44i- GEOLOGICAL NOTES ON ASSAM. 



compacted by siliceous infiltration or other chemical action to be expected 

 in such a position. On the path through the low hills to the south we 

 soon come upon beds of a different character^ dark earthy, ferruginous 

 calcareous sandstones^ very close representatives of the lower beds of the 

 Cherra section. They are moreover pretty freely charged with fossils • 

 and the few I brought with me have been recognized by Dr. Stoliczka 

 as cretaceous forms, thus confirming the identification. The strata 

 are quite horizontal and apparently of no great thickness ; the hills being 

 but low ; and at one place, about ten miles south of the Kopili falls, 

 where the path crosses the Chongun, this stream has cut about five feet 

 into the underlying rocks. The strata thus exposed are the freshest 

 looking of any I have seen in this position; finely laminated grey 

 sandstones and dark bluish clays, without a trace of metamorphism ' 

 they are, however, vertical, with an east-west strike. The ferruginous 

 sandstone here rests upon the disturbed rocks. The whole way to 

 Goomaigoojoo, a most picturesque Naga village on top of a high hill, 

 ten miles west of Asaloo, is over horizontal strata ; sandstones, of sorts, 

 greatly predominate ; in fact none others are exposed. The total thick- 

 ness of rocks cannot be much under 3,000 feet. 



It can, however, confidently be presumed that other rocks exist, 



„ ... „ ,, and would be discoverable by special search. The 



Position of tne mim- ^ ■"■ 



mulitic band. question is interesting with a view to the position 



of the nummulitic band. On this section through North Cachar I 

 did not notice any beds that I could identify with the coal-rocks of 

 Upper Assam on the one hand, or with the nummulitic rocks of 

 Cherra on the other ; I saw no sign of coal, limestone, carbonaceous 

 shales, or of distinctive sandstone. I am disposed to infer, nevertheless, 

 that a representative of some of those rocks does occur; the surface 

 conditions here are very different from those in the Cossyah District ; 

 jungle prevails everywhere, and one may walk for miles without see- 

 ing rock in place. South and east of Goomaigoojoo the structural 

 ( 430 ) 



