KHASI HILLS. 159 



rocks, a little West of Mooshye ; and a similar mass is seen to the East of 

 the villages of Rasheer and Pooring, holding precisely the same general 

 direction, and probably connected with that near Mooshye. It is of the 

 same basaltiform aspect as the greenstone seen near the Boga-pani and 

 Kala-pani rivers. 



Looking at this well-marked direction of the various dykes or masses 

 of greenstone seen within the area examined, and 



Direction of dykes, and 



of faults in tertiary beds, its constancy, and takiog it in connection with the 



coincides. 



direction of the faults observed in the coal at 

 Cherra Poonjee ; with the direction of the principal joints or planes of divi- 

 sion existing in the limestones there; with the direction also of the great 

 lines of the river-valleys, which a reference to the map will show to be 

 remarkably parallel within the sandstone area, and which undoubtedly 

 have been formed along great lines of disturbance ; we are, I think, 

 justified in concluding that the maximum force of these intruding igneous 

 rocks has been exerted in a direction nearly North-East, and that conse- 

 quent on this force there has been a series of divisional planes produced 

 in the Sedimentary rocks, which have a nearly parallel direction ; and 

 that these divisional planes, associated in some cases with actual dis- 

 locations or faults, have influenced very largely the operation of the 

 ordinary degrading forces in producing the present features of the 

 district. 



Geological age, &c., of the rocks. — In the preceding description of 

 the lithological aspect and mode of occurrence of the various rocks in 

 the Khasi hills, I have not entered at all into the question of their 

 geological epoch, except in the most incidental manner. The full dis- 

 cussion of this interesting question can only be undertaken after a 

 careful examination of the fossils occurring in these rocks, and I shall 

 therefore reserve all details of this kind for a future occasion, at 

 present simply stating in the broadest way the general relations of the 

 rocks. 



