132 KRAFFT: EXOTIC BLOCKS OF MALLA JOHAR. 



north of the Niti pass, 1 and it is not impossible that they are con- 

 nected by intermediate occurrences with those of Johar and Chirchun. 



II.— STRATIGRAPHICAL FEATURES. 



Within the area represented on the geological map attached to this 

 paper, the following stratigraphical divisions occur, which are in des- 

 cending order : — 



4. Shales, sandstones, etc., upper flysch, 800 to i.ocofeet. ") 



3. Greenish grey sandstone, "Gieumal sandstone," Stol., > Cretaceous, 



lower flysch ..... 400 to 500 feet. J 

 2. Spiti shales. Upper Jurassic to lowest cretaceous. 

 1. Grey limestones, ranging from upper trias (dachsteinkalk) 



into the middle Jurassic. 



Triasso-jurassic limestone series. — The lowest division is chiefly 

 composed of bedded limestones with some massive layers. The lime- 

 stones being throughout poor in fossils, no subdivision is possible. From 

 their lower portion Megalodon and other upper triassic fossils are 

 recorded, while the topmost 300 to 400 feet are proved by fossil contents 

 to be of middle Jurassic age, but no reliable palseontological evidence is 

 available pointing to either lias or rhjetic, although the perfect con- 

 formity prevailing leaves no doubt that sedimentation has continued 

 without interruption from upper triassic until middle Jurassic times. 



The evidence regarding the middle Jurassic portion of this lime- 

 stone mass is twofold. Professor Diener a collected at two localities 

 (Shalshal cliff in Painkhanda and Chanambaniali peaks in Hundes) 

 from the topmost layer, which is made up of red iron pisolites, 3 

 a number of fossils, which were examined by Dr. F. Suess. The 

 fauna consists of a few cephalopoda, brachiopoda and numerous Belem- 

 nites {B. su/cacutus, F. Suess) and is according to F. Suess of middle 

 Jurassic age, probably Kelloway. 



1 myself discovered in Spiti in a section near Gieumal, 350 to 400 

 feet below the Spiti shales, a well-preserved ammonite, which is very 



1 Mr. Griesbach (Mem. XXIII, p. 83) noticed there grey limestones, which 

 he correlated with the Chikkim limestone. As the latter is not developed in Johar, 

 it appears possible that the limestones of the Niti pass represent exotic blocks, alt 

 the more so as igneous rocks are reported from the same area. 



1 Ergebnisse, 1. c, pp. 5S4 to 586. 



s This bed was described by Griesbach (Mem. XXIII) as lias. 

 ( 6 ) 



