252 NERBUDDA DISTRICT. 



of prior disturbances among these, which prior disturbances may, never- 

 theless, have been originally of far greater magnitude than those newer 

 in date, and whose results are now more prominent. 



A remarkable case of this occurs in connection with the Mahadeva 



fault, which, as has already been pointed out, runs 

 Instances of this. , . , . 



nearly parallel to, and hides, except in a very tew 



localities, the older fault line which had formed the north boundary of 



the Talcheer and lower Damuda rocks, prior to the deposition of the 



„ : , „ „ Mahadeva beds. Of the relative ages however 



No. 1 and No. 2, can " 



be clearly fixed. f these two faults there can be no doubt, and we 



know, that the fault, which bounds the Talcheer and lower Damuda 

 group on the south side, existed prior to the deposition of even the upper 

 Damudas; for in the Mahanuddi and Johilla valleys we find the beds of 

 that latter series horizontally overlying the faulted junction between the 

 older sandstone and the crystalline rocks. With regard then to the rela- 

 tive ages of No. 1 and No. 2 the evidence may be considered satisfactory. 

 With regard to No. 4, nothing, as has been stated, can be positively 

 asserted ; and these minor faults may, without 



No. 4. both question- 

 able and unimportant. -violating any probabilities, be referred to the most 



recent epoch of disturbance. 



It remains to deal with No. 3, which presents by far the most inter- 

 esting and at the same time most difficult problem 

 of all ; namely to determine what, relatively to 

 fault No. 1 and fault No. 2, is the age of the great Vindhyan fault. 



If we consider the general character of the rocks of the Vindhyan 

 formation throughout the immense area occupied by them, it is difficult 

 to believe that they were originally bounded on the south by a line 

 either coincident with, or nearly approaching to that of their existing 

 fault boundary ; or to escape the conviction that they once stretched far 

 to the south of their present limits in this direction. 



In other words, we must conclude, that no part of the present faulted 



