84 FOOTE : GEOLOGY OF MADURA AND TINNKVELLY DISTRICTS, 



the Satur, and nearly the whole of Ettiapuram zemindari in Tinnevelly 

 are occupied by cotton soil, which also extends over the minor zemindari 

 tracts near the mouth of the Vaipar and well down into the Ottapiddaram 

 Q ., ■ ^1^ fu taluq. A number of small isolated patches of 

 of the Tambraparni. regur occur scattered over the alluvial beds of 



the Vaigai valley, and four small but well marked patches are to 

 be seen resting on the gneiss to the south of Palamcotta. These are 

 the Rettiapatti (Ruttiaputty), Sevandipatti (Shaminthaputty), Karseri 

 (Caursary), and Monanjapatti patches, of which the last is the largest 

 but only covers between 5 and 6 square miles of surface. 



Over the great area occupied by the lateritic and alluvial formations 



to the north-eastward of the Gundar, which river 

 Patches of black soil 

 over tie alluvial area east is^ roughly speaking, the eastern boundary of the 



great regur spread, but few small patches of black 

 soil are to be seen, and all are of small size. Some, if not most of them, are 

 not true regur, or old forest humus, but are the remains of old swamps or 

 jhils, and the 1x)ttoms of old irrigation tanks which had become disused 

 and gone to ruin; all these lie in very low positions, often in regular 

 hollows. The old forest humus on the contrary is constantly found in 

 greatest force on the higher grounds and along watersheds. No 

 connection between the regur and the underlying rocks was found 

 anywhere, and in this respect the southern regur agrees perfectly with 

 the great spreads further north in the Caruatie, the Ceded Districts, 

 the Raichur Doab, and the South Mahratta country. 



In the matter of colour there seems to be a slight difference between 

 the general appearance of the Tinnevelly regur and that of some of the 

 most typical spreads in the Ceded Districts and South Mahratta country ; 

 the former is as a rule less intensely black than the latter, and as far 

 as can be judged from rather cursory inspection generally of lesser 

 Thickness of the regui- average thickness. The greatest measured thiclc- 

 spreads. j^ggg ^f true regiir noted was at Wadda Karai hill 



south of Satur (Chatur) in Nortiiern Tinnevell}^ and very nearly in the 

 centre of the great regur areas. Here about 1-i feet of pure regur was 

 ( «4. ) 



