20 HUGHES: WAKDHA VALLEY COAL-EIELD. 



The most marked bands of sandstone beneath the coal are : very fine- 

 grained light grey sandstones with miuute specks 

 Sandstones beneath f ferruginous quartz; fine-grained quartzose 

 sandstones with some iron pyrites and streaks of 

 carbonaceous matter ; and extremely hard, fine-grained whitish sandstones. 

 "Whenever any specimens of the above-described rocks are brought up by 

 the boring machine, it is useless to go down deeper in the hope of meet- 

 ing with coal. The pyritiferous sandstones, especi- 

 Pyritiferous sandstone. , . "- 



ally, are good indicators ot position, and ought to 



be carefully noted. 



The ordinary sandstones are not so fine in texture as those just de- 

 scribed, but resemble more the typical felspathic 

 Nodular sandstone. • . 



sihcious sandstones of the Damuda valley. Calca- 

 reous matter enters into the composition of some of them, but notably 

 into that of the bed directly under the top coal. A nodular appearance 

 on the weathered surface of the rock is produced by it, which cannot fail 

 to catch the eye, and which is seldom seen on any other sandstone. In 

 the northern part of the field this character is of great use in limiting 

 the circuit of search for coal. 



The thickness of the group nowhere exceeds 250 feet. This compares 



poorly with its development in Bengal, where, as 

 Thickness of Barakars- 



in the Jherria field, it attains a serial thickness of 



3,300 feet. The general dip is low. 



The distribution of the Barakars is very broken, and the area they 



occupy at the surface is extremely small, when compared with that of 



either the Talchirs or Kamthis. 



As every reliable determination of the Barakars was useful in narrow- 

 ing the possibility of failure in the attempt to trace the extension of the 

 top coal, which is only seen in three places in the field, the identification 

 of the group was made as thorough as possible. I do not think any 

 outcrops of the Barakars, even of the very smallest dimensions, have 

 ( 20 ) 



