A DESCRIPTION 



OF THE 



FOSSIL EOHINOIDEA 



OF 



WESTERN SIND. 



Fasciculus 3.— THE KHIETHAE SEKIES. 



I. Introductory Memarks on the Khirthar Series. 



The Khirthar series of strata take their name from the great frontier range of hills 

 which extends along the western boundary of the province of Sind as far south as 

 lat. 26° 15', and of which they form the crest throughout, as well as all the higher 

 portions of the Laki range, of the Bhit and Badhra ranges south-west of Manchhar 

 Lake, and of several smaller ridges*. This formation represents an aggregate thickness 

 of about 9000 feet, the upper 3000 feet of which are a compact massive Nummulitic 

 limestone, the underlying portion consisting of shales and sandstones. The lower 

 beds are unfossiliferous, and pass without stratigraphical unconformity into the under- 

 lying Ranikot series. In like manner the Nari series of strata rest conformably upon 

 the Khirthar. 



The character and relative position of the Khirthar deposits have been briefly 

 referred to in the Introductory part of Fasciculus 1 of this work, and diagrammatic 

 sections showing the superposition of strata are given on page 6. The following 

 extracts from the valuable memoir by Mr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S.f, will be of interest 

 to the student of the fossil remains obtained from these strata, which form the subject 

 of the present Fasciculus. 



" The colour " of the massive limestone " is usually pale, either white or grey, 



* Memoirs Geol. Surv. India, vol. xvii. p. 45. 



t Geology of Western Sind (Mem. Geol. Surv. India, vol. xvii.). 



