﻿1851.] STRACHEY — GEOLOGY OF THE HIMALAYA. 305 



series immediately above the Palaeozoic rocks is at least certain. In 

 one place these strata were found in situ intermediate between the 

 Palaeozoic and Secondary rocks, but the greater part of my specimens 

 were obtained from fragments lying on the north slope of the 

 Palaeozoic ridge, which, as may be seen from my section, No. 2, PI. 

 XVII., appears to terminate with a line of fault, to the north of which 

 a cliff of Oolitic age suddenly rises. It is therefore probable that 

 they were either the disjecta membra of some of the strata broken 

 up in the upheaval of the great mountain above them, or that the beds 

 from which they have been derived are immediately below them, 

 covered up by the vegetation that clothes the slope of the valley. 



From these strata I have obtained not less than twenty-five species 

 of fossil shells, which is a remarkable circumstance considering the 

 small bulk of the specimens that I was able to bring away with me. 



Mr. Salter, who has been so good as to examine these also, tells me 

 that we have Ceratites, Goniatites, Ammonites, Spirifer, Pecten, 

 Terebratula, ChonetesX, Pholadomya. 



The Muschelkalk-beds were chiefly dark-coloured limestones, and, 

 where seen in situ, were associated with shales and dark-red grits, 

 the latter of which seemed very similar to those found near the top 

 of the Palaeozoic series. The line on which they were seen was, 

 however, a very bad one for determining such matters, for it was in 

 one of the great valleys, and consequently on a great dislocation where 

 accumulations of debris almost always greatly predominate over rock 

 in situ. 



In our progress northward, we next come upon the strata that form 

 the representatives of the Jurassic group. As in the Palaeozoic beds, 

 so we here find the general dip to be to the north ; but it is impossi- 

 ble for me to offer any opinion as to the degree of conformability of 

 any of these deposits one to another, owing to the great disturbances 

 to which they have everywhere been subjected. It appeared to me, 

 however, as probable that, in the parts of the mountains that I exa- 

 mined, a great line of fault intervened between the Oolitic and Palaeo- 

 zoic series. The mountain-ridge of Silurian age most carefully exa- 

 mined by me lies generally parallel to the line of strike, and along its 

 north-east face runs a stream separating it from the Secondary rocks 

 which rise in an almost impassable precipice beyond. The section 

 here exposed must be at least 5000 or 6000 feet in thickness, but the 

 difficulties of the route prevented my extending my examination into 

 the lower beds. The lowest that I reached were of black limestones 

 and shales, with very few organic remains, and those very imperfect. 

 Above these lie several thousand feet of limestones of various descrip- 

 tions, the rock in some places being almost made up of fragments of 

 shells. Prof. Forbes, who has kindly looked over my specimens from 

 these beds, is inclined to identify some of the species with certain 

 forms that occur in the Fuller's Earth and Cornbrash of England ; 

 and it appears that there is here no representative of the Lias. 



Continuing to ascend in the series, we reach next a large develop- 

 ment of dark-coloured shales which abound with remains of Ammo- 

 nites and Belemnites, the former usually imbedded in spherical 



VOL. VII, — PART I. Y 



