18-10.] 



Geological Fonnaiion of the Himalayan Mountains. 



339 



on the ridge before descending into the valley of the Ganges, and two 

 others in the clay-slate and talc-slate. He could not in either case 

 trace their connection viiih the surrounding rocks, but infers that it pro- 

 bably crossed them nearly at a right angle, and if £o, their range must 

 approach to a parallel with that of the granite. 



Granite. — From the foregoing extract from Capt. Herbert, the com- 

 paratire absence of granite in the Himalayas might be inferred, though 

 in the line of section a magnificent outburst is observed on the summit 

 of the Choor Mountahi, which is greyish coloured, coarse-grained, with 

 veins of quartz, and is porphyritic towards Roundee. Enormous boul- 

 ders of it may be seen in the valleys, both to the north and south. It 

 was suspected to occur in other places, as boulders and hand specimens 

 were well known and totally different in character from the Choor 

 granite. Capt. H. w^as well acquainted with its existence in many 

 places, as he says: " Granite displays itself on the southern face in 

 several places, as at Champawut, Dhie, Almorah, Shaee Debee, Dooar- 

 ahatli, Pale dhore, Kunyoor, and Choor, situated, except the latter, in 

 beds in a zone of minin um elevation, and a line passing through them 

 all, has a direction to N. 60° W., the same as that of the strata and 

 mountain range. West of the Ganges no such beds are found, but the 

 granite occupies the summit of Choor; and this is the highest of the 

 mountains of the southern slope of the Himalayas, excepting only 

 those which form the snowy peaks and passes." In colouring these on 

 the large map of the Himalayas they form a line beautifully parallel to 

 the direction both of the Sandstone and the Himalaya range. On the 

 higher belt and northern face, according to Capt. Herbert, and towards 

 the central and highest parts. Granite veins are frequent, as at Whang-, 

 too or Huttoo ; and it is mentioned by himself, in his section of the 

 Gonass Pass. But, notwithstanding this, he seems not to have recog- 

 nized it at the sources of the Ganges, as Dr. Falconer writes me that 

 «' the section about the formation of Gungotri, instead of being of 

 gneiss, is all, to the northward of Sookhee, purely granite, and most 

 palpably so, a binary compound of felspar and quartz, with crystals of 

 tourmaline. It is the grand granitic axis of the Himalaya, and one of 

 the greatest and most magnificent outbursts of granite in the world." 

 He went across the direction of it for many miles up the Bhaghiretty, 

 beyond the temple at Gungotri, and saw no end of it. The granite es- 

 carpments shooting up into the highest peaks, and the huge cairns of 

 granitic blocks, many of them as large as a house, he describes as in- 

 conceivably grand. 



The Mines and Mineral productions of the Himalayas have been de- 



