﻿122 
  FOOTE 
  : 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  MADRAS. 
  

  

  few 
  organic 
  remains 
  beyond 
  small 
  chips 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  tattered 
  unrecogni- 
  

   zable 
  fragments 
  of 
  leaves. 
  The 
  circumstances 
  under 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   deposited 
  were 
  evidently 
  very 
  similar. 
  

  

  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Rajmahal 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Madras 
  district 
  shows 
  

   in 
  general 
  a 
  gradual 
  progression 
  in 
  the 
  coarseness 
  of 
  the 
  component 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  strata; 
  the 
  finest 
  and 
  most 
  homogeneous 
  shales 
  

   occur 
  at 
  the 
  most 
  distant 
  point 
  from 
  the 
  sources 
  whence 
  the 
  consti- 
  

   tuents 
  were 
  derived 
  ; 
  the 
  coarsest 
  conglomerates 
  and 
  boulder-beds 
  occur 
  

   nearest 
  to 
  the 
  rocks 
  which 
  yielded 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  gneiss 
  and 
  quartzite 
  

   they 
  inclose. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  stand 
  on 
  the 
  Alicoor 
  hills 
  and 
  look 
  northward 
  to- 
  

   wards 
  the 
  Ramagherry, 
  and 
  not 
  imagine 
  that 
  the 
  broad 
  valley 
  running 
  

   north-north-east 
  from 
  Nagloperam 
  was 
  once 
  occupied 
  by 
  great 
  beds 
  of 
  con- 
  

   glomerate 
  and 
  sandstones, 
  which 
  joined 
  the 
  present 
  Sattavedu 
  hills 
  with 
  

   the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Ramagherry 
  and 
  Cumbaucum 
  Droog 
  ridge 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   enormously 
  coarse 
  conglomerates 
  of 
  the 
  Sattavedu 
  hills 
  were 
  formed 
  of 
  

   masses 
  rounded 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  a 
  tremendous 
  surf 
  battering 
  against 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  line 
  of 
  cliffs 
  now 
  forming 
  the 
  grand 
  and 
  most 
  

   conspicuous 
  precipices 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  that 
  fine 
  mountain 
  ridge. 
  

   The 
  same 
  conclusion 
  forces 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  mind 
  on 
  gazing 
  in 
  a 
  north- 
  

   westerly 
  direction 
  at 
  the 
  enormous 
  scarps 
  of 
  quartzite 
  which 
  cap 
  the 
  

   Naggery 
  Nose, 
  the 
  Narnaveram 
  peak, 
  and 
  the 
  Suddashemullay. 
  The 
  

   great 
  boulder-like 
  masses 
  of 
  quartzite 
  which 
  alone 
  occur 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  Alicoor 
  hill, 
  (the 
  granitic 
  and 
  gneissic 
  boulders 
  having 
  only 
  

   been 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  and 
  southern 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  at 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  low 
  levels), 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  washed 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  down 
  the 
  

   inclined 
  plane 
  which 
  abutted 
  on 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  those 
  huge 
  lines 
  of 
  ancient 
  

   sea 
  cliffs. 
  The 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  currents 
  requisite 
  to 
  move 
  such 
  weighty 
  

   masses 
  is 
  further 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  extreme 
  disorder 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  materials 
  

   of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  conglomerate 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  boulder-beds 
  are 
  seen 
  to 
  

   occur. 
  The 
  very 
  fine 
  grained 
  compact 
  shales 
  of 
  the 
  Sripermatoor 
  basin, 
  

  

  ( 
  122 
  ) 
  

  

  