6 DIBNER : GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF CHITICHUN. 



forming their base, as the limestone crags of Chitichun No. I, and 

 near Lochambel-ki-chak encamping ground to the adjoining Spiti 

 shales. 



How far this mighty mass of limestone crags may extend to the 

 north into Tibetan territory, we do not know. The other limestone 

 crags of the Chitichun area are all of a considerably smaller size 

 and in their strike exhibit a nearly semicircular arrangement. So 

 far as we could get an idea of the grouping of these crags from our 

 reconnaissance, they are arranged in three distinct rows or zones. 



The first and most northern of these rows we only reconnoitred on 

 our route from the Kiogarh-Chaldu pass (17,440 feet) to Lai Pahar 

 encamping ground (on the western slope of Chitichun No. I). To 

 this row of crags belong the top of Chaldu No. I (17,470 feet), and 

 two lower cliffs of limestone, which face its eastern scarp. Mr. 

 Middlemiss, who visited the Chaldu peak from Lochambel-ki-chak 

 encamping ground, describes it as an isolated mass of a white semi- 

 crystalline limestone with a north-eastern strike, apparently resting on 

 Gieumal sandstones and on the igneous rocks associated with the 

 latter. Lithologically it is perfectly like the limestone of Chitichun 

 No. I, but has yielded no organic remains of permocarboniferous age. 

 The second or central row of crags is of much greater extent and 

 contains by far the largest number of isolated blocks. It stretches 

 from the prominent peak of Kungribingri (19,170 feet) towards the 

 watershed of the Chaldu and Chitichun rivers. The first crag belong- 

 ing to this central zone or row is situated to the south of the 

 Kiogarh-Chitichun pass (17,960 feet). Although it was not visited, 

 its outlines can be very distinctly traced from the top of Kingribingri, 

 the bright coloured limestones standing out against the dark shales 

 and sandstones as clearly as the Carpathian (i Klippen " of Jurassic 

 limestones do against their mantle of eocene or cretaceous flysch. 

 The very top of Kungribingri (19,170 feet) itself consists of a 

 small block of white limestone, resting on greenish Gieumal sand- 

 stones, but as it has not yielded any fossils, I cannot say whether 

 ( 6 ) 



