11. 
Records of Hie Geological Survey of India. 
[vol. VII. 
latter have a comparatively recent aspect, and are rather micaceous, without the least 
metamorphic structure, while the shales accompanying them very often exhibit a silky, sub- 
metamorphic appearance on the plains of fracture. I observed occasionally traces of fucoids 
and other plants in these shales, but no animal fossils. On the Changchenmo route these 
shaly rocks forms the ridge of the Chang-lang pass, as well as the whole of the western 
portion of the Lingzi-thang; and they are met again after crossing these high plains and 
entering the Karakash valley, as far as Slunglung (or Dunglung). On the Korakorum route 
Dr. Bellew brought specimens of similar rocks from the Korakorum range itself. There 
can be but little doubt,—judging from similar rocks which I saw in Spiti, and from their 
geological relation to certain limestones, of which I shall presently speak—that we have 
in the shaly series the carboniferous formation represented. 
In many localities along the right bank of the Changchenmo river, then at the hot 
springs north of Gogra, and on the southern side of the Chang-lang pass, we find the carbo¬ 
niferous beds overlain by triassic limestone which often has the characteristic semi-oolitic 
structure of the Krol-limestone south of Simla. At Gogra and several other places dolomi- 
tic beds occur; and in these, sections of Dicerocardium Himalayaense are not uncommon. 
In other places bods are met with full of crinoid stems. North of the Lingzi-thang plain— 
to the west of which the hills are mostly composed of the same triassic limestone—a red 
brecciatcd, calcareous conglomerate is seen at the foot of the Compass-la, but this conglome¬ 
rate gradually passes into the ordinary grey limestone, which forms the ridge, and un¬ 
doubtedly belongs to the same group of triassic rocks. The last place where I saw the 
triassic limestone was just before reaching the camping ground Shinglung; here it is an 
almost white or light grey compact rock, containing very perfect sections of Megalodon 
triqueter, the most characteristic triassic fossil. On Mr. Forsyth’s route Dr. Bellew 
met with similar triassic limestones on tho northern declivities of the Sussir pass, and also 
on the Korakorum pass overlying the carboniferous shales and sandstones previously 
noticed. On tho Korakorum the triassic limestone contains spherical corals very similar 
to those which had been a few years ago described by Professor Ritter von Reuss from the 
Hallstadt beds in the Alps, and which are here known to travellers as Korakorum stones. 
A description of these very remarkable corals will bo given subsequently. 
Returning to our Lingzi-thang route, we leave, as already mentioned, the last traces 
of triassic limestone at Shinglung, in the upper Karakash valley. Here the limestone rests 
upon some shales, and then follow immediately the same chloritic rock which we noticed 
on the Lunker-la, alternating with quartzose schists, both of which must be regarded as 
of upper palaeozoic age. 
At Kizil-jilga regular sub-metamorphic slates appear, alternating with a red conglo¬ 
merate and red sandstones, and further on dark slate is the only rock to be seen the whole 
way down the Karakash, until the river assumes a north-easterly course, some fourteen 
miles west of the Karatngh pass. From here my route lay in a north-westerly direction 
towards Aktagh, and the same slaty rock was met with along the whole of this route up 
to the last mentioned place. Dr. Bellew also traced these slates from the northern side of 
the Korakorum to Aktagh. They further continue northwards across the Suget-la, a few miles 
north of the pass, as well as in single patches down the Suget river to its junction with the 
Karakash. The irregular range of hills to the south of the portion of the Karakash river, 
which flows almost east-west from Shah-i-dula, on its southern side entirely consists of these 
slates, while on the northern side it is composed of a fine-grained syenite, which also forms 
the whole of the Kuenlun range along the right hank of the Karakash river, and also is the 
sole rock composing the hills about the camping ground Shah-i-dula. The slates of which I 
spoke arc, on account of the close cleavage, mostly fine, crumbling, not metamorphic, and 
must, I think, be referred to the silurian group. They correspond to the metamorphic 
schists on the southern side of the Korakorum ranges. 
