oct. — dec. 1856.] The Natron Lake of Loonar. 



In an able statistical memoir of the Circar of Meikher, drawn 



T , „ up by Surgeon Bradley of the Contingent, 



Remarks on the Geo- r J ° J & > 



logy of the Loonar then on special duty, the opinion is re-ad- 

 vanced and supported by Geological facts, 

 that this singular and wild looking excavation, is the crater of an 

 extinct volcano. On this point, however, there exists amongst 

 Geologists, I believe, some difference of opinion, so that the ques- 

 tion maybe regarded as still " sub judice." A jagged and pic- 

 turesque rent exists in the N. E. wall of the supposed crater, down 

 which runs the little stream which passes through a stone channel 

 called the cow's mouth, forming part of a Hindoo temple, which is 

 perched romantically upon a spot near the top of the ravine. Since 

 the destruction of a weir too, during the rains, a large and deep 

 nullah is filled with water which rushes down the ravine. The 

 water as it passes over the almost vertical face of a Trap wall depo- 

 sits travertin in considerable quantity. Through this great rent, 

 the lava current is supposed by Surgeon Bradley to have found 

 an exit, whence he supposed it to have spread over the surround- 

 ing country. Whilst descending the ravine, the rough natural sec- 

 tion thus exposed, shows Trap rocks of various kinds, vesicular, 

 compact and amygdaloidal. Masses also of ferruginous trap, wea- 

 thering red, are seen with seams of chalk, reddish ochre, clay and 

 disintegrated trap having all more or less of a stratiform aspect. 

 During the Resident's recent tour to Hingolee, Loonar, Mominadad, 

 Oodygheer and Beder back to Hyderabad, the whole route with 

 the exception of the syenite and green stone near Hyderabad, and 

 the laterite plateau of Beder lay over an uninteresting country of 

 Trap to the entire exclusion of rock of greater Geological and 

 Paleontological character. In many places, the Trap bears features 

 precisely similar to those observed in the walls and rent of the 

 Natron Lake ; at times, the Trap was in solid blocks with vertical 

 seams and irregular horizontal rents— often seen in bowries— 

 again, it was amygdaloidal the nodules being imbedded in concen- 

 tric laminae of disintegrated trap and argillaceous shale, the beds 

 being laid over chalk, argillaceous schists,marls,red ochre and green 

 earth — again, it appeared in rude, but distinct strata, almost as 

 regular as the layers of stones in a wall— again, it appeared disor- 



