374 LA TOUCHE : GEOLOGY OF NORTHERN SHAN STATES. 



An account of some prospecting trials carried out by myself 

 in the streams draining the Loi Twang range 

 has been published in the Records of the 

 Geological Survey. 1 The gold occurs in the form of small flat 

 spangles with irregular outlines and a pitted surface, and has 

 evidently not travelled far, but none was found in situ. The 

 quantity was disappointing, for except in one case, when a small 

 nugget was found weighing 4 -86 grains, it did not amount to as 

 much as 2 grains per cubic yard. 



Quite recently a more promising occurrence has been brought 

 to light by the Sawbwa (Chief) of Hsipaw, 

 in the sub-State of Mong Long. This State 

 lies to the north of the plateau and is entirely covered by rocks 

 belonging to the Chaung-Magyi series and by the mica schists. In 

 this case the gold is in larger spangles and some of the specimens con- 

 sist of quartz grains studded with flakes of gold, suggesting that 

 the metal is derived from the quartz veins which traverse these 

 formations in all directions. The exact locality of this discovery 

 has not yet been made known, but it is hoped that an oppor- 

 tunity will soon occur of examining the deposits. 2 



Iron -ore. 



In some parts of the Shan States indications are met with, in 

 LoJ ^ ^ the shape of heaps of ferruginous slag, that in 



former times a considerable amount of iron 

 ore was smelted, but in only one instance did I find any manu- 

 facture of iron actually going on, and that was on a very small 

 scale. At the southern end of Loi Twang I came upon a party of 

 Tarengs engaged in making 'dha ' blades, the large knife which 

 the hill-man has always ready to his hand, which he uses impartially 

 , „ for cutting down trees or an enemy, for splitting 



jYlotlo of occuri't'iK'c 



bamboos when engaged in house-building, or for 

 slicing his tobacco. The ore is obtained in large masses along the 

 outcrop of the Naungkangyi shales on the eastern side of the range, but 

 the absence of good transverse sections made it impossible to see 

 whether it was a mere surface impregnation of the beds, of the nature 



1 Vol. XXXV, Pt. 2, p. 102. 



2 Ninee the above was written, the deposit has been examined and reported on, 

 see licrordu, dioK S»rv. In!., Vol. XI. IT, pp. :i7-.~>l. " Report on certain gold-bearing 

 deposits of M<>ng Long, Hsipaw .State, " by J. Coggin Brown. 



