﻿V°l' 
  53*] 
  ROCKS 
  ON 
  THE 
  BALUCHISTAN 
  BOEDER. 
  289 
  

  

  22. 
  Notes 
  on 
  some 
  Volcanic 
  and 
  other 
  Rocks, 
  which 
  occur 
  near 
  the 
  

   Baluchistan-Afghan 
  Frontier, 
  between 
  Chaman 
  and 
  Persia.. 
  

   By 
  Lieut.-Gen. 
  C. 
  A. 
  McMahon, 
  V.P.G.S., 
  and 
  Capt. 
  A. 
  H. 
  

   McMahon, 
  C.I.E., 
  F.G.S. 
  (Read 
  March 
  24th, 
  1897.) 
  

  

  [Plates 
  XVIII-XX.] 
  

  

  Part 
  I. 
  — 
  The 
  Baluchistan 
  Desert, 
  south 
  op 
  the 
  Helmand 
  River. 
  

   By 
  Capt. 
  A. 
  H. 
  McMahon. 
  

  

  While 
  engaged, 
  in 
  the 
  deserts 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Helmand 
  River, 
  in 
  the 
  

   delimitation 
  of 
  the 
  boundary 
  between 
  Afghanistan 
  and 
  Baluchistan, 
  

   I 
  made 
  a 
  small 
  collection 
  of 
  such 
  rock-specimens 
  and 
  fossils 
  l 
  as 
  I 
  

   thought 
  were 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  I 
  regret 
  

   to 
  say 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  myself 
  a 
  geologist, 
  else 
  my 
  collection 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  perhaps 
  a 
  more 
  methodical 
  one, 
  and 
  would 
  probably 
  have 
  

   been 
  supplemented 
  by 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  positions 
  and 
  surroundings 
  of 
  

   the 
  specimens 
  collected, 
  and 
  on 
  other 
  points 
  of 
  geological 
  interest. 
  

   I 
  say 
  perhaps, 
  because 
  even 
  if 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  most 
  learned 
  of 
  

   geologists 
  I 
  doubt 
  whether 
  political 
  and 
  other 
  duties 
  would 
  have 
  

   allowed 
  me 
  time 
  to 
  do 
  more 
  than 
  I 
  did. 
  At 
  any 
  rate 
  my 
  collection 
  

   would 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  larger 
  one, 
  for 
  the 
  simple 
  fact 
  that, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   long 
  marches 
  and 
  want 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  food, 
  our 
  transport-camels 
  

   were 
  almost 
  unfit 
  for 
  work, 
  and 
  the 
  mortality 
  among 
  them 
  rendered 
  

   it 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  difficulty 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  carry 
  even 
  the 
  necessaries 
  of 
  life. 
  

  

  Turning 
  now 
  to 
  the 
  physical 
  geography 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  one 
  finds 
  

   in 
  it 
  various 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  on 
  a 
  gigantic 
  scale, 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   which 
  I 
  venture 
  to 
  think 
  may 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  similar 
  phenomena 
  

   seen 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  a 
  smaller 
  scale. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  country 
  almost 
  un- 
  

   inhabited 
  by 
  man, 
  where 
  man 
  has 
  left 
  nature 
  to 
  do 
  as 
  she 
  pleases 
  

   undisturbed. 
  If 
  you 
  look 
  at 
  the 
  map 
  (PI. 
  XVIII), 
  you 
  see 
  high 
  

   mountain-ranges 
  fringing 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  south-east. 
  These 
  vary 
  

   in 
  height 
  from 
  6000 
  to 
  8000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  West 
  of 
  them 
  lies 
  

   a 
  vast 
  wilderness 
  of 
  plains 
  stretching 
  away 
  some 
  300 
  or 
  400 
  miles 
  

   to 
  the 
  mountain- 
  ranges 
  along 
  the 
  Persian 
  border 
  which 
  fringe 
  them 
  

   on 
  the 
  west. 
  Rising 
  like 
  rocky 
  islands 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  this 
  vast 
  

   sea 
  of 
  plains 
  are 
  mountain-ranges 
  upwards 
  of 
  7000 
  feet 
  high. 
  The 
  

   north 
  of 
  this 
  tract 
  is 
  bounded 
  by 
  the 
  Helmand 
  River. 
  

  

  We 
  will 
  consider 
  firstly 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  their 
  drainage-system, 
  

   and 
  then 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  The 
  Plains. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  a 
  wide 
  level 
  plain 
  of 
  alluvial 
  soil 
  which 
  

   includes 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  Shorawak, 
  and 
  then, 
  spreading 
  out 
  from 
  

   Nushki 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  to 
  Chagai 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  it 
  stretches 
  southward 
  to 
  

  

  1 
  These 
  fossils 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  (Natural 
  

   History). 
  

  

  Q.J.G.S. 
  No. 
  211. 
  X 
  

  

  