LATERITIC ROCKS. 89 



side of the area, at Kattambadipalem (a hamlet not shown in the map), 

 3 miles west of Devagudur (Davagoodoor), the shingle bed appears 

 to rest upon a bed of saline clay which in that case must be reckoned as 

 of lateritic age, for it certainly does not belong to the Rajmahal series. 

 The section is, however, obscure, and the grey clays may really be part 

 of the river alluvium and the overlying shingle merely a washed-up bed. 



4. The Ongole area. — The characteristic ferruginous element of 



typical lateritic beds re-appears again in this area, 

 The Ongole area. 



owing doubtless to the presence of rich magnetic 



iron beds in the adjoining gneiss rocks of the Konijedu, Parnametta, and 

 Ongole hills. The western and northern half of the area is entirely 

 covered with thick cotton soil, but the southern half is occupied by bright 

 red soil resting on lateritic gravel of very ferruginous character contain- 

 ing chips and pebbles of quartzite. 



The laterite in the western part of the area, where seen, is always 

 gravelly in character ; but the coarse shingle so common in the Deva- 

 gudur and Kandakur areas is here found no more. 



5. The Xopparu area. — Only the gravelly form of laterite is here 



seen in a few well-sections, the general surface of 

 Kopparu area. . 



the country being thickly covered by cotton soil. 



The laterite, which rests upon Rajmahal beds, extends eastward under the 

 alluvium as far as Ravipadu and doubtless beyond, but the alluvium, 

 which is pure cotton soil, then becomes too thick to be pierced by the 

 village wells, or rather the water level of the country is reached before 

 the cotton soil is traversed. 



Of the smaller areas, patches, or outliers of lateritic rock, and of the 

 fringing beds, but little of special interest can be recorded. The few 

 remarks required will be given while taking up the several patches seria- 

 tim in geographical sequence from south to north. The first in order 



is the Parlapalle (Parlapully) patch, lying south 

 Parlapalle patch. 



of the Vupput-eru and under the parallel of 15° 



north latitude. The rock here consists of mottled ferruginous clay, 



overlaid by kankarry clay and very red sandy soil, which becomes 



( 89 ) 



