1845.] Notes on the South Mahratta Country ; fyc. 305 



Age of the overlying Trap. It overlies and penetrates the sandstone 

 and newer basaltic greenstone, and from its altering and disturbing the 

 fresh-water limestones of Nirmul, and its superior position to all the 

 rocks of the S. Mahratta country except the laterite, kunker, and re- 

 gur, is referred to the tertiary epoch. It is strikingly mineralogically 

 distinguished from the older trap rocks, as just explained. 



The order of superposition of the rocks of the S. Mahratta country 

 in descending order appears to be as follows : — 



Regur, ^ 



Old kunker, 



Laterite, ^ 1st group. 



Lateritic sandstone, j 



Overlying trap, J 



Basaltic greenstone, ") 



Granite, ^> 2nd group. 



Sandstone, J 



Basaltic greenstone, "j 



Granite, ^ 3rd group. 



Hypogene schists, J 



Comparison of these groups with classified European groups. There 

 can be little doubt of the rocks of the 1st group belonging to the 

 tertiary period, after what has been remarked regarding the age of the 

 overlying trap on which they are superimposed. The remains of the 

 Mastodon have been found, with other fossils pointing to the Pleiocene 

 division of the tertiary epoch, in the gravel and kunker below the 

 regur, near Hingoli, in the Nizam's territories. No fossils have been 

 yet found in the regur ; but its position, extent, thickness, and the im- 

 possibility of accounting for it by causes now existing, warrant me 

 perhaps in referring it to an epoch anterior to the post-Pleiocene or 

 historic period. 



2nd Group. No sufficient data for fixing exactly the age of these 

 rocks. The presence of coal and other mineral and fossil indications 

 point to the Devonian or carboniferous groups. 



3rd Group. The clue to the approximate age of these rocks will 

 be found in properly fixing those of the second ; a point of great impor- 



