ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 



375 



of laterite, or an. interstratified layer. If the former supposition is 

 correct the quantity available cannot be large, certainly not suffi- 

 cient to keep a modern blast-furnace supplied. 



The ore associated with the Wetwin shales, and that found 

 . along the cart-road between Zegon (Singaung) 



(B 5) and Maymyo, mentioned by Mr. Datta in 

 the General Report of the Geological Survey for 1899-1900 (p. 121), 

 is of the same character. Iron ore is said to have been obtained 

 from a hill close to Thondaung (Burnt., Iron Hil!^ 



Thondaung. ., ... „ „ , T , 



railway station, near Zegon, and. 1 was shown 

 a pit in the side of the hill, which consists of the Plateau Lime- 

 stone, said to have been an iron mine. No traces of ore could be 

 seen, and the pit was filled with rubbish, but as the top of this hill 

 and of others in the neighbourhood are covered with masses of 

 a rich ore, which may be of lateritic origin, the ' mine ' may only 

 mark an attempt of the native prospectors to find out whether the 

 ore penetrates to the interior of the hill or not. 



Limestones and Building Materials. 



Limestones of very varied composition and quality, ranging 

 . , . . from the practically pure calcite of the Permo- 



Vancty of composition. . . . , , ... 



Larbonirerous tormation, through the argilla- 

 ceous limestones of the Ordovician and Silurian, to the dolomites 

 of the Plateau Limestone, are to be found in the greatest abund- 

 ance in these hills ; but with the exception of a certain quantity of 

 lime, which is burnt at Tonbo and Zebingyi by the most primitive 

 native methods, mainly for local consumption, no use has hitherto 

 been made of them. And yet among limestones of such varied 

 composition it is not unlikely that some might be found suitable 

 for the manufacture of cement, for which there is a very large 

 demand, both in Burma and India. No experiments on an ade- 

 quate scale, however, have yet been made in order to ascertain 

 whether this is the case or not. 



There is very little demand for building stone in the States, 

 _ .... though the railway engineers have used both 



Building stone. . ° 



the limestone, and in a lew instances, the sand- 

 stones of the Niimyau series for bridge building with success; but 

 the Plateau Limestone is usually in too shattered a condition to be 

 of much use in this respect. Some of the harder bands among the 



