G88 Trip to Pind JDadud Khan and the Salt Range. [July, 



clays which abound in fossils, these being also detected in the 

 shales. At this point, known by the name of Chutah, one of the alum- 

 shale shafts spontaneously took fire 5 or 6 years ago, and has since 

 been steadily burning, and from the mouth of the mine a column of 

 smoke is at present constantly issuing resembling that from the funnel 

 of a large steamer. The fire is evidently the result of the chemical 

 decomposition of the iron pyrites in the shale, an occurrence not at all 

 unfrequent in British Colleries. No workable seam of coal occurs 

 here as far as we could discover, its place being supplied by the exten- 

 sive deposit of bituminous alum shale. Beneath the shales several 

 strata of calcareous sandstone, conglomerates of older rocks and a succes- 

 sion of brown and red sandstones, which to the W. side of the salt range 

 become mixed with an extensive series of red and blue clays, and 

 bituminous shales, some having the appearance of a coarse coal, and 

 containing loose masses of a species of coal resembling jet, which may 

 be picked out of the shales in considerable quantity, but has none of 

 the characters of a regular coal seam. About 40 or 50 maunds of this 

 jet or fossil wood, and about the same quantity of bituminous shale, 

 supposed to be coal, were taken as fuel by Capt. Christopher in his 

 downward voyage in a steamer from Kalibag. The extensive develope- 

 ment of bituminous shales in the position here noticed among the 

 variegated sandstone strata above the salt, is quite different from what 

 is seen in the salt range to the E. as far as we have examined, these 

 being almost entirely confined to a position between the variegated 

 sandstones and white siliceous flint limestone, being apparently a number 

 of the latter deposit. Beneath the variegated sandstone shales, seemed 

 conglomerates of immense thickness, reposing on a light colored argi- 

 laceous limestone, between which and the salt marl, are various red and 

 brown sandstones and indurated red clays. All these strata, from the 

 siliceous flint limestone downwards to the salt, seem to dip to the N. 

 W. at an angle of from 40° to 45°, but in several places shew marks of 

 having been subjected to disturbing agencies. 



Note. — The alum shale from both sides of the salt range is carried 

 on bullocks from the mouth of the pits to Kalibag, and if a seam or 

 seams of such lignite as is found at the various points already noticed 

 to the eastward would be discovered, it could be excavated in the same 

 way as the shales and removed to Kalibag at a trifling expense. 



