MEMOIRS 



OF 



THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 



Notes on the "Exotic Blocks" of Malla Johar 

 in the Bhot Mahals of Kumaon, by A. von 

 Krafft, Ph.D., 1 Assistant Superintendent, Geological 

 Survey of India. 



I.- INTRODUCTION. 



In 1892 Messrs. Griesbach, Diener and Middlemiss discovered 

 near Chirchun 2 in Hundes and in the upper Kiogarh valley (Malla 

 Johar) isolated limestone blocks with permo-carboniferous and triassic 

 fossils. These blocks which are situated within a synclinal belt of 

 Spiti shales and flysch and are connected with igneous rocks, were 

 compared to the " Klippen " of Europe. 



Griesbach 3 and Diener * have given accounts of their observations 

 with geological maps. The latter author left the " Klippen " at first 

 unexplained, while Mr. Griesbach believed them to be due to faulting, 

 accompanied by intrusions of igneous rocks. Later on the permo- 

 carboniferous and muschelkalk fossils collected were described by 



1 Died at Calcutta on the 22nd September igoi. 



2 1 prefer this spelling to that of the Indian Trigonometrical Survey map 

 (" Chitichun ") seeing that the name is pronounced "Chirchun" by the natives 

 of Milam. Strachey in his geological map of Kumaon, Garhwal, and the adjoining 

 parts of Hundes also spells the locality " Chirchun." Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, 

 VII, 1851, pi. XVI. 



3 "Notes on the Central Himalayas." Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind., Vol. XXVI, 

 pt. 1, 1893, pp. 19 to 25. 



4 " Ergebnisse einer geologischen Expedition in den Centralen Himalaya." 

 Denkschritten d. k. Akad, d. Wissensch. Wien 1895, pp. 588 to 607. 



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