GEOLOGY OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



41 



new red sandstones, (the red marl or ground of the English Geologists.) 

 To the character of variegated, the sandstones, &c. are undoubtedly 

 entitled, and the red ferruginous appearance of the soil, which is univer- 

 sally observed, is also characteristic of the above formation. Indeed the 

 whole appearance of the rocks composing this series, is in exact accord- 

 ance with that of the new red sandstones as described in Europe. The 

 great characteristic of this formation is, however, as far as I know, 

 wanting — allude to the rock salt and gypsum, which are almost univer- 

 sally found associated with it. These certainly occur to our north, but 

 a large primitive district intervenes, and the only indication which I have 

 seen of salt is an efflorescence which occasionally appears at the surface, 

 containing a large proportion of muriate of soda.* All things considered, 

 however, I perfectly agree with Captain D. in classing these rocks 

 with the new red sandstones, and I shall not be at all surprised, if future 

 observations should discover them to be a continuation of the saliferous 

 sandstone formation described by Captain Franklin, and that they may 

 be traced through the Bharatpur district, north towards DeJiU, and may 

 thus be connected with the rocks containing salt and gypsum, which 

 must occur to the north of Ajmer, and be continued into Lahore, MuUan, 

 kc. south towards Kutch, extending, perhaps, even into Persia, and 

 forming a zone around the great and elevated primitive formation of 

 Central India, and separating it from the primitive formations of the 

 Himalaya mountains. Traces of a formation, similar to the one above 

 described, I have also noticed on the route from Baroda to Udaypur. 



The very partial occurrence of organic remains on the above series 

 of rocks, ought not to militate against the position I am endeavouring to 



* See also Note to page 53. 

 M 



