34 RANIGANJ COAL FIELD. [ChAP. III. 



was measured, viz. the country North of Taldanga, the uppermost beds 

 in the above section entirely disappear. In the extreme West of the field, 

 the total thickness is nearly the same, but the coarse sandstones are, in a 

 great measure, replaced by finer beds, more typical of the group, and 

 the silty " mudstones" are more abundant. The section seen in the 

 stream running from the North into the Pasai, West of Sonbad, shows : — 



(Descending.) 



1. Hard, fine greenish-grey sandstone, intercalated with softer 

 muddy beds. 



2. Fine grey sandstone, with occasional pebbles. 



3. Coarse, black shaley sandstones, with bluish, flaggy beds, and 

 hard grey sandstone. These beds form the greater mass of the group. 



4. Fine blackish, shaley bed. 



5. Hard, grey shales, rippled in places, and silty beds (mudstones). 

 The hard, greenish-grey sandstones, which become yellowish-brown by 



weathering, are seen at the surface in numerous places, North and North- 

 west of Panra, and indeed prevail wherever the Talchir beds occur. 

 Proceeding towards the East, the Talchirs are gradually denuded away 

 above, and, although no striking unconformity is seen between them 

 and the Damiidas, this gradual thinning, caused by the deficiency of 

 their uppermost beds, plainly shows that it exists. This absence 

 might certainly be due to either of two causes, viz. to the cir- 

 cumstance of the upper beds never having been deposited, or to 

 their having been removed by denudation and the very gradual 

 and regular diminution in thickness from East to West indicates 

 the possibility of the former; but there are so few places where 

 the boundaries of the rocks can be traced for more than a few 

 yards, that minor irregularities are very difficult of detection. On 

 the other hand, there are sometimes seen small faults in the Talchir 

 rocks, which cannot be traced into the Damuda beds, and the amount 

 of disturbance, as evidenced by high dips and strongly marked jointing 



