THE LODES. 



CHAPTER II. 

 THE LODES. 



THE auriferous lodes of the Kolar gold-field consist of a series 

 of parallel quartz veins occupying a central position in the belt of 

 Dharwar schists and striking north and south, i.e., in the direction 

 of the foliation of the beds in which they lie. The dip also, which 

 is about 50 — 55 west, is, in the main, that of the schistose beds. 

 Consequently these deposits may be regarded as bedded veins, or in 

 other words, as having been formed by the deposition of quartz and 

 other minerals from solution along open channels or planes of weak- 

 ness which in general coincided with the foliation of the schists. To 

 this fact must be ascribed their marked lenticular character, for both 

 in the direction of strike and of dip they are found to swell and pinch 

 at irregular intervals in conformity with the foliation of the schists. 



Although there are on the Kolar gold-field several parallel veins, 

 e.g., the Champion lode, Mundy's lode, the West Balaghat lode, the 

 Oriental lode, etc., it is on the Champion lode that the paying mines 

 have alone been developed, and it is therefore to this lode that I shall 

 devote particular attention in the following notes. 



The mines at present working on the Champion lode are: — the 

 Mysore, Champion Reef, Ooregum, Nundydroog, Tank Block (Mysore 

 West and Mysore Wynaad), Coromandel and Balaghat, Those 

 working on the West Balaghat and Oriental lodes are the " Gold- 

 fields of Mysore," Nine Reefs and Road Block. The situation of 

 these properties is shown on the accompanying plan (Pi. 20) which 

 I have prepared from material furnished by the companies. 



The quartz of the Champion lode is of a dark bluish-grey colour 

 with vitreous lustre, and irregular to sub-conchoidal fracture. In 

 those places, however, where the deposit has been subject to great 

 stress consequent on the bending of the vein into acute folds, as will 



