PA1NKANDA SECTIONS, 115 



The Girthi river with its tributary, the stream which drains from Hoti 

 and Rimkin, has excavated a deep ravine, through the entire trias beds, 

 and down into the upper carboniferous, which along a considerable dis- 

 tance in these river-valleys forms the high cliffs bounding the stream 

 gorges. I have shewn this feature in pis. 2 and 3 ; the white 

 quartzite (8) is especially conspicuous and forms precipitous cliffs. 

 Some fossils, chiefly Of this species, were found in the Girthi valley 

 in the white quartzite (8). 



The beds which are enclosed between the upper carboniferous and 

 The lower mesozoic limestones with fossils of triassic type form by 

 "■sSSJSu; connect- far the most interesting of the Himalayan 

 ed - strata ; I have been able to study this succession 



of strata somewhat closer than the rest of the rock groups. Several of 

 the divisions which form the group are so characteristic, iithologically, 

 besides always yielding the same easily recognized types of fossil 

 remains, that they have served as landmarks, as it were, to make out 

 the often very difficult structure of these hill-ranges. And this has 

 been the case from the Nepdl frontier to Spiti ; season after season I 

 could identify the same old acquaintances amongst the chain of beds. 

 Often, in an area nearly entirely snow-enshrouded, in altitudes where 

 prolonged work or careful search for fossils would have been impos- 

 sible, isolated bare patches, revealing one or more of my type beds, 

 have enabled me to fit in with sufficient accuracy areas and boundary 

 lines of divisions, where otherwise I would have been obliged 

 to leave a blank. 



■ 



The Niti area was the first where I could study in detail the permo- 

 triassic rocks. As detailed in the general description of this group, 

 it forms one sequence of beds, from the black Productus shales (9), to 

 the light-coloured triassic strata at the top of the group. Not a trace 

 of unconformity could be detected throughout the great thickness of 

 strata, though the lithological features of the various systems con- 

 stituting the group is often very varied, indicating a great change in 

 physical character of the seas which must have deposited them, which 

 is indeed also borne out by the fossils found in them. But, notwith- 

 standing, no unconformity is found throughout. 



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