GEOLOGY. 45 



I 



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There must be greenstones somewhere in this southern direction among the dark 

 crumbling rock. 



The light-coloured bedded limestone strikes over to Karatagh lake, and the hills to the 

 west, east, and south-east appear to consist of it. I noticed, when I marched last year, that 

 their steepness indicates in part limestone cliffs, and some of them at least were of a light 

 colour. 



This is also the pale limestone seen north of our camp, some miles north of Khush 

 Maidan, and no doubt these limestones extend to the south of Aktash. [That is to say, that 

 this pale limestone, which is probably of carboniferous age, appears to stretch across from the 

 high ground between the Mastagh and Kuenluen ranges to the eastern edge of the Pamir.] 



June 14th, Woabjilga, 12 miles. The hills all covered with detritus. 



A little way south of Aktagh the grey limestones, which appear to be carboniferous, are 

 overlain by dark crumbling dolomitic limestone and sub-metamorphic shales, in several places 

 in contact with greenstone, which is again either typical, like that near Aktash, or it is dark, 

 and very homogeneous in texture, and at first strikingly resembles basalt. Further on, the 

 grey dolomitic limestones again crop out from under the detritus of the valley ; and near the 

 camp the sub-metamorphic schists are overlain by more compact grey dolomitic limestone, 

 which rises high upon a hill a little south by east of our camp. These grey dolomitic lime- 

 stones regularly bend over at the top, and in the centre are exposed what may be called 

 Hallstadt or St. Cassian beds a red, somewhat earthy, marble, with Arcestes ? johannis 

 austrice, Ammonites batteni, Aulacoceras, and Crinoids. I shall speak of this red marble 

 as the A. batteni bed. 



The A. batteni bed is seen exposed far towards the west, overlain by the grey limestone, 

 and is mostly highly inclined towards the north. I must see more of the whole triassic 

 series to-morrow. 



June 15th, Karakoram-brdngsa, 14 miles. Starting from Woabjilga, the grey triassic lime- 

 stones were met with, afterwards the red limestones succeeded them, and continued to 

 camp, often interrupted by patches of greenstone, which is greatly developed at the camp 

 north of the pass. 



June 16th, Daulatbeg Uldi (crossing the Karakoram pass), about 22 miles. Leaving 

 camp, the greenstones are underlain by black crumbling shale, in mineralogical character 

 like the Spiti shales, but very likely triassic, like that near Aktash. Then follows an 

 alternation of grey or whitish limestones and shales and the triassic red limestone; and 

 on these rest blackish and grey marly shales, which are overlain by almost horizontal strata 

 of brown limestone, very much like the lower Taglang limestone, and which contains fragments 

 of Belemnites. These liassic rocks form the Karakoram range proper, and extend far east- 

 ward. The hills to the west are much higher, and do not allow a distant view. 



After crossing the pass, the road skirts the base of the centre ridge in a south-east direc- 

 tion ; and here the liassic limestones come down several times, and about four miles from the 

 pass grey marly shale, or almost marly limestone, crops out from under the brown limestone : 

 both are evidently liassic. On the right bank of 'the stream more massive limestones occur, 

 dipping to north-east, but very indistinctly. I should think that these are triassic limestones. 

 They very readily crumble to pieces, being highly dolomitic ; and these often contain reddish 

 beds interstratified. 



June 17th, Burtsi, 24 miles. First we crossed the Dipsang plain, with solitary low hills, 

 probably still belonging to the Taglang series. Then we ascended towards the watershed. 



