466 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [JunC 21, 



geographical miles, along the range separating Persia and Turkey, and 

 probably it extends from the Caucasus to Beloochistan, continuous 

 with similar rocks found by Captain Vicary, in Scinde*. [Gypsiferous 

 rocks abound also in the Punjaubf, and Northern Persia^.] Mr. 

 Loftus points out that in Persia and Scinde the gypsiferous marls lie 

 beneath and conformable to the associated sandstones, but that 

 in Asia Minor § Mr. Hamilton describes the gypsum marls as lying 

 unconformably upon the sandstone || ; and he adds that, as a distance 

 of 750 geographical miles intervenes between Persia and Asia Minor, 

 perhaps such a difference in the course of deposition may be due to 

 physical differences in the land and water condition of the several 

 localities at the period in question. The gypsum deposits underlie 

 the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates, occasionally protruding in 

 bosses and ridges between the rivers, and rising up on either side of 

 the adjoining plains. 



B. The second tertiary group — the nummulitic series — forms an 

 important feature in the Zagros Range, and has been traced for 800 

 geographical miles — from Shiraz to Mount Ararat. The uummuhtic 

 deposits are conformable with the gypsiferous series ; but these 

 groups are lithologically distinct, and have no fossils in common. 



The nummulitic rocks are not less than 3000 feet thick, and 

 at Mangerrah they consist of (in descending order) — 



1 . Compact grey and yellowish limestones, with Cei'ithium, Os- 



trea, Pecten, and Echinodermata. Flint in the upper layers. 



2. Red chert conglomerate. 



3. Yellow and red sandstones, with thin bands of pebbles. 



4. Compact, greyish, fossiliferous limestone, passing into 



5. Grey nummulitic rock, with layers of grey marl. 

 Nos. 4 and 5 contain 



Nummulites perforata (small variety). Alveolina subpyrenaica. 

 Assilina exponens. Fragments of Echinoderms. 



Orbitoides dispansus. 



These deposits are also well seen in a magnificent section near 

 Kirrind, where the following series (in descending order) is exhi- 

 bited : — 



1 . White marble. 



2. White marls and limestone. 



3. Limestone and red sandstone breccia. 



4. Red chert gravel. 



.5. Yellow sandstone, with slight traces of vegetable remains. 



6. Yellowish calcareous marl, abounding with fossils, the lower 



part with Alveolina subpyrenaica in particular. 



7. Compact grey limestone. 



This is succeeded by unfossiliferous red marls with chert pebbles. 



* Quart. Joiirn. Geol. See. vol. ii. p. 261. t Ibid. vol. ix. p. 194. 



X Grewingk's Geog. Orog. Verb. N. Persiens, 1853. § Q. J. G. S.vol. v. p. 373. 



II [In another district of Asia Minor Mr. Haniiltou has described gypsiferous 

 beds conformable with the red and yellow marl and sandstone. Trans. Geol. Soc. 

 2 ser. vol. v. pp. 590 & 592.— Ed.] 



