TAZAH KHl'RMATU AND TAUQ AREAS. 47 



boundary line between them, which is somewhat difficult to fix, 

 has been drawn swinging round a little short of the Tauqmaqil 

 Chai. The Lower stage consists of the usual sandstones and clays 

 of the middle horizons and the light brown clays characterising 

 the highest horizons. The latter pass up into the Upper stage 

 which contains the usual soft conglomerates, and thick brown 

 clays. The same thick conglomerate, noticed in other areas (Nasaz 

 zone) produces a similar long, monotonous, level range of hills 

 in this case known as the Matarah Dagh. North of Tazah this 

 conglomerate swings round in a horseshoe, forming the Sareh 

 Tappah. Further north on the other side of the Qazah Chai we 

 find some of the youngest Tertiary beds hitherto met with. They 

 form part of the Conglomerate stage, consisting of light brown or 

 pinkish clays with thin infrequent conglomerates or gravels, and 

 occasional layers of current-bedded sand-rock. 



Tauq Area. 



South-eastwards the anticline becomes overfolded, and north-east 

 of Tauq fold-faulted. In this interesting area, south of Tiiuq 

 Bridge, a traverse from north-east to south-west shows the following 

 sequence. The Lower stage of the Kurd series is present in a normal 

 way, its middle horizons consisting of the usual rapid alternations 

 of massive sandstones and clay bands, producing the characteristic 

 system of parallel ridges and valleys ; these pass down into the lower 

 horizons consisting of thick masses of red clay which, however, 

 produce more prominent topography than usual on account of the 

 presence in them of numerous thin layers of more sandy material, 

 both clay and sandstone being deeply iron-stained. These beds 

 overlie gypsum, limestone, and clay bands of the Fars, dipping at 

 the same angle, viz., 30° in a north-west direction. At its south- 

 western boundary, however, the Fars is not in contact with these 

 red clays and thin sandy partings, but with the massive sandstone 

 bands belonging to the middle horizons of the Lower stage of the 

 Kurd series. The lower horizons are missing and the boundary is 

 a reversed fault. The reversed dip in these massive sandstones 

 rapidly steepens till the beds become vertical, and then dip south- 

 westwards in the normal direction at angles which rapidly decrease. 

 A few thin gravel partings are seen in these sandstones just before 

 they pass up into the light brown clay zone ; the latter, in turn, 

 passes up into the Conglomeratic .stage, forming the low mound- 



