COAL, 



77 



The Middle Carboniferous is well developed in a synclinal fold 



,,. , „ n , : . bounded on the east by the fault which forms 



ous of the Tsi-ticn the western shores of Lake Yang-tsung, and 



neighbourhood. on ^ wegtj according to Deprat, by another 



fault which brings it into contact with the Cambrian. At various 

 places in this district thin coal-seams occur in the sandstones and 

 shales over the limestones. I saw several old pits, but they are 

 little more than prospects. The following analysis is given by 

 Lantenois : — 



Locality. 



Moisture. 



Volatile 

 matter. 



Fixed 



carbon. 



Ash. 



Authority 



Tsi-tien . 



1-70 



20*5a 



... 



22-50 



Lantenois. 



According to Deprat (De., p. 210). the coals of this locality are 

 friable and full of pyrites. They have been tried on the French 

 railway which crosses the region and were given up as useless. The 

 coal is only good enough for lime- or brick-kilns. 



Other Coal Mines. 



The following occurrences of coal are reported on the authority 

 of the French geologists, in order to complete this account. I 

 have not seen them myself. 



T'ung-hai Hsien (lat. 24°<>' : long. 102°48') has an elevation 



of G,200 feet and is 05 miles south of Yunnan 

 T'ung-hai Hsien. _ 3 . r mi ,i 



Fu, m a direct line. lhere are three groups 



of workings at the following places : — 



(a) Ta-che-shan. 



(b) Hsiao-pa and Lu-shui-tang. 



(c) Lu-chuang. 



A single seam varying in thickness from seven or eight inches 

 to a little over three feet is interbedded in a series of sandy shales 

 from 30 to GO feet thick, intercalated in thick limestones. Exploit- 

 ation seems to have been carried on for a long time as the pits 

 are very deep. The coal is used in brick-kilns, lime-kilns and forges 

 where the impure iron from the Hsi-o mines is worked up into horse- 

 shoes, nails, etc. The latter are sent through Southern Yunnan, as 

 far as Ssu-mao T'iiig which has an important trade with Hsi-o, 

 and to the Laos. Lantenois made his observations in the winter 



