io. On the Age of the Utatur Marine Transgression. ' 
By L. Rama Rau, Lecturer in SiR Central College, 
Bangalor 
The existence of a series of marine fossiliferous rocks 
Cretaceous age in the eastern coast of the south of the Indian 
Peninsula has long been recognised, and detailed work has 
been done on the stratign oy and paleontology of these rocks. 
Though covering a small a ea, yet from the abundance of well- 
preser rved and fine ots fossils, the formation has always 
been considered of much importance and interest. be a 
study of the lithology as well as the structure and arrange- 
ment of these series. it is now universally heer that 
these were deposited during a temporary transgression, on this 
coast, of the southern sea during the Cretaceous times. 
ere is a general agreement to divide the whole series 
into three broad divisions, each of which has been subdivided 
and species of fossils. The present paper cencerns itself w 
only the lowermost of these divisions—the Chee ene 
with the view to determine the a ee age of the marine 
transgression that gave rise to thes 
The Utaturs might be genectally asoritied as a series of 
marine deposits, mostly argillaceous in constitution. composed 
of sandstones and shales usually highly calcareous or gyp- 
old coral reef, so that this member is usually known as the 
‘Coral reef limestone.’ It is obvious that to get at a suggestion 
tia 
stratigraphical and paleontological characteristics of the 
Owermost series of the Utaturs an oe see their relationship, if 
any, . other areas of similar deposit 
is well known that the naan characteristic types of 
sais disoustaks the Cretaceous deposits all over the world 
are the Ammonites—a group which by the very limited 
vertical but extensive goog Pipbioa! range of some of its genera 
and species is of unsurpassed stratigraphical value in classify- 
ing and correlating subdivisions of the Cretaceous strata. Asin 
other places so also in India, there is a large abundance and 

! Communicated by Dr. J. Coggin Brown, O.B.E., D.Se. 
