SUB-RECENT MARINE BEDS. .71 



possibly 5 feet high, and continuing along the coast after the latter turns 

 and trends to north-west. Time did not admit of my actually follow- 

 ing it up to Pesausee Moondel Point, but I went to within a mile 

 of the point and could see no change in the character of the coast line 

 on examination through a strong field glass. The raised reef shows 

 strongly also along the western side of the flat northward of Ariangundu 

 (Aureyangoondu) . The south side of the reef is along the north 

 coast, completely covered up by the great spreads of blown sands which 

 occupy the greater part of the surface of the island. On the east side 

 of the island the reef does not extend close up to the great temple, but 

 stops short abruptly about 300 yards to the north-east, and does not re- 

 appear on the coast of the bay south of the temple. South of Pamban 

 town also there were no signs of any upraised coral, nor could I see any 

 indications eastward along the south coast as far as the eye could reach 

 from Coondacaul Moondel Point, while the great south-east spit termi- 

 nating at the point called on the map Thunuuscody is covered by a.double 

 I'idge of great blown sand hills. An important series of trial sinkings 

 made by the Port Officer at Pamban right across the island, from north 

 to south, about 2 miles east of the town, in order to test the feasibility 

 of the proposed ship canal,^ did not reveal any southerly extension of the 

 raised reef. The probability is that it forms a mere narrow strip along 

 the beach from Pamban to Ariangundu, but widens out thence to the 

 north-eastward to form the northern lobe of the island. 



Parts of the reef lying between collections (colonies as it were) of 

 the great globular or cup-shaped coral masses form a coarse sandstone 

 made up of broken coral, shells and sand (mostly silicious), a typical 

 coral sandstone. 



^ Througli the kindness of Mr, Baker, the Port Officer, I had the opportunity of seeing a 

 series of the rocks obtained by him from the sinkings above referred to. The rocks were all 

 very modern-looking varieties of grit and saadstone imperfectly consolidated, and would 

 certainly offer no obstacle to the cutting of a ship canal if ever that wild scheme should be 

 carried out against the sound advice of the marine authorities. The present channel, if 

 dredged rather deeper, will answer all purposes for the coasting trade, while large ships 

 should never trust themselves to the many dangers of an increasingly shoal sea like Palk's 

 Bay. 



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