FOSSILS. 5 



Fossils. — No fossils were found in situ in the limestone of the 

 crag, but Griesbach was fortunate enough to find a loose block, 

 full of sections of ammonites aud bivalves, near the end of the 

 ravine which descends towards Sangcha Talla encamping ground. It 

 is a red marble, apparently detached from the main mass of the 

 crag, and exactly like some of the famous red Hallstatt marbles irom 

 the Salzkammergut in Upper Austria and Styria. The block has 

 yielded a few specimens of ammonites, belonging to the family 

 of Tropitidx. Dr. E. von Mojsisovics, who examined them, believes 

 them to belong to the genus Jovites of middle or upper carnian age 

 (Aonoides beds or Subbullatus beds). In the main region of the triassic 

 belt of the Central Himalayas neither of these two horizons is deve- 

 loped in a similar (Hallstatt) development, although the Aonoides 

 beds were met with in the Shalshal cliff section near Rimkin Paiar 

 encamping ground and the Subbullatus beds were found by Mr. 

 Griesbach in the Teragadh near Kalapani (Byans). 1 



From the presence of the genus Jovites in the limestone crag 

 to the east of Sangcha Talla encamping ground it results, that the 

 great mass of limestones between the Balchdhura and the Kiogarh- 

 Chaldu pass cannot rest in normal position on the Gieumal sandstones 

 as appears to superficial observation. This is an indisputable 

 fact, but it remains, of course, very doubtful whether the entire 

 mass of limestones is of upper triassic age, or is composed of sedi- 

 ments belonging to very different geological periods, like in the 

 range of Chitichun No. I. Considering the considerable thickness 

 of the limestone cap, I am rather inclined to decide in favour of the 

 latter assumption. As we could not prolong our stay at Sangcha 

 Talla, and had to abandon altogether the survey of the remaining 

 part of these mountains, we must be content with the evidence 

 that part of the limestones at least are of an upper triassic age, and 

 stand in a similar structural relation to the Gieumal sandstones 



I E. von Mojsisovirs, Vorlaiific;e Bemerkungen fiber die Cephalopoden Faunen der 

 Himalaya Trias, Sitzungsb. K. Akad. Wiss. Wieu. Math Nat. CI. CL., I. Abth., Mai 1S92. 



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