles north-east of Quetta. Petroleum wells have been sunk at 
Khattan, sixty miles east of Sibi, and the oil is being at present 
used for railway works at the Khojak tunnel. Petroleum has 
been also found in other parts of the country; but the borings 
are often interfered with and sometimes have to be abandoned 
owing to the enormous quantities of hot mineral water that are 
encountered. 
Climate. 
The climate of Baluchistan is remarkable for its extremes and 
rapid changes of temperature, being, at an altitude of 3000 ft. 
and upwards, much more severe than at similar altitudes in the 
Himalayas. At Quetta the shade temperature sometimes reaches 
105° F., while in winter it falls below zero. In the Peshin valley 
in June I have experienced a difference of over 50° F. between 
day and night temperatures in a tent; whereas at Sibi or in the 
Punjab plains, at the same season, there would be little difference 
between them. These extremes are probably in great part due 
to the scanty vegetation of the country, bare hills, and almost 
