88 
lieconh of the Geoloyical Survey of India. 
fvoL. xrii. 
witli tlie Cambrians of tlie Himalayan area, then it is also certain that the change 
of jjhysical conditions took place near the close of that epoch, and this is jn’oveu 
by the unconformity which mai-ks the junction with the overlying rocks, in the 
hills the Silurians. How, assuming that this break after the pre-Vindhian ejioch 
corresponds with the one which occurs after the deposition of the Cambrians in 
the hills, we further perceive that on one side (Himalayas) wo have a great 
series of marine palosozoic rocks, whereas on the other side (the Peninsula) only 
a mass of sandstones, quai’tzites, and shales is found next in succession. Prom 
henceforth the physical conditions of the peninsula are those of terra Jirma, and 
it is beyond doubt that some of the sandstones may rej)rescnt one or more 
members of the palmozoic scries. It has before been assumed that the Vindhians 
n\a,y be Silurian, pcihaps even pre-Silurian, but I argue that the Vindhian 
sandstones, &c., represent the whole of the palaeozoic rocks up to the close of the 
Carboniferous, and that there was not a long continued break between the depo¬ 
sition of the last Vindhians and the lowest Gondwmna rocks. Ascending the 
scale of palceozoic rocks in the hills we find au unbroken series until w'e reach 
the close of the Carboniferous rocks, 'whore we find a hrealc —Triassic rocks of 
European type resting directly on Caihoniferous. Some disturbances must have 
taken place to piroduce this break, changes of physical conditions which must 
liavc affected the Indian Penin.sula. Now, if we search for the signs of these 
changes south of the central range, wo notice the first unconformity, the first 
break between the Vindhians and the Talchirs. There is therefore good evidence 
that the former are sirapily the freshwater facies of the whole of the pralasozoic 
series and that the Upjper Vindhians represent the Carboniferous formation. 
And indeed this is likely enough if -yv'e comprare this group with the similar 
Table-mountain sandstone of the Cap)e; these two groups not only resemble 
each other in petrological characters, but occupsy relatively the same geological 
position. 
8. The mesosoic forriiaiionx in the Himalayas. —On the Carboniferous in the 
Kumaun sections, and on older rocks elsewhere pirobably, we find the mesozoic 
series ushered in by beds corresp)onding to the Bunter-Sandstein of Europe, or 
more correctly to the Wefen beds of the Alps. I wms able to distinguish the 
following groujjs of the. Trias and Rha3tic':— 
Rhcetic 
Trias ... 
Ainoiila coniortahoAs ... ... ... 
LitliodondroU'limestonc (Mf^alodon triquefer) with several partings 
of foRsilifcrons beds, probable x’epresentatives of the lower Kossen 
beds of the Alps ... 
Dolomites with partings of Lithodcudrondimestone 
Bro^Yn limestones with greenish shales ... 782' 
Greenish shales ... ... ... ,,, ... 160' 
Black limestones, with splintery shales ... ... ... 483' 
Grey limestones ... ... ... ... ... 50' 
Limestone, earthy ... ... ... ... 3' 
^a^Pil^’IcWorfenbods) .184' 
Seissev > 
2,213' 
1,662' 
' For a more detailed description and correlation of the Triassic and I!ha>tic series, I refer to 
the companion paper in this number of the Records “ Palmontological notes oh the lower Trias 
of the HimatayasT 
