JABAL KHANUQAH. 15 



Humr Hills, and the portion under report extends as far as Sharqat 

 along the right shore of the Tigris, which has eaten its way into the 

 north-eastern limb of the anticline nearly as far as the crest along 

 a distance of about six miles south-east of Sharqat, and beyond the 

 crest for two or three miles at Qal'at-al-Bint. The north-eastern 

 aspect of these parts of the range, therefore, consists of precipitous 

 cliffs exhibiting a fine exposure of the Fars series. The direction of 

 the range is nearly N.W. — S.E. 



Rocks. 



Fars series.— The Fars is the same gypseous series described 

 in the report on the Jabal Hamrin and Jabal Makhul. Some 

 of the gypsum bands are very massive and thick, reaching thick- 

 nesses of 80 or 90 feet ; an interesting little " natural bridge " of 

 this mineral over a stream-course, some 15 feet deep, was observed 

 m the Humr Hills. The amount of limestone present is very small. 

 This stone, quarried from this range or from the Jabal Makhul, has 

 been used in the ancient city of Asshur, where blocks of it can be seen 

 in what appears to be the remnants of a quay on the north side, 

 and a similar bastion-like structure on the west ; blocks of gypsum 

 seem also to have been used in some of the buildings. 



Kurd series.— The Fars is succeeded by the Kurd series (astride 

 of the k ' Upper Fars " of some geologists ), which is largely hidden 

 beneath alluvium, especially in the north-eastern limb of the 

 anticline. The beds are in every way similar to those described, but 

 the higher Conglomerate stage is not present in the syncline between 

 the Khanuqah and Makhul Ranges. 



Pleistocene.— The Pleistocene Conglomerate is well seen capping 

 the hills south-east of Qarat-al-Bint, where its pebbles are cemented 

 into a tough rock. It is also found on the hills overlooking the Humr 

 Plain, close to the river, but is not present on the highest parts 

 of the Humr Hills. 



Mesopotamian Alluvium.— The Mesopotamian Alluvium, consist- 

 ing of the same somewhat sandy silt elsewhere described, at one 

 time swept over the syncline between the Khanuqah and Makhul ranges 

 from Mushak north-westwards, forming a broad plain, most of which 

 has survived. The more southern portion has been deeply dissected 

 and the underlying red clays and sandstones of the Kurd series 

 laid bare, but the surface of the plateau or plain is still represented. 

 The deposits include beds of gravel near the river at Humr and 



