INDO-CRINA. ,*j I 



prolonpntion of the northern " Yoinaa" or " Mountains/' and which in 

 wine 1'] •■■ attkttl It) ili|«Ktio]i f I ftO'.>') or ilnQi* fri-i . ] m yr.niL 'I'. mc-i i ltii 

 the svsLeui ia continued through thu filalny PouEiuluIjil a* far sb the island 

 of BiDitun Mow thu equator. 



The general geological BtTTutnif of Burmnh is deserihed by IC li. 



iNnuiiiiis ;i>- wry i Ju i» Lt- . (1 Iiivl futnmtiuiiN running north and south 



in groat mountain range*. The tertiary formations of IVgu reach north- 

 wards to tin- grunt bend of the lraHaddy at Kyoiitu-hiug below Aytk, while 

 the Rtetunoiph it- ivick.i of tln< Miii -laban hilLs arc continued in the Fhnn 

 Yomii poaI of Mamlalay* In the Rantr* way the limeMone of the So I win 

 and Km-]] in hills cnm'sponoH with that of the Dawna range east of 

 M aid mem, and I lu- gem ml feature* of the i.rnm1 ry much irwinlle those 

 of the north* west provinces uf India, 



Y. nt of lU*' liitrnuH- am] ut-sl-m Siamese mngo* tin- i<t<^i-ajili ie >ya- 

 ii in I 1 1 ..rn-.- r i . nr.- i regular and less elevated, I lie central Siamese plains 

 being broken only hy low and short ridges or isolated eminences, such 

 as the Kofi SaJlai' eaM of Sliatitabun (2100 feet), the rrabat and Bassac 

 hUls (3S00 feet). But the regular and pirallel disjiowtion of the Indo- 

 Chinese ranges reappear* furl her north and east, in the ehuin hcpmntitig 

 th<- Mtklirmg from the Kong-koi kudu, and in tin- L'oehin-Chintso coast 

 range. North-west of Hue the main range rises to a height of from tiOOO 

 to 7000 feet. Further switli is developed to lofty Sauava>- or Botox- en 

 Platka t {about SOW feel), which is enclosed between the Mekhong and 

 Don rivers un the west and Tiorth-wcat, and by the Kong an the eant and 

 south-east. This extensive tableland, which has been explored by Thorel, 

 Hnrniiiud, anil other French ikatuntlistK, presents in Nomu places tkkc aspect 

 or n grassy or swampy steppe, and in others is covered with dense: forests 

 <y( BWliii-rs ";.k.s < he-i M.LI s, }li I ■ -a Inijiyh'l ttilli J-aht:.-;, him boo*, sunt other 

 Hiibit'rjjiii'iil specica. The soil consists of a frrruginmiiH clay muting on 

 sandstones intors|*r*ed with lavas and scoria;, which combined with the 

 presence of hot opringK and fiuveral COM -shaped crests, show that llitH 

 region was formerly the win* of igin'cai>; activity. 



In the ctttvmu north-east tin- Itill^i atLd plateaux merge everywhere, in 

 tin' l'l-n-'lying phiin-i of Camboja, which are interrupted in the *«wt by the 

 gram lie TloM.At (over \i> ».)<.! i. .1 : iIhhii the .-.mim-s *>i Ibe Uumiai, in l in: 

 west by th»- Pmbat and-PtriWAT IhhLH lketwefn Ibe TonlesSan basin and 

 the Gulf of Siam, cltliuinniing in thu Elephant Tejik (.S000 feet) tfttt of 

 Kampot. 



Mineral Wealth. — The Shan uplands and the r.ragea separating 

 tlio Irawaddy and Sal win bmun contain rich iron, lead, copper, tin, 

 and silver deposits. Tlte Stiurili river washes down golden sands 

 from Yunnan; rubles. (fipintdaV), sapphirea, emeralds, topazes* and 

 other prccioMs stones >vere for ages collected in the hilts to the 

 iitirth-i.';i>t of Ava fur tbr ruynl Ih.'asury of. Bunnalu Thin in h\pq 

 one of Uie few regions containing deposits of jade, which oooun 

 clihdly Lib the Mojplng; district north of Bimitio, Saline aprings and 

 petroletnn are found in great abundance at the eastern foot of the 

 Arakan Voina, where over 500 wells have been tnink near Yny-nan- 

 gyung, on the left bank of the Irawaddy, Tho yield now exceeds 

 12,000 tons yearly, some of which is exported to Great Britnin. 



