44 
Records of the Geological Survey oj India. 
[voL xm. 
be imclerstood to eomprebend strata ranging throughout the uj^per Trias (under 
which I include Ehsetic) to strata of lower Liassic or upper Rhaetic (lower 
Tagling) age. As I shall notice, there may possibly be some even newer 
.strata included here and there in the area, though in the absence of fossil evi¬ 
dence I cannot be certain. Whenever I have been able to recognise any of 
Stoliczka’s minor divisions I have mentioned them. It may be observed that 
in his second paper on Western Tibet, Dr. Stoliczka was disposed to unite the 
Trias and Rhoetie ‘ 
I commence my examination of the pre-Tertiary rocks of the Zanskar basin 
at its north-western extremity. 
To the south and sonth-east of Shargol (Shergol), to quote the words of 
Dr. Stoliczka, • “ the higher hills all consist of Triassic limestone, alternating 
near the base with rather highly metamorphic, and sometimes strongly carbo¬ 
naceous shales, which it is very difficult to distinguish from the Tertiary beds,” 
which I have already shown to occur to the north of and at Shargol. Dr. Sto¬ 
liczka goes on to say that the determination of the Triassic limestone is tolerably 
certain, and that it is the same as that which occurs above Di-as. The latter 
was considered by Stoliczka^ as the representative of the Keuper (Lilang) in its 
lower part, and apparently of the Para limestone in its upper and more dolo- 
mitic part. We shall subsequently see that the Shargol limestone underlies 
other dolomitic strata which are probably the representative of the Para, the 
Shargol limestone being the Lilang. 
It does not appear that Dr. Stoliczka found any fossils in the Shargol lime¬ 
stone ; in the stream running to that place from the south there, however, occur 
numerous blocks of a blue limestone full of a species of a large Megalodon, though 
I did not find the fossil in situ. These fossils seem to differ from Megalodon 
triqneter,' characteristic of the Para limestone, by the larger size of the umbones, 
and by the deeper groove between the two valves. To Dr. Peistmantel and myself 
the species appears to be indistinguishable ivova. Megalodon gryplioides of Gumbel,* 
characteristic of the European Keuper. We have, therefore, pretty fair evi¬ 
dence that the Shargol limestone is upper Trias. 
Dr. Stoliczka, in the notes of the Yarkand journey, goes on to say that the 
Triassic limestone can be traced to the south of Karbu (Kharbu) and the 
Fotu-La ; and he further observes, that this limestone near Karbu and on the 
Potu-La is underlaid by shales, which he classes as Carboniferous, and which he 
traced as far as Ldma-Yuru. These shales are generally carbonaceous and weather 
to a peculiar light brown color, and as they underlie the upper Triassic Shargol 
limestone, they may in all probability be classed as Carboniferous, since according 
to Stoliczka,® the Lilang (upper Triassic) series in Spiti overlies (with here and 
there unconformity) the Kuling (Carboniferous) series ; the Permian and Lower 
’ Mem. Ocol. Surv. India, Vol. V, p. 352. 
® “Scientific Results of Second Yarkand Expedition,” Geology, p. 13. 
^ Mem. Geol. Snrv. India, Vol. V, p. 349. 
■' “ Manual of Geology of India,” PL II, figs. 8, 8a. 
“ “ Sitzungsb. d. k. Akad. Wien.,” Vol. XLV, p. 372, and figure. 
<■ Mem. Geol. Surv. India, Vol. V, p. 61. 
