COAL 



67 



as the crow (lies, two or three seams crop out at the edge of the 

 valley. The seams are from 5 to 10 feet thick, but owing to the 

 mines being abandoned and the locality overgrown with thick 

 grass, I was unable to make any detailed examination. Whether 

 the coal-bearing rocks stretch much further south is not known. 

 Towards the north-east in the direction of Miao-tsway, there is 

 said to be a group of Chinese coal mines at Mu-ku-lang, 3 miles 

 from Li-kang-ch'ang. 



On the northern side of the Yunnan Hsien plain, the coal hori- 

 , , . zons crop out, being hidden under the lacus- 



Northern extension r & _ 



of the Yunnan Hsien trine deposits of the plain in the intervening 

 coalfield. area Q 0Si [ [% m i ne d on the south-western 



slopes of peak G,950, which lies to the east-north-east of the city, 

 but which does not form a very conspicuous land-mark, as the 

 surrounding plain has an elevation of more than 0,000 feet, The 

 thick soil-cap hides most of the rocks in the vicinity of the mines 

 but the exposures that are visible exhibit the same soft yellow 

 sandstones and marls as those found at Miao-tsway, ten miles to 

 the south-east on the other side of the plain. The strike is north 

 and south and the dip high towards the east. A few fragmentary 

 plant remains were collected in weathered shale on an old mine 

 heap. There appear to be two seams and in the vicinity of the 

 village of Ta-ho-tsun, lines of old workings run in an almost due 

 north and south direction for over a mile. The only rocks visible 

 are a few isolated exposures of soft yellow sandstones. Outcrop 

 material from the two seams assayed as follows :— 



Locality. 



Ta-ho-tsun (1) 

 Ta-ho-tsun (2) 



Moisture. 



8-2(3 

 4-27 



Volatile 



matter. 



14-85 



y-ss 



Fixed 



carbon. 



Ash, 



54-98 

 58-98 



21-90 



20-87 



Winters slightly 

 Sinters slightly. 



Coal-seams 

 Tong-ch'uan. 



near 



The coal-bearing rocks are again met with near Tong-ch'uan. 



a small village one stage to the north of 

 Yunnan Hsien. The road to the mines leaves 

 the village of Lung-yu-tsun, which is situated 

 at the eastern edge of the Pin-ch'uan Chou plain (lat. 25° 44' ; 

 long. 100° 33') and proceeds up the valley of a small tributary 

 stream to the east, for about a mile. At first tho Perrno-Carboni- 



