80 BALL : GEOLOGY OF AURUNGA AND HUTAR COAL FIELDS. 



iby Palee and Dudhuria to Khuriadih. The bottom beds, seen in the 

 section, south of the first-named locality, consist of a ferrus^inous con- 

 glomerate, with angular fragments of quartz, dip 20° west, covered by 

 clunchy white and grey shales, ironstones and carbonaceous shales. 

 The principal bed of the latter includes some coaly layers, but only 

 a thickness of about one foot is exposed. Close by this section, in the 

 high ground east of Sirka, there is a low range about 50 feet high, half 



a mile long, which is made up of ironstones- 

 Ironstones at Sirka. . 



includmg a fair proportion of excellent quality. 



The whole surface of this range is honeycombed with holes, made for the 



purpose of extracting the ore. Resuming the section in the stream south 



of Sirka, there are sandstones, with white beds and ironstones ; gneiss then 



interrupts the continuity, after which there is a much disturbed section 



of white and grey shales, with carbonaceous layers 

 sectbn^ °^*^^ ^ "^^^ ^^^ ironstones in abundance, some of which are 



5 inches thick, and have yielded on assay 45*3 of 

 metallic iron. West of this there is another break in which gneiss occurs ; 

 the stream then traverses sandstones with low dips to west and north- 

 west, changing further on to the east. After an interval, the next rock 

 exposed near Dudhuria is a seam consisting chiefly of carbonaceous 



shale of uncertain thickness; it is followed by 

 shatr''^'^'^"''''''"''' another, and then they are repeated, and a third 



exposed, by a dome-like roll of the beds. The 

 descending section of this dome, taken on west side, is as follows : — 



Seam, very staly coal, includes thin band 



of ironstone, 50' at 20° "^7.= 17' 1" 



Interval. 



Seam, 130' at 20° W.-S.-W. = . 44' 4" 



Sandstones, with carbonaceous shales. 



Seam, 160' at 15° W.-N.-W. = 41' 4" 



The details of these seams are not clearly seen, but I do not think 

 it probable that there is any workable thickness of good coal ; however, 

 as the occurrence of good coal in this vicinity, owing to the proximity of 

 ( 80 ) 



