GEOLOGY OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



30 



waved appearance different from the perfectly level plains of Mewar, 

 and the hills rise less abruptly. On reaching Bdri, thirteen miles west 

 of Nimach, these hills increase in number, and a low range traverses 

 the line of march. We have now got among rocks of a newer formation, 

 which form a portion of the narrow belt above alluded to. 



The lowest series of this belt consist of sandstones, sandstone slates, 

 and a schist, which on one hand passes into sandstone slate, and on the 

 other somewhat resembles the shales of the coal formation, and which pas- 

 ses into an argillaceous marl slate— the sandstones are, generally speak- 

 ing, quartzose, fine grained, with an argillaceous, or ferrugino-argilla- 

 ceous cement. The characteristic color of these sandstones is variegated 

 — some are of a reddish color with white spots, and others are white or 

 grey with reddish spots, while others again exhibit a zoned aspect. 

 This rock is either compact, or passes through every variety of structure 

 till it becomes nearly soft and friable. It is sometimes too, though rarely 

 so, large grained, approaching to conglomerate. 



The sandstone slates differ little from the above in point of color, 

 but they have a distinct slaty structure, the slabs varying in thickness 

 from two inches to quarter of an inch, and some of them may be even 

 split into lamina as thin as common paste-board. Both of the above 

 rocks, but more particularly the sandstone slates, are traversed in very 

 many instances by numerous seams, running at right angles to the strata, 

 and dividing the mass into a number of square and rectangular por- 

 tions. Mica is of very abundant occurrence on the sandstone slates, it 

 is always of a grey color. 



The shales and argillaceous marl slates, into which the last passes, are 

 also of a variegated color. At Ban, they are of a greenish grey color, 



