Capt. Grant on the Geology of Cutch. 313 



at a higher angle than that at which the hill itself rises, it causes them to crop out ; the surface 

 being also broken into several distinct ridges. The igneous rock alternates three times. In one 

 instance it underlies a stratum of hard slate-clay ; in another it occurs between a coarse, soft sand- 

 stone, and slate-clay, and sandstone slate ; and it also forms the conical summit of the hill, which 

 is not more than ten feet in diameter. The basalt desquamates in flakes, but has a centre of com- 

 pact rock. The same inclination of the beds is continued through the hill. 



Alternations of the Calcareous Grit with Basalt. — At the village of Doonee, above mentioned, 

 the banks of the river present a perfectly perpendicular wall, from 15 to 20 feet high, and are 

 composed of the calcareous grit, or coarse limestone alternating with basalt, in the following order : 

 first, grit; then a horizontal bed of rounded pieces of basalt; and next, another stratum of the 

 grit, 15 feet in thickness ; the whole being covered by the basalt forming the hills. 



Another good example of this alternation is near the village of Keroee, at the eastern limit of 

 the formation. The banks of a river are here composed, in some places, of the basalt forming 

 the Doura range ; and in others, entirely of the limestone grit, which in one place overlies the 

 basalt, but forced up into anticlinal lines, as if the igneous rock had been protruded from below; 

 the broken state of the strata showing that it was not originally deposited in this position. The 

 bed of the river at this place is entirely composed of basaltic columns; their horizontal sections 

 forming a regular pavement ; and large masses of the columns, occupying from 200 to 300 square 

 yards, and being about eight feet in height, remain every here and there, similar to a field of corn 

 partially reaped. The columns are very regular, generally four-sided, with smooth, even surfaces, 

 and are composed of a hard, compact, dark blue basalt. 



Another instance of the junction of the limestone grit with the basalt is near the village of 

 Chooiree, a little to the westward of Kaira. The basaltic range is completely divided by a narrow 

 ravine, in which the two rocks appear in contact, the limestone being broken in all directions. 

 One side of the ravine presents a perpendicular clifiT, of nearly 80 feet in height, of irregular 

 columnar basalt, overlying a bed of rounded masses of the same, though the opposite bank is 

 composed of the limestone grit. Advancing through the Pass, the basalt terminates abruptly, and 

 is succeeded by the limestone grit, which forms both sides of the ravine. Further on, the basalt 

 again appears in the form of a dyke ; beyond which is the grit, once more succeeded by a dyke of 

 basalt, forming, at this extremity of the Pass, both banks. Where the dykes of basalt occur the 

 limestone lies in immense masses, evidently broken off at the time of the projection of the upper 

 bed of igneous rock ; being itself of subsequent formation to the lower basaltic bed of rolled 

 masses. This is very distinctly shown at one part of the Pass ; and it should be mentioned, that 

 the bed of the ravine consists throughout of irregular or broken basalt. 



The intervening spaces and the ground at the base of these hills are com- 

 posed, for the most part, of a red clay much resembling brick, a variety of it 

 being amygdaloidal, of a darker colour, extremely hard and tough, and con- 

 taining quantities of calcareous spar, chalcedony, rock crystal, &c. 



In some places it forms low ranges of hills of a hard rock, of a dingy red co- 

 lour, thickly interspersed with cylindrical kernels of zeolite, with a light green 

 coating, some of them dividing into two parts. Other specimens contain 

 numerous crystals of felspar; and, in many instances, all the mineral sub- 

 stances have disappeared, leaving a vesicular mass. Occasionally, thin beds 

 or layers of calcareous spar, of a leek-green colour, are met with, also of rock 



