GENERAL GEOLOGY OF THE AREA. 



21 



The boldest and highest escarpments of the Mahadevas face the 

 south, rising to nearly 3,000 feet (Tamorhill, 2,758 feet), as shown in the 

 above sketch, fig. 1 ; the sandstones there form quite inaccessible cliffs, 

 high above the older Gondwana rocks below (see fig. 3, pi. V), whereas 

 towards the north they gradually flatten down to the general low level 

 of the older rocks, with a few remarkable exceptions, as in the Pipra 

 hill, 2,004 feet in elevation and which is nearly 800 feet above the level 

 of the surrounding country (see fig. 1, pi. V). 



Proceeding from east to west, I noticed the Mahadeva sandstone first 

 in the long north to south escarpment of Sendur-Pipraul ; it is formed 

 of thick massive beds of gritty ferruginous sandstone dipping 20° to the 

 west. From there the Mahadeva ridge ascends in one or two gi-eat steps 

 of bold outlines, covered by dense jungles, the supposed haunts of 

 numerous dacoits. The lithological uniformity is remarkable ; for miles 

 and miles the character of the rock remains the same, a coarse gritty 

 reddish-brown sandstone. 



Towards Rajketa the hills gradually subside into lower levels ; until 

 seen from the north near that village, they appear 

 *^^ ' but as small hillocks above the low undulating 



ground. 



In fig. %, pi. VI, I have shown the natural profile of this part of the 

 Mahadevas as seen from the south, from near Bara Barthi, in the Upper 

 Morne valley ; the dip is there rolling about 20° towards the north-west, 

 and in conseqaence the outline of the hills is rounded and totally unlike 

 the usual contour of hills composed of this formation. 



But the rock is there, as elsewhere, composed of a succession of coarse 



brownish-red sandstones and rough grits with 

 Ferruginous partings. .,-.1111 -n • j.- 



occasional pebble beds. Ferrugmous pai'tmgs are 

 found in every bed — not always along the line of bedding, but traversing 

 it and forming sometimes a network, the meshes of which vary in size 

 from a few inches in diameter to many feet. 



Many thick layers of good haematite occur amongst the sandstone 

 beds, but the native iron-smelters never make use of this or similar ores, 

 but invariably only of very inferior ones of the upper Barakar beds. 



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