﻿384 
  PKOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [May 
  25, 
  

  

  which 
  the 
  shell-beds 
  were 
  repeated. 
  What 
  ages 
  of 
  time 
  must 
  

   therefore 
  have 
  been 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  ! 
  

   and 
  if 
  their 
  inclined 
  position 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  disturbance, 
  how 
  recent 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  latest 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  Pir-Pinjal 
  range 
  ! 
  

  

  This 
  great 
  freshwater 
  formation 
  does 
  not 
  appear, 
  however, 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  a 
  continuous 
  series 
  of 
  depositions, 
  formed 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  

   when 
  the 
  Kashmere 
  valley 
  was 
  permanently 
  in 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  

   lakes, 
  as 
  old 
  terrestrial 
  surfaces, 
  now 
  forming 
  seams 
  of 
  coal 
  or 
  lignite, 
  

   from 
  1 
  inch 
  to 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness, 
  occur 
  throughout, 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  for 
  horizontal 
  distances 
  of 
  two 
  miles 
  and 
  more, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   in 
  the 
  ravine 
  cut 
  throagh 
  by 
  the 
  Eainee. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  old 
  lacustrine 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  Himalayas, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Kashmere 
  valley, 
  which 
  received 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Jhelum, 
  must 
  

   have 
  been 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  broadest 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  just 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  the 
  

   valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Chenab 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  thick 
  accumulations 
  of 
  

   stratified 
  detritus 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  subsequently 
  cut 
  through. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  then 
  mentions 
  other 
  valleys 
  in 
  which 
  similar 
  accumu- 
  

   lations 
  are 
  seen, 
  especially 
  the 
  Upper 
  Indus 
  and 
  its 
  great 
  tributaries, 
  

   and 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Skardo. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  of 
  Skardo 
  is 
  a 
  broad 
  irregular 
  area, 
  where 
  the 
  Shigar 
  

   River 
  meets 
  the 
  Indus 
  ; 
  the 
  Eock 
  of 
  Skardo 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  

   plain 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  800 
  feet. 
  Against 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  

   which 
  surround 
  this 
  area 
  there 
  are 
  thick 
  horizontal 
  accumulations 
  of 
  

   sand, 
  angular 
  detritus, 
  conglomerate, 
  and 
  vast 
  boulders 
  — 
  torrential 
  

   materials 
  of 
  every 
  kind 
  — 
  at 
  elevations 
  overtopping 
  the 
  Eock 
  of 
  Skardo. 
  

   The 
  central 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  are 
  now 
  free; 
  but 
  that 
  their 
  

   accumulations 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  stretched 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  since 
  removed, 
  is 
  obvious 
  from 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eock 
  itself, 
  about 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  which 
  great 
  blocks 
  and 
  re- 
  

   mains 
  of 
  the 
  fluviatile 
  or 
  lacustrine 
  deposits 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  At 
  the 
  

   period 
  of 
  this 
  accumulation, 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  Skardo 
  valley 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  20 
  x 
  8 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Indus 
  

   valley 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  must 
  then 
  have 
  stood 
  far 
  above 
  

   the 
  Eock 
  of 
  Skardo, 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  nearly 
  1000 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  at 
  

   present. 
  About 
  eight 
  miles 
  lower 
  down, 
  as 
  at 
  Kuardo, 
  these 
  accu- 
  

   mulations 
  attain 
  a 
  far 
  greater 
  elevation 
  above 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  much 
  lower 
  level 
  than 
  these 
  accumulations, 
  and 
  referable 
  to 
  

   a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  Skardo 
  valley 
  had 
  been 
  much 
  excavated 
  out, 
  it 
  was 
  

   again 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  lake. 
  The 
  deposits 
  of 
  this 
  stage 
  have 
  been 
  

   cut 
  through 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  drainage-lines 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  ; 
  but 
  its 
  upper 
  

   limit 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  on 
  every 
  side 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  uniform 
  level, 
  from 
  

   Kipchun 
  (where 
  it 
  is 
  best 
  seen) 
  across 
  the 
  valley 
  to 
  Kuardo, 
  and 
  

   thence 
  up 
  the 
  Shigar 
  valley 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  that 
  name. 
  

  

  These 
  lacustrine 
  deposits 
  contain 
  alternations 
  of 
  long 
  horizontal 
  

   lines 
  of 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  with 
  sand 
  and 
  mud-beds 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  

   Kashmere, 
  — 
  grassy 
  swampy 
  surfaces 
  separated 
  by 
  intervals 
  of 
  many 
  

   feet 
  of 
  sediment 
  full 
  of 
  Shells. 
  

  

  The 
  formation 
  of 
  these 
  lacustrine 
  deposits 
  the 
  author 
  accounts 
  for 
  

   by 
  reference 
  to 
  causes 
  which 
  now 
  act 
  in 
  these 
  regions, 
  and 
  which 
  there 
  

   is 
  reasonable 
  ground 
  for 
  supposing 
  may 
  have 
  acted 
  at 
  some 
  former 
  

  

  