DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA. 1 53 



Volcanics.— As soon as we have passed the folded tuff we come 

 on the southern slope of the Balchdhura heights upon loose debris, 

 chiefly composed of amygdaloidal andesite and red limestones. No 

 outcrop of igneous rocks in situ was here observed. Involved in the 

 debris we find large exotic blocks of various description. 



Exotic blocks. — Of these I have first to mention one of green and 

 red tuffs (4/), found due south below the western summit of the Balch- 

 dhura heights. It is greatly contorted and crushed but has a general 

 steep dip towards north-east (70 to 8o°). The pressure it has 

 sustained is also indicated by almost every single bedding plane being 

 slickensided. Red limestone blocks, mostly small in size, are also seen. 

 Two of the largest of these have yielded fossils, vis., E. B. 1 Daonella 

 indica, E. B. 2 ammonites of upper carnic stage. 



Exotic block 1. — Block 1 is of a longish form, divided up into 

 several more or less disconnected parts by debris of green andesite. 

 On the whole it can be said to dip towards north-east and strike about 

 north-west to south-east, but neither dip nor strike are constant 

 throughout its entire length. Faults abound and strong crushing is 

 noticeable, the andesite being even folded into the red limestone 

 locally. 



Exotic block 2. — Block 2 with its upper carnic cephalopod fauna 

 crops out from a debris slope to the south-south-east of the eastern 

 summit. No bedding can be seen. The limestone is in part altered 

 and only after some search did I find fossils in it. Near it is another 

 rather large limestone block of pinnacle shape, made up of vertical 

 beds, but this did not yield any fossils. 



As regards the Balchdhura heights proper, they are of a peculiar 

 description, being composed chiefly of greenish sandstones and shales, 

 with a few isolated, densely red limestone blocks. 



Gieumal sandstone blocks. — Besides these foreign elements, of 

 which the two first I believe represent Gieumal sandstone and Spiti 

 shales, igneous rocks play an unimportant part. We shall see later on 

 that in the Kiogarh plateau also foreign elements predominate in places 

 to such an extent as to exclude almost entirely the igneous rocks. 



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