UMARIA COAL-FIELD. 



19 



advantage of the situation ; for, during the cold weather, when the bed of 

 the river is still moderately full, and ferns and other plants and climbing 

 fig trees deck and festoon the banks, it presents a charming coup cl'ceil 

 to the traveller who stays on his way to cool himself at the river 

 ford. 



With the exception of the Umrar, all the streams become dry soon 

 after the ending of the rainy season. And from 



Rocks dry. . .,..,.„ 



experience gained in sinking tor coal, the rocks do 



not appear to hold much water. Most of the rain that falls is evidently 



carried away at once, as there is a very thin capping of soil to gather it. 



The total exposure of the Barakars is, as I have said before, six 



square miles, the greatest length being four miles, 



Area, 6 square miles. 



and the average breadth one and a half. The bound- 

 aries cannot be very closely and accurately defined, as the sections are not 

 open enough for this purpose. I have, however, 



Boundaries. 



mapped them as suggested by the evidence that was 

 available. The contacts with the upper and lower groups are all na- 

 tural. The Talchirs are overlapped, where the Barakars rest upon the 

 metamorphic rocks of the Lora inlier, and the Barakars themselves are 

 irregularly overlaid by newer Gondwana groups. 



To the south-west of Umaria, the lower limit of the group is fairly 

 recognisable, and the borings near the railway track indicate that the 

 lines shown on the map are passably accurate. Near Chatan and Lal- 

 pvir there is more satisfactory ground, in the clearer views obtainable of 

 the beds, for belief in the correctness of the limitation adopted. To the 

 east of Umaria, however, and within the Kalesar holding, there is a 

 broad margin of uncertainty, as che surface soil effectually hides every- 

 thing from view. While opportunity offered, I had three borings put 

 down in order to test the extension of the coal measures in that direction, 

 but unfortunately a series of mishaps prevented their completion, and the 

 question is still an open one as to how far eastward the boundary ought 

 to be placed. 



There is no continuous section showing the arrangement of the 

 group, but a very fair idea of the stiatigraphical sequence may be obtained 



( 155 ) 



