176 WYNNE: GEOLOGY OF THE SALT RANGE IN THE PUNJAB. 



All along these southern cliffs the sections are much confused by 

 land-slips, and the rocks are for larg-e spaces 

 concealed by debris. The talus at the cliff foot 

 conceals the beds next below the nummulitic limestone, but the strong- 

 bedded sandstones of No. 5 (already much thicker) generally project, 

 skirting" the base of the limestone cliffs, or form- 

 ing under-cliffs themselves ; further out upon the 

 spurs are broad patches of the nummulitic limestone which have subsided 

 to lower levels, and then beneath these the reddish, or white, or 

 speckled, sandstones of No. 5 are sometimes seen : but the slopes are 

 often covered with quantities of debris derived from the light-coloured 

 sandstones, &c., of group No. 4. The black shaly lower portion of these 

 beds or the representative of group No. 3 is seen occasionally ; and below 

 all there is generally a well-marked strong feature formed by the purple 

 sandstone group overlying the red salt-marl. 



In this marl salt is known to occur in several places, and old mines 

 exist in a broad valley due south of the village of 

 Vadala on the edge of the plateau above. The 

 mines being closed, no information could be obtained about them on 

 the ground; but they are noticed in Dr. Warth's Report for 1870-71 

 (previously quoted), in which he mentions a resemblance between the 

 arrangement of the salt and salt-marl at this place and that at Khewra, — 

 " the white and red gypseous marl overlying the salt, which is underlaid 

 by compact salt-marl.^'' He also gives a rough sketch showing several 

 alternations of red and grey salt with brick-red gypsum, in a vertical 

 position ; and he mentions one of many dislocations and disturbances 

 by which the salt and gypsum seem to overlie the superior strata. From 

 the arrangement of the guard-posts in this glen, it is evident that the 

 salt lies in the upper portion of the marl, conforming to the outcrop 

 of the purple sandstone. In the Karuli glen, again, westward of the 

 last, where slips are also common, extensive but concealed deposits of 

 salt are said to exist. 

 ( 176 ) 



