MAIDAN RANGE. 55 



300 feet in thickness. The conglomerates include pebbles of coarse sand- 

 stone, some of black chert and of white quartz, but they are chiefly of 

 compact yellowish alveolina limestone, not of the white local nummulitic 

 limestone rock, but rather of the kind which occurs in the Kohat salt 

 district to the north. Blocks of this occur in some of the beds up to a 

 foot in diameter. 



This group of clays, sandstones, and conglomerates has greatly the 

 appearance of those recognised as identical with part of the Sabathu 

 group in other parts of the Upper Punjab, and, like it, presents, where the 

 contact can be seen, perfect conformity of stratification with the underly- 

 ing nummulitic limestone, although containing fossiliferous nummulitic 

 limestone pebbles derived from other localities. 



In some places here a clay band forms the junction between this 



group and the strong lumpy limestone below. In 

 Upper eocene. 



others the lowest layer of the upper group is a 



conglomerate band 17 to 20 feet thick, in close contact with nodular 

 limestone ; the interstices between the nodules and those between the 

 pebbles being both filled by the calcareous sandy base of the conglome- 

 rate, so that, although the transition is sudden, there is no sharp line of 

 demarcation. 



The next beds below the junction are about 300 feet of lumpy white 

 limestone, then 400 feet of white marly beds, at the base of which are 

 massive beds of nummulitic limestone for a great thickness, without the 

 alum shales being exposed. 



In the principal stream here the water is rendered of a bluish opaline 

 tint by the suspended mineral matter derived from 



Sulphur springs. 



the numerous sulphur springs in the nummulitic 



limestone ; so numerous indeed are they that the air is strongly tainted 

 with the sulphuretted hydrogen gas evolved. This confined gorge ter- 

 minates in what resembles a gigantic pot-hole a few yards across, but 

 surrounded by lofty, in some parts overhanging, limestone walls, giving 

 the impression of looking upwards from the bottom of a well. 



( 265 ) 



