188 FOOTE: GEOLOGY OF THE BELLARY DISTRICT. 



Formations of calcareous tufa or kankar are of common occur- 

 Wadderhalli massive rence, especially on hornblendic rocks, but 

 kankar formation. are mostly of too limited extent to be worth 



noticing. An exceptionally large and massive deposit of the kind 

 unconnected with any existing stream is to be seen at Waddarhalli, 

 a small village 6 miles E. by S. of Hospet. 



Of true travertine formations due to the deposition of calcareous 

 The " water slide " matter in stream beds two good examples were 



Travertine deposit. noted . Qne ; n the bed Q f the stream w hi cn breaks 



through the Dharwar conglomerate beds in the spur of Jambanath 

 Konda described at page 106 and forms a well marked (t water slide." 

 The travertine deposit accumulated on the face of the slide 

 in great stalactitic masses which formed a shallow basin 

 over the edge of which there must at one time have been a water- 

 fall of considerable beauty in the rainy season. By some great 

 flood the basin was burst and large masses of the travertine lie 

 about in confusion at foot of the slide. The travertine is of 

 greyish drab to deep velvety greenish brown in colour and banded 

 in parts. If large and solid enough masses were procurable, 

 which they are not, they could be worked into a very handsome 

 " Oriental Alabaster." The general mass, however, is not solid 

 throughout, many cavities of various sizes existing between the 

 tubular stalactitic portions. The tenacity of the masses is very 

 unequal — some broke so easily as to deserve to be called brittle, and 

 against one I shivered the handle of my hammer in trying to break 

 it up in search of impressions of leaves of which I found a number 

 but could not secure any good ones. Such as were recognizable 

 were all of leaves of trees now growing on the adjacent hills, specially 

 of a kind of fig with a very thick leathery leaf. In some of the 

 masses were long cylindrical holes as if the calcareous mass had 

 been deposited round stems of a bamboo which had subsequently 

 decayed away. 



From the general look of the debris of the old basin its dis- 

 ruption appeared to be of rather recent occurrence, and may very 

 ( 188 ) 



