G5G Notes on the Geology of the Punjab Salt Bange. [No. 7. 



state of things which preceded, and the agencies which resulted 

 in, the formation of the Punjab Salt Eange as we now see it. 

 As the entire series of rocks under consideration are conformable, 

 from the lowest red marl to the uppermost tertiary bed, it will 

 merely be necessary to imagine, in order to form some idea of the 

 formation of the range, that state of things which existed during 

 the deposition of the uppermost bed of the tertiaries, and which 

 immediately preceded the operation of those forces which led to the 

 upheaval and present form of the range. That radical changes have 

 been constantly in action is not less certain, than that such changes 

 never existed in greater degree, than during the most recent periods 

 of geological history — even confining the observation to the Salt 

 Bange. The upper or nummulite limestone,having a close resemblance 

 in many points to the chalk, was without doubt deposited in a similar 

 manner in an oceanic basin, which gradually filling up induced a 

 condition favourable to the deposition of the upper sands and marls 

 which are of an extremely recent (geological) date. These beds are 

 doubtless shallow, estuary or lacustrine deposits, containing as they 

 do, not more than three or four species of shells, (two being a kind of 

 mussel and traces of a univalve or so) but an immense quantity of 

 teeth, bones, and other exuviae of mammalia, crocodiles, tortoises, 

 &c. with fragments of fossil wood and even trunk of trees. Subse- 

 quent to the deposition of the earlier beds of these deposits, a 

 gradual subsidence must have occurred, as is proved by the immense 

 thickness of these shallow-water strata, the minimum thickness of 

 which cannot fall below 10,000 feet and probably exceeds double 

 that amount. It is pretty safe to assume that these are identical 

 with the Siwalik tertiaries, but their range to the north, north-west 

 and west will for many years probably, remain unknown, as however 

 they pass into the underlying nnmmulite limestone, they will pro- 

 bably be found to extend at least as far as that rock which is known 

 to be largely developed throughout Afghanistan. We may now 

 suppose the whole of the tertiaries deposited, and by the continued 

 sinking of the land, covered by the waters of the ocean— for without 

 such an agent, it is difficult to account for the removal of such vast 

 sheets of strata as have every where disappeared, or the formation of 

 that line of cliffs previously described. We should otherwise see 



