194 Geological Sketch of Masuri and Landour. [May, 



Ascending from Rajpur the road is cut through a bed of bituminous 

 slate, passing- through alum slate of a bluish green colour, both of which 

 are much decayed, and then traverses clayslate of a faded red colour ; 

 black limestone next appears, frequently intersected by flinty slate 

 and Lydian stone : about a quarter of a mile below Jeripani large beds 

 of primitive gypsum* with earthy sulphate of lime occur, and this may 

 be considered the commencement of the Masuri limestone formation. 

 The road continues with slight variations in a westerly direction, and 

 displays huge beds of grey limestone with one remarkable tract of 

 calcareous tufa ; after which clayslate re-appears, generally much 

 indurated, iron-shot, and containing beds of flinty slate, with irregular 

 nodules and schistose veins of brown clay iron ore. The colour of the 

 clayslate now passes into faded red, and running in a northerly direction 

 the road leads to Landour, leaving the Masuri range to the westward. 



The whole of this Masuri range is composed of huge masses of 

 stratified limestone, inclining at a gentle angle to the east, presenting 

 occaionally considerable breadth of summit, but never approaching 

 the height of Landour. In colour it is of a bluish grey, passing 

 into black and white, highly crystallized, and well suited for 

 ornamental purposes ; it yields excellent lime, but the natives are 

 careless in the preparation of it. 



The aspect of Masuri may still assert its claim to the picturesque, 

 notwithstanding the merciless ravages of the woodman's axe amongst 

 its withering beauties ; precipices abrupt and imposing, moss- 

 grown cliffs luxuriating in foliage, or nourishing creepers of the most 

 lovely hue, must ever arrest attention, and steal admiration from the 

 idlest observer. The simple minerals discoverable in this formation, 

 are calcareous tufa, frequently iron-shot ; calcareous sinter, white, brown, 

 and yellow ; calcareous spar in the primitive form ; and sulphate of 

 barytes ; nodules of noble serpentine associated with hornblende slate, 

 glassy actynolite, and earthy gypsum. 



Leaving Masuri and passing through the Landour bazar by the road 



necessarily be abandoned ; mention therefore can be merely made of the various 

 rocks as they occur in succession, without reference to strict geognostical situation. 

 The distance included in the route is about five miles. 



* I consider this to be primitive from the considerable masses which occur ; 

 it varies in colour from brown to the purest white, the latter variety being highly 

 crystalline ; emits a strong smell of sulphuretted hydrogen when fractured; the 

 same odour is perceptible in the water drawn from the stalactitic cave near Rajpur. 

 In large doses this water is but slightly cathartic. 



