34 FOOTE : GEOLOGY OF MADTJEA AND TINNEVELLY DISTRICTS. 



remains, by which to identify them with the similar northern Lads in 

 Trichinopoly, Madras, and Nellore districts, many of which are rich in 

 remains of plants associated with marine fossils. 



These two outcrops of possible Upper Gondwana rocks were met 

 Ammersenpatti out- ^^^^ *« the northward of Sivaganga town, the 

 <=^°P- first at Ammersenpatti (a small village not shown 



in the map) 10 miles to the north-east-by-east and near to Moodeebem- 

 putty. The petrologieal resemblance of the shales found here to some 

 of the hard shales found at Sripermatur (37 miles south-west of Madras) 

 and Vemaveram (14 miles north-east of Ongole, Nellore district) is very 

 great, but no organic remains rewarded a very close search. The shales 

 are not seen in situ having been dug out of the bottom of a small 

 tank which was full of water at the time of my visit. A considerable 

 quantity of shale was, however, exposed in clean condition on the tank 

 bund, so that the colour and texture of the rock could be well studied. 

 The prevalent colours were buff and yellow mottled with white. Some 

 quantity was also noted of pink colour ranging to red. A band of white 

 about 8 to I inch in thickness, from which the colour had been discharged 

 by some bleaching agency, borders the lines of jointing, which are quite 

 sharply cut. About a mile south-east of Ammersenpatti much debris of 

 a hard shale mixed up with lateritic debris was noticed on the surface of 

 a small opening in the heavy scrub jungle traversed by the cart-road 

 leading south-south-east to Kalayarkovil ; there was, however, no shale 

 rock exposed in situ, nor could I find any fossils. ' 



Very faint traces of similar shales of drab or buffy colour were 

 Outcrop north of Siva- noticed on the bund of a small urani, or drink- 

 S^"Sa. ing-water tank, close to the west side of the road 



leading fi*om Sivaganga to Tripatur, and about 2 miles north of the 

 former town. The urani was too full of water at the time of my visit 

 for any rock to be visible, and I was unable to fiud any fossils among 

 the small quantity of shale exposed on the bund. 



My examination of the last two localities was but cursory, and no 

 opportunity occurred for re- visiting them ; future observers will it is 

 ( J3A ) 



