LOFTUS — TURKO-PERSIAN FRONTIER. 305 



Further eastward, where this spur projects into the Lake of 

 Uriimia, it is composed chiefly of compact hornblende, and com- 

 pounds of the same mineral with others. On the south side of the 

 extremity of the spur these igneous rocks are capped by blue cry- 

 stalhne limestones of the same character as at Zendesht Dagh, and 

 dipping to the S.E. On the summit and northern side are patches 

 of hard, heavy, white chert, frequently tinged with red, and contain- 

 ing common opals. 



Between the Plain of Kurt Keran and Giiverjin Kalah, there 

 intervenes another spur called Wurgowiz, parallel to the former, 

 and which, projecting into the Lake of Urumia, forms the promon- 

 tory of Giiverjin. It is also composed of the same granitic, horn- 

 blendic, and pink-quartzy rocks. The mountain slopes gradually 

 towards the Lake, and leaves a plain about a mile in width at its 

 southern base, between it and the Lake. Connected with the main- 

 land by a narrow slip of sand and shingle of well-rolled pebbles of 

 limestone and igneous rocks, a white limestone rock, about 400 feet 

 in height and perpendicular on all sides, rises out of the Lake. Upon 

 this are the ruins of an ancient castle, called Giiverjin Kalah, which 

 takes its name from the abundance of pigeons which frequent it. A 

 similar perpendicular rock, but completely surrounded by the Lake, 

 is another prominent object to the N.N.E., at a distance of about a 

 quarter of a mile, and there are several smaller islands at a still 

 greater distance in the same direction. 



The following is a careful descending section of the Castle Rock. 

 The beds are all conformable to each other, and dip at an angle of 

 7° towards the E.S.E., which dip is of coarse due to the igneous 

 rocks of the Wurgowiz spur on the north. 



1. Compact, hard, crystalline, white limestone, becoming concre- 



tionary in passing downwards, afterwards marly. 



2. Light-blue marl, with hard flesh-coloured flints and nodules and 



irregular fragments of limestone. It contains abundant Corals 

 in situ and in layers, below which are numerous specimens of 

 Clypeaster, Echinolampus, Pecten, Serpula, and casts of various 

 Univalve and Bivalve shells. 



3. Compact mass of highly crystalline coralline nodules in hard marl. 



The thickness of the above three beds is about .... 250 feet. 



4. Fine reddish gravel, or coarse sand-conglomerate, much 



hardened, and filled with fragments of fossils 18 „ 



5. Friable yellow sandstone, very finely grained, with frag- 



mentary fossils 15 „ 



This bed passes into 



6. Hard and compact, grey, marly limestone, filled with 



Corals and casts of shells 6 „ 



7. Hard reddish marl, abounding in shells 21 „ 



8. Brownish-yellow, friable sandstones, with several thin 



layers of gravel and conglomerate, of variously-sized 

 rounded pebbles 100 „ 



Total thickness of Section. . 410 feet. 



VOL. XI. PART I. Y 



