?3 VREDENBURG : RECENT ARTESIAN EXPERIMENTS IN INDIA. 



might be successful, is GujaYdt proper, that is the flat country inclosed 

 by the Mahi Kantha on one side and Kathiawar on the other. It 

 appears to be entirely covered by widespread alluvial deposits, and 

 very little is known of the underground geological conditions, but 

 a few exposures in quarries and wells afford some information, 

 which is sufficient to permit forming a favourable opinion on the 

 chances of meeting with deep-seated supplies of water if borings were 

 undertaken. 



The few exposures of underground structure which I have seen 

 seem to indicate that the alluvial deposits cover up a series of beds 

 of upper Jurassic or cretaceous age, consisting chiefly of sandstones 

 and shales, and overlaid by tertiary clays, shales and limestones, the 

 whole of which sequence of beds rests upon the old palaeozoic 

 rocks of the so-called ' Aravalli type.' 



(5) The evidence in support of this supposition is somewhat 

 meagre ; besides the geological surveys of Kathiawar and Baroda, 

 we possess surveys of the alluvium of parts of the Ahmedabad 

 district, whilst important evidence is afforded by quarries and 

 newly-constructed wells near Wadhwan. 



(6) I have satisfied myself that we have at least two distinct 

 water-levels within this area. The lower one is found . wherever 

 the cretaceous marls and impure limestones, which may be seen 

 .ilonp:~the boundary of Gujarat and Kathiawar, are pierced down to 

 the underlying coarse brown sandstone of cretaceous or upper Juras- 

 sic age. This may be clearly observed in all the quarries near 

 Wadhwan itself. 



The upper water-level is found in the tertiary (probable upper 

 eocene) concretionary limestone which seems to overlie the creta- 

 ceous deposits of Wadhwan unconformably (much of the so-called 

 kankar beds appear to be the same concretionary limestone of the 

 upper eocene which may easily be mistaken for the genuine kankar 

 deposits of the alluvium). 

 ( 72 ) 



