92 



Geological Features 



[NO. 1, NEW SERIES, 



a small mountain situated a few miles north-west of Moosery, com- 

 posed partly of beautifully pure magnesite and brucite and some of 

 the other magnesian compounds. Where it is associated with 

 iron, it possesses considerable hardness and solidity, but the bru- 

 cite is soft and friable and has a large proportion of magnesia in it. 



Near this mountain, in the direction of Cannanore, is an exten- 

 sive bed of pure chlorite potstone. This is wrought to a consider- 

 able extent, and the vessels made of it, find a ready sale in Trichi- 

 nopoly, Madura and other large towns. 



It is in this region also that portions of the iron ore used by the 

 Porto Novo Iron Company are found, This appears to be an 

 oxide of the metal occurring in small gravelly pieces in the soil 

 and is mingled with much impurity. 



In this vicinity, three miles from Moosery on the road to Salem, 

 is situated a hill, or small mountain, composed, as far as appear- 

 ances indicate, almost entirely of crystalline pyroxene associated 

 with beds of albite. Here were masses of beautiful dark green 

 crystals of jeffersonite, black cocolite, forsterite, and hypersthene. 

 The disintegration of the pyroxene imparted to some places a pe- 

 culiarly rusty and irony appearance. 



At Totiem about eight miles from Moosery, the soil though com- 

 posed of a large portion of sand, imbeds large quantities of felspa- 

 thic gravel, which is used for improving the roads. 



Near this place, is a ridge of rocks composed of a quartzose gra- 

 nite associated with striated siliceous limestone and pure albite, as 

 also massive garnet and chlorite rock, and at a little distance were 

 augite and felspar. 



In the vicinity of the upper annicut on the Coleroon river are 

 rocks of granular limestone, some of which have in their composi- 

 tion silica and pyroxene and some a portion of serpentine and the 

 rock is a variety of verdantique marble. 



To return again to the north, we find at Valcondapuram and vi- 

 cinity considerable quantities of magnesian rocks. In some cases 

 they are associated with lime and a chertty rock resembling a com- 

 pound of jasper and lime. Beautifully pure specimens of magne- 

 site as also round shot like grains or crystals of ferruginous oxide 



