PHYSICAL FEATURES. 35 



and continued wrinkling process is based on good grounds, I will 

 show later on when discussing the post-tertiaries of Htindes, and 

 when comparing the structure of the Himalayas with the neighbour- 

 ing regions. 



Large lake basins are entirely wanting in the Himalayan area be- 

 tween Spiti and the Nepal frontier. Of smaller 

 Lakes. 



lakes and tarns there are a great number, most 



of them being situated in the end moraines of glaciers. But the best 

 known, and at the same time most picturesque ones, are those situ- 

 ated in the Lower Himalayas of Kumaun, namely, the lakes of Naini 

 Til, Bhim Tal, Malwa Tal, Sit Tal, Kurpa Til, Sana Til and Nau- 

 kuchia Til. Divergent views have been held regarding the origin of 

 these lakes. One author 1 believes them to have been formed by land- 

 slips, which closed the valleys partially and so converted them into 

 lake basins ; another 3 considers them to be formed by glacial agency. 

 Although the Naini Tal lake area is no*t included in the ground 

 which is to be described in these pages, I will nevertheless state here 

 a few facts, which closely bear on the stratigraphy of the Himalayas. 

 As regards Mr. Ball's theory of blocking up of the Naini Til val- 

 ley by slips from either or both sides of the hills forming the valley, 

 it may be said, at once, that it is disproved by the fact that the south- 

 ern end of the lake basin is formed by rock in situ. The ascertained 

 bottom of the lake is below the upper edge of the rock which really 

 forms the southern side or dam which closes the lake ; at the same 

 time slips have contributed to the heightening of this dam. On the 

 other hand, Bhim Tal could not have been formed by slips, and 

 Naukutchii or Sit Til are clearly inclosed in rock (chiefly Trap) 

 basins. Again, as to the glacial origin of the lakes there is no evidence 

 whatever in my opinion. Rock-scratches and moraines are alike 

 absent, and there are no distinct glacial features of any other kind 

 available ; in fact the shape of the small lakes of Naukutchia or Sit 

 Til is distinctly against the supposition that they were formed by 



1 Ball, V.— On the origin of the Kumaun lakes, Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind.,XI, 174—182. 

 a Theobald, W— On the Kumaun lakes, Rec. Geol, Surv, Ind„ XIII, 161— 175- 



D 2 ( 35 ) 



