BENSIBETTA. 55 



{&) Porsedyke mine, near Porsegaundanp^layam, 



(c) Hadabanatta, about 3 miles north-north-east of Porsegaun- 



danpllayam. 



(d) Kavudahalli, about 6 miles north east of R^mapuram, 



i. Bensibetta. 



Numerous and extensive old workings occur to the north, east 



and south-east of Bensibetta. The most south- 

 Old workings. 



erly set is situated at some distance to the 

 south-east of Bensibetta trigonometrical station, and about half way 

 between the small villages of Marur and Madikada, where a small 

 ridge is capped by great masses of reef quartz. This reef can be 

 traced at intervals for about three miles in a north-north-east direc- 

 tion, across the eastern spur of Bensibetta and on to a small hill 

 about one mile east-north-east of the village of Inbekombi. 



The reef is composed of white quartz, usually stained to some 

 extent by ferruginous matter. At the outcrop, 

 it is cavernous and full of hollows containing 

 masses of limonite and very perfect quartz crystals. The chief 

 minerals in the reef are iron pyrites, limonite, haematite, chlorite, 

 and amorphous forms of silica {jasper, chalcedony). At the out- 

 crop near Inbekombi, the quartz is full of hexagonal cavities several 

 inches long by two or three inches across : I am indebted to 

 Mr. Holland for the suggestion that these cavities originally con- 

 tained crystals of calcite. 



Free gold has not been observed in the quartz, but can be 

 washed out from the soil at the outcrop. 



The strike of the reef is approximately north-south, with a dip 

 to the west, thus corresponding with that of the surrounding rocks 

 and giving to it the appearance of what is technically termed a 

 " bedded " reef. It has been much quarried and broken up by 

 the natives, in times now locally forgotten. Eveywhere are old 



( 55 ) 



