1 94 BLANFORD ! GEOLOGY OF WESTERN SIND. 



Stone of good quality for building occurs throughout the greater 

 part of the rock area. The principal building 



Building stones. „ . , 



stones are procured trom the Ranikot, Khirthar, 

 and Gaj beds ; but some of the Nari sandstones would be well adapted 

 for many purposes, and the yellow and brown limestones and calca- 

 reous sandstones near the base of the Nari beds are excellent mate- 

 rial. Some stone from these beds has been employed on the railway 

 near Jungshahi. Limestone from the Khirthar group is employed for 

 building at Sukkur, Rohri, Kotri, and Hyderabad, whilst at Karachi a 

 whitish or brownish-yellow rather porous limestone derived from Gaj 

 beds is used, and greatly resembles in appearance the well known 

 " Calcaire grossier " of which Paris is built. At Jhirak, perhaps the 

 best building-stone of all known to be found in Sind is employed ; it is a 

 light yellowish-brown fine-grained limestone derived from the Ranikot 

 beds. This rock is largely employed, both in the neighbourhood of 

 Jhirak and in other parts of lower Sind, for the manufacture of Maham- 

 madan tombstones and memorials over graves. Many of these are 

 elaborately carved and engraved with inscriptions in the Persian 

 character. 



Numerous varieties of limestone occur in the Khirthar group ; some 

 of them so fine grained, that they might very possibly be employed as 

 lithographic stones. The stone from the Ranikot beds just mentioned 

 closely resembles the very beautiful Jurassic limestone procured at Jaisal- 

 mir. The latter was formerly brought to Calcutta for lithographic 

 purposes. 



The rocks of the Manchhar beds are usually too soft for building- 

 stones, though the more calcareous sandstones might be employed, 

 especially for works not requiring resistance to great pressure, and selected 

 blocks have been used in the railway works. The conglomerates would 

 doubtless be available for ordinary building purposes. The more fissile 

 grey sandstone beds are sometimes, as near Sehwan and north of Bhule 

 Khan, dug and chipped into a kind of rough platters on which bread is 

 baked. 



( 19* ) 



