40 BALL : GEOLOGY OF THE RAJMEHAL HILLS. 



Leaving the Chuperbhita pass, the next locality where rocks of the 



n , ,, » Damuda series are seen is near the village of 



(Joal-ineasures north or ° 



Chuperblnta. Malblrita.* Thence an irregular band of these 



rocks from one to three miles wide stretches northwards for about fifteen 

 miles, covering an area of about twenty square miles. At intervals, out- 

 lying masses of trap, with associated intertrappeans, rest on the sand- 

 stones, and so form hills and ranges having very marked outlines. 



The Damuda rocks of this area have already been alluded to on p. 25, 

 and their difference in lithological characters from the rooks of the more 

 southern localities in the hills has been pointed out. 



Throughout this area there are only a few coal seams, but they are 



~ . „ , of considerable dimensions. Formerly a larg:e 



Coal seams of large J ° 



size - amount of coal was extracted, but within the last 



few years the mines have been deserted, and the only coal now (1870) 

 brought to the surface is cut in a most irregular manner by the villagers of 

 the neighbourhood, and by them transmitted to some of the towns in the 

 vicinity of the Ganges or to the railway, where it is required for briek- 

 burning. At Patharghata it was used to work an engine which drove a 

 surki-mill. The white, felspathic, gritty sandstones give a very peculiar 

 aspect to the country. It is possible that in some of the trap-capped 

 hills the Dubrajpur beds may occur; the thickness is so small and 

 immaterial, however, that no attempt has been made to distinguish them 

 from the Barakars on the map. 



Proceeding from south to north, the first locality at which coal is 

 met with is near Bulgora, where there is an exca- 

 vation by which most of the coal has been re- 

 moved. Such as remains is of poor quality ; further up the stream there 

 is another seam of coaly shale which is about 2' 4" thick. 



* Some rocks of doubtful affinities occur nearer, but these have been coloured on the map 

 as belonging to the Dubrajpur group. 



( 194 ) 



