GEOLOGY. 47 



Concluding Summary, 



As this collection of Dr. Stoliczka's geological notes on the countries traversed during his 

 journey was introduced by a brief account of his previous geological work in the Himalayas 

 and Western Tibet, it may most fitly be concluded by a general sketch of the additional 

 information which he has obtained in the countries north of those explored in earlier years. 



His explorations in his last journey extended over portions of Northern Ladak, of the 

 Mastagh or Karakoram, Kuenluen, Pamir, and Karatagh ranges, the last being a part of 

 the Thian Shan. He also examined the plains of Yarkand and Kashghar, and the upper 

 valleys of the streams which form the source of the Oxus or Amu. The notes on Kashmir, 

 and on the Indus valley west of Leh, although interesting and affording some addition to our 

 previous knowledge of the geology, do not touch on fresh ground, or add more than details to 

 what was known before. Each of the other areas demands a few notes separately. 



The Ladak range, north of the Indus, proved, so far as it was examined, to consist entirely 

 of metamorphic rocks, principally syenitic gneiss. The same formations extend to the north- 

 ward to the western end of the Pankong lake, and, so far as is known, throughout the greater 

 portion of the Changchenmo, Shayok, and Nubra valleys, passing in places into a greenish 

 chloritic rock, more or less schistose. These metamorphic rocks are believed by Dr. Stoliczka 

 to be of silurian age. In the northern portion of the valleys named beds of dark shales 

 and sandstones are met with, probably belonging to the carboniferous series : they are un- 

 fossilif erous, but agree with rocks of that age in Spiti and elsewhere, and they are succeeded, in 

 ascending order, by fossiliferous triassic limestones, red and grey in colour, with dark shales ; 

 whilst the crest of the Karakoram pass, and some of the smaller hills immediately south of it, 

 are composed of liassic rocks, containing fragmentary Belemnites. At one spot alone near 

 Kium, in the Changchenmo valley, sandstones and conglomerates of comparatively recent 

 aspect were observed, which are perhaps tertiary, and may belong to the same eocene forma- 

 tion as the rocks in the Indus valley near Leh. 1 



The valley of the Upper Yarkand river between the Mastagh (Karakoram) and Kuenluen 

 ranges consists of metamorphic and sub-metamorphic schists and slates, reddish calcareous 

 sandstone, and grey limestones, all unfossiliferous. The schists and slates are considered 

 by Dr. Stoliczka as probably silurian ; the other rocks, carboniferous. Some triassic lime- 

 stones are found on the northern slopes of the Karakoram pass ; and at Aktagh some recent- 

 looking argillaceous beds were noticed, perhaps tertiary. 



Two sections across the Kuenluen were examined one, on the Karakash river, the Suget 

 and Sanju passes ; the other, further west by the Yangi Diwan. On the former route the 

 greater portion of the range consists of syenitic gneiss, associated with various forms of 

 schists, with some of which pale-green jade is associated. On the more western route the 

 same metamorphic rocks are found, but the syenitic gneiss is less developed, and there is a 

 great quantity of greenstone. 



1 Drew (Jummoo and Kashmir, p. 343) has noticed the occurrence of hippuritic limestone (cretaceous) resting unconformably 

 on older encrinital limestone (? palaeozoic) in the Lokzhung range, north of the Lingzi-thung plain and east by south of the 

 Karakoram pass. In the same work there is an excellent account of the extraordinary high plateaus of northern Ladak, west 

 of which appear to be of lacustrine origin. 



