1867.] Dr. Verchere on the Geology of Kashmir. 9 



Kashmir, the Western Himalaya and the Afghan Mountains, a geologi- 

 cal paper by Albert M. Verche'be, Esq., M. D Bengal Medical 

 Service, with a note on the fossils by M. Edouard de Vernueil, 

 Membre de V Academie des Sciences, Paris. 



(Continued from page 203, of No. III. 1866.) 



Chapter III. — Cursory Survey of the several chains of the Western 

 Himalaya, the Afghan mountains and their dependencies. Preli- 

 minary geological mapping of the Western Himalayan and Afghan 

 Ranges. 



59. It is intended, in tins chapter, to give, in as few words as 

 possible, an idea of the general geology of the several portions of the 

 Western Himalaya, the Afghan mountains and their respective de- 

 pendencies. In doing so, I have availed myself of all sources of in- 

 formation which have been opened to me ; I have, however, been 

 sadly in want of the help of a more extended library, and I have 

 never seen some excellent works which would have much improved 

 this chapter, if they could have been consulted. I need there- 

 fore hardly say that it is a most superficial of surveys ; but I hope 

 nevertheless that it may be found to contain a few interesting obser- 

 vations and some new matter yet unpublished. Such as it is, it 

 will enable us to sketch at least the first preliminaries of a geological 

 mapping of the Himalayan and Afghan Ranges ; and also to attempt, 

 in the last chapter, to draw the history of the mightiest mountainous 

 mass of our globe. 



By reference to the map and and to the long Section (Sect. G) it be- 

 comes evident that the Himalayas are a succession of more or less 

 regularly parallel chains, having a general N. W. to S. E. direction. 

 Between the chains are situated valleys which are elevated above the 

 sea in proportion as one nears the centre of the mountainous mass : 

 thus the Bawul Pindie plateau, between the Salt Range and the Sub- 

 Himalayan hills, is about 1700 feet high ; Poonch valley, between the 

 Sub-Himalaya and the Pir Punjal chain, is under 4000 feet ; Kashmir 

 between the Pir Punjal and the next chain (called in the map Ser and 

 Mer chain), is above 5000 ; Ladak between the Ser and Mer chain and the 

 Kailas chain is 10,000 to 11,000 ; Nubra and the valley of the Shay ok, 



2 



