THE GEOLOGY OF THE MALAY PENINSULA. 2oilt 
Upper Tertiary Irrawaddy system of fresh-water beds. 
Middle Tertiary | Pegu system of marine beds. 
(lower Miocene 
and Oligocene ) 
- ; 7 Umcomtormuitye % = si a 
Lower Tertiary consisting of nummulitic limestones under- 
(Kocene ) lain by a shaley series containing interbedded 
seams of coal. 
‘ fi : i 7) Wneontonmry, 0% . oi ** 
Cretaceous beds passing down into the Triassic. 
The Tertiary coals of Burma are nearly all confined to the 
lower Tertiary or Eocene, being almost invariably associated with 
characteristic beds of nummulitic limestone. The series is about 
1200 feet in thickness. Usually the coals are bright and non- 
laminated and they contain a large proportion of volatile matter. 
They are extremely friable and quickly break up under exposure. 
They do not cake, and they contain only a small proportion of ash. 
In Tennasserim there are several localities where the coal has 
been reported on, and, in some cases, the seams have been shown to 
be of no practical value, because th e seams are too small, or be- 
cause of the poor quality of the coal. In Henzada district an attempt 
was made to exploit the coal, but the rocks are highly disturbed, 
(the general dip is about 60°), and transport and labour difficulties 
prevented operations. At Thayetmyo a mine was opened many 
years ago, in spite of the fact that the beds were nearly vertical, 
SO making mining very difficult, but the two original seams eradual. 
ly merged into one, and then died out, after only a little coal had 
been taken out, so operations were abandoned. 
In Arakan district similar coal seams are found, which, on 
account of their highly <isturbed nature, are not likely to provide 
large supplies, even for local use. In Shwebo district a company 
opened up extensive mines at Letkobin which worked for thirteen 
years with an annual output of 10,000 to 15,0100 tons until the year 
1904, when the workable coal became exhausted. 
Near the Upper Chindwin River, coal seams are quite strongly 
developed, and, in the Nantahin-Peluswa area, of twenty five square 
miles, it is calculated that there are 210 million tons of workable 
coal. Near Pinlebu, a village twenty five miles north-west of 
Wuntho, there are promising coal seams of Miocene age, dipping at 
a low angle. 
The Pegu system atioiine a thickness of 12,000 feet. It is 
important as containing the petroliferous beds which yield all the 
petroleum of Burma. It is marine throughout. 
R. A. Soc., No. 86 1922. 
