﻿50 
  A. 
  W, 
  STIFEE 
  OX 
  THE 
  HL 
  T 
  JD-CKATEKS 
  AXI> 
  

  

  10. 
  On 
  the 
  Mttd-ceateks 
  and 
  Geological 
  Structure 
  of 
  the 
  Mekran 
  

   Coast. 
  By 
  Lieut. 
  A. 
  "W. 
  Stiffe, 
  late 
  Indian 
  Navy, 
  F.B.A.S. 
  

   (Bead 
  December 
  3, 
  1873.) 
  

  

  [Communicated 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Eamsay, 
  F.R.S., 
  V.P.G.S.] 
  

  

  The 
  coast 
  of 
  Mekran 
  (the 
  ancient 
  Gedrosia) 
  extends 
  in 
  an 
  east 
  and 
  

   west 
  direction 
  for 
  about 
  500 
  miles, 
  between 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Sonmiani, 
  

   on 
  the 
  Pur 
  Ali 
  river 
  near 
  the 
  frontier 
  of 
  Hindustan, 
  and 
  Bas 
  Jashak,, 
  

   near 
  the 
  "entrance 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  Persian 
  Gulf 
  (fig. 
  1). 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  an 
  almost 
  rainless 
  district, 
  but 
  occasionally 
  subject 
  to 
  heavy 
  

   storms 
  of 
  rain 
  not 
  of 
  long 
  duration, 
  and 
  generally 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  

   winter 
  months. 
  Sometimes 
  no 
  rain 
  falls 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  year, 
  or 
  

   even 
  for 
  two 
  years 
  successively. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  rivers 
  of 
  any 
  size 
  \ 
  

   but 
  the 
  large 
  watercourses 
  after 
  heavy 
  rain 
  discharge 
  large 
  volumes 
  

   of 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  is 
  singular, 
  and 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  the 
  sea 
  

   are 
  all 
  of 
  similar 
  formation 
  — 
  table 
  hills 
  with 
  abrupt, 
  almost 
  perpen- 
  

   dicular 
  sides, 
  fantastic 
  peaks, 
  pillars, 
  and 
  pinnacles 
  rising 
  out 
  of 
  ex- 
  ' 
  

   tensive 
  plains 
  of 
  clay 
  being 
  the 
  universal 
  type. 
  

  

  These 
  clay 
  plains 
  are 
  irregularly 
  veined 
  in 
  places 
  with 
  crystalline 
  

   gypsum, 
  and 
  are 
  impregnated 
  with 
  saliferous 
  matter, 
  "which 
  efflor- 
  

   esces 
  on 
  the 
  surface. 
  It 
  need 
  hardly 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  

   country 
  near 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  a 
  desert. 
  

  

  The 
  hills 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  are 
  of 
  various 
  heights 
  above 
  

   the 
  plain, 
  and 
  rise 
  above 
  2000 
  feet 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  : 
  they 
  are 
  chiefly 
  

   composed 
  of 
  beds 
  of 
  clay 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  1500 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness 
  above 
  

   the 
  sea-level, 
  capped 
  and 
  sometimes 
  alternating 
  with 
  coarse, 
  

   friable, 
  fossiliferous 
  calcareous 
  strata 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  

   the 
  whole 
  either 
  horizontal 
  or 
  dipping 
  at 
  a 
  small 
  angle. 
  Beyond 
  

   Jashak 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  and 
  lias 
  Kucheri 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  the 
  form- 
  

   ation 
  appears 
  similar 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  strata 
  are 
  highly 
  inclined, 
  probably 
  at 
  

   an 
  angle 
  of 
  from 
  40° 
  to 
  60°, 
  the 
  ridges 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  being 
  separated 
  

   by 
  great 
  anticlinal 
  valleys. 
  

  

  Fossils 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  clay 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  calcareous 
  

   beds 
  are 
  composed 
  entirely 
  of 
  marine 
  organic 
  remains, 
  in 
  parts 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  and 
  perfect, 
  forming 
  a 
  shelly 
  breccia, 
  and 
  passing 
  into 
  a 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  compact 
  limestone. 
  

  

  These 
  beds, 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  fossils, 
  are 
  referred 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Etheridge 
  to 
  the 
  Miocene 
  epoch. 
  He 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  shells 
  appear 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  Miocene 
  age, 
  although 
  all 
  are 
  

   mere 
  casts, 
  and 
  therefore 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  unsafe 
  to 
  pronounce 
  definitely 
  

   as 
  to 
  their 
  age. 
  I 
  cannot 
  determine 
  them 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  modern 
  

   species 
  of 
  the 
  Persian 
  Gulf. 
  The 
  casts 
  of 
  Conus, 
  Oyprcea, 
  and 
  

   Ostrea 
  are 
  certainly 
  not 
  those 
  of 
  existing 
  species 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  

   shelly 
  breccia 
  containing 
  Dentalium, 
  Cardita, 
  Astarte, 
  Venus, 
  Trochus, 
  

   Area, 
  and 
  Telling 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  more 
  modern 
  date, 
  if 
  not 
  recent. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  unctuous 
  argillaceous 
  deposit 
  at 
  Bas 
  Farsah 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  

  

  