100 FO0TE : GEOLOGY OF THE BELLARY DISTRICT. 



Southward of the station the ridge rises very gradually, and about 2 



miles to the southward is probably from ioo to 150 feet higher. The 



rise is hardly perceptible as you proceed along the crest of the ridge, 



but is distinctly visible from plains to the west and when at some 



distance from the ridge. 



The northern extremity of the Raman Drug ridge is very obscure 



North end of Raman from the great haematite talus covering its flanks ; 



Drug ndge. foe haematite beds are inverted and dip to the 



west instead of the east. They appear to be cut off by a fault, for 



they cannot be traced across the Tungabhadra. The only Dharwars 



traceable in the bed of the river are massive hornblendic rocks, 



trappoids, which form a great barrier, giving rise to a formidable 



rapid at half flood. The river is quite unfordable here, and no ferry 



exists for several miles up or down its course. 



The haematite talus, which is almost everywhere a remarkable 



feature alone: the base of the Sandur and other 

 Great talus. ** 



hills of Dharwar age, completely conceals the 



junction with the gneiss for a distance of fully 13 miles along the 



western base. Among the masses of ordinary haematite quartzite 



in the talus are vast quantities of very rich red soft argillaceous 



haematite derived from one of the lower beds. This would yield a 



splendid red pigment for the mere trouble of collecting and grinding. 



In the argillite schist beds No. 4 in the western section are 



numerous nodules of a manganese ore, while in 

 Manganiferous nodules. . 



an associated bed of massive quartzite the ore 



occurs in laminae or in flattish concretions. They are an ore of 



manganese in a lower state of oxidation than dioxide, and appear 



to represent either Braunite or Hausmannite. Their quantitative 



analysis by Mr. Philip Lake, B.A., will be found in the chapter on 



Economic Geology. 



The summit of the Raman Drug ridge is very frequently much 



obscured by haematitic debris which occurs in two forms : firstly, 



as an ordinary pseudo-laterite, either massive or encrusting, and 



secondly, as a breccia of angular fragments of haematite rock, often 



( 100 ) 



