€EOLOGY OF THE AREA. 2 $ 



euous than the first, and runs from Puttur (Poothur), near Kottakal, 

 to Umbelum (east- north- east of Kolattur), with only one break. This 

 break is by no means so complete as it appears on the Atlas Sheet, 

 but it is fairly distinct. The line is continued to the south-east by 

 Ananghat Hill, and some of the hills south of Cherpalcheri, and there 

 it ends. 



All the hills belonging to these two lines are of approximately the 

 same height ; and except that of the hill near Mooloorah (between 

 Pattambi and Cherpalcheri), there is no other laterite so high. There 

 can be no doubt that they are the remains of what was formerly a 

 broad plateau. This may almost be seen on the Atlas Sheet, and in 

 the field it is still more apparent. 



South of the second line there are a few more high caps at a 

 rather lower level. They lie between the Tudhakal and Ponnini 

 Rivers. The chief are the hill marked Kawoo (5 miles north-north- 

 west of Pattambi) and the hill east-north-east of this ; the ridge 

 about 2 miles south of Kawoo ; Ramgiri Fort Hill (near Kulladypetta 

 of map), &c. 



South of the Ponnatni River the remains of the plateau are very 

 numerous near Tritala. The height here is about 350 feet. East of 

 Tritdla, in the State of Cochin, the country is mostly gneissic and 

 hilly, and there are no remains of ihe plateau near the river. 



South-west from Pandalur Hill and Malapuram the plateau is not 

 nearly so broken up, and almost all the laterite-topped ridges belong 

 to it. There are no caps belonging to the terrace laterite such as are 

 shown in Section II, PI. VIII, 



As we approach the Ponnani River, or the coast, the height of the 

 ridges becomes gradually less. It is about 250 feet at Kuttipuram 

 (=Kollypuram, on the north bank of the Ponnani River, about 8 

 miles below TriUla). 



To the north again it is the same, Most of the caps belong to the 

 plateau laterite, and their height gradually decreases towards the 

 Beypore River, where it is 200 to 250 feet. 



Eastward, the plateau, represented by the hills of Manjeri and 



( 223 ) 



