1854.] Notes on the Geology of the Punjab Salt Mange. 673 



and red sandstone, identical with that overlying the saliferous marl 

 of the range, which proves that great physical changes must have 

 been going on at no great distance, simultaneously with the depo- 

 sition of the upper beds of the ossiferous tertiaries, to which portion 

 (the upper) they would appear to belong ; as also the thick-bedded 

 conglomerates consisting of boulders of all the harder plutonic 

 and metamorphic rocks, which are seen close under Rhotas fort, 

 and resemble nothing more than huge sheets of mortar, the illusion 

 being increased by the crumbling bastions above, of which they at 

 first sight seem the artificial and veritable foundations. These 

 mortar-like beds are nowhere developed in the range save near 

 E-hotas, but are again met with Trans-Indus behind Kala Bagh ; and 

 as such an enormous succession of fine sands and marls is met with 

 in the range, it may fairly be conjectured that these "mortar beds" 

 are confined to, and constitute the upper portion of the ossiferous 

 series, of which they undoubtedly form an integral part as seen near 

 Ehotas. The thickness of the unconformable beds near Jalalpur is 

 not very great, but near JNWshera must range to 3 or 400 feet. 



At Jalalpur the tertiaries dip 40° to 50° to the south gradually, 

 becoming vertical on ascending the nulla ; the dip then wavers some- 

 what, though always high, and then gradually declines 40° to 20° 

 north. The upper beds near Jalalpur are conglomerates, then come 

 (descending) red and yellow marls banded with greenish sandstones, 

 then sandstones with some bands of marl, and the lowest beds are 

 a vast number of fine sandstones and pebbly grits, with but little 

 marl. The whole evidently being very high in the series : and this 

 is curious in one respect, as where the beds are vertical, a portion 

 of the true saliferous gypseous marl of the range has become inter- 

 calated, simulating an actual bed in the tertiaries. A bed of red 

 sandstone occurs above it, but whether it has also been intercalated, 

 or is a mere accidental variety of a tertiary sandstone, is not easy 

 to decide ; since the lower rocks are in close proximity to the ter- 

 tiaries on either side, and the faulting and disturbance in this part 

 has been very extensive and complicated. In this case a cursory 

 examination would lead to the idea of an actual saliferous marl 

 occurring in the tertiaries, especially as many marls of that series 

 bear a very strong resemblance to the true salt marl ; but it is to be 



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