170 BLANFORD : GEOLOGY OF WESTERN SIND. 



argillaceous grit to a nodular conglomerate (not unlike some of the 

 sub-recent conglomerates in appearance) . This contains fragments of 

 shells, mostly of oysters {Ostrea multicostata and another species), a few 

 being perfect. 



The conglomeratic bed passes up into a purplish-grey thinly flaggy 

 sandstone, with argillaceous nodules ; a true Manchhar rock, in which a 

 fragment was obtained of a thick crocodilian scute, like those commonly 

 found in the Manchhar beds farther north. Elsewhere the marine bed 

 passes up into grey soft micaceous sandstone, thinly flaggy, with layers of 

 argillaceous nodules. The last is unmistakably Manchhar, but above it 

 there are again marine bands with fragments of oyster shells (0. multi- 

 costata, fyc), alternating with Manchhar beds. Bands of conglomerate 

 are intercalated as usual amongst the soft sandstones. These deposits 

 are at times very irregularly bedded, " false bedding " occasionally occur- 

 ring Above the bank of the stream, where the section just mentioned 

 was noticed, is a rocky knoll of the sub-recent conglomerate, a compact 

 massive rock composed of a varied assemblage of pebbles. 



Similar sections occur in the neighbourhood of Karachi and will be 

 Valley of Upper B&an noticed towards the end of the present chapter; 

 stream, but before describing them it is necessary to begin 



from the extreme northern end of the area at the head of the Baran 

 river, and describe the neighbourhood of Tong (Rath Nath of the map 

 herewith issued) and the country to the southward before passing on to 

 the Habb valley. The Upper Baran valley consists of a synclinal of 

 Nari beds between the great anticlinal of nummulitic limestone to the 

 eastward, forming the southern part of the Khirthar range, and a 

 smaller anticlinal to the westward called Mihe or Myhi (Myhee) . A 

 large tract in the middle of the valley is covered with alluvium. 



The Nari beds on the Mihe range completely cover over the Khirthar, 

 except to the northward. At a steep pass called To-be-ka-lak, about 3 

 miles south of the Mihe boundary pillar, some 200 or 300 feet of light 

 buff and whitish limestones are exposed, abounding in Orbitoides papyr- 

 acea. A few Nummulites garansensis also occur. These beds pass down 

 ( 170 ) 



