PART 4 .] 
McMahon : The Simla Himalayas. 
219 
At Wangtu tliere is a ted of hornblende-schist which, I think, is an igneous rock in 
an advanced stage of metamorphism. It varies from 2 to 40 feet in thickness and 
traverses the granitoid gneiss, the bedding of which at Wangtu is obliterated. Sometimes 
two dykes run a parallel course, at varying distances from each other; at other times one 
dyke only is visible. It appears to be composed of hornblende and a triclinic felspar, and 
it shows distinct traces of a foliated structure. The manner in which it expands, or con¬ 
tracts, bifurcates and twists, seems only explicable on the supposition of its intrusion. 
I was fortunate enough not to miss the minerals of the Satlej valley—beryl and 
kyanite: the latter I found in the central gneiss, and the former in a dyke of albite 
granite. What is noticeable about the beryl is that I found crystals piercing a patch of 
mica, a crystal imbedded in the felspar, and another in quartz, showing that it was the 
first crystal to become solid in the melted mass. Another specimen which I unfortunately 
broke was curved, which seems to indicate that the beryl crystals remained plastic for 
some time. 
The trip up the right bank of the Satlej, which will take us to the scene of great granite 
intrusion, I leave for the present, and turn up the Baspa valley. I followed the right 
bank of the Satlej as far as Ohagaon, crossing to the left bank below that village, and 
thence on to Ivilba, elevation 6,525 feet. Prom Kilba to Barwa on the Baspa River (elevation 
6,600 feet), dip steady north-east until three-fourths of a mile from the mouth of the Baspa, 
where there is change to 48° east. The gneiss through which I had passed all the way 
from Wangtu is now lost, and thin-bedded quartzite and mica-schists take its place. To 
Sangla (elevation 8,680 feet), the dip, at first east-south-east, afterwards varied to east-ll°- 
north and east-1 l°-south. The angle, at one time as high as 45°, dropped rather suddenly 
at Sangla to 20°. At Sangla, blocks of the “central” gneiss indicate the neighbourhood of 
that rock. One end of the bridge rests on a block of gneiss 47' x 41' x 15'. The fall of 
the bed of the Baspu is 250 feet per mile. 
VII. —Rupin Pass—Chansel Ridge—Pabajr Valley. 
Prom Sangla I ascended to Nuru,* and encamped on the snow at an elevation of 
13,125 feet above the sea. It was at the very end of November. Shortly after leaving 
Sangla, I came on the “central” gneiss. Dip east, and some crushing aud contortion near 
Nuru. From Nuru to top of pass (elevation 15,480 feet, Gerard), dip low to east, then flat all 
the way down to Basuddarf (elevation 11,600 feet). Snow all the way, but rocks well seen 
in cliffs—they are mica-schists passing at times into gneissic beds. The latter, however, is 
not the central gneiss, or anything like it. Basuddar to Jako; elevation 8,950 feet. Dip 
flat all the way. Rocks mica-schist aud silicious schists, getting more and more silicious as 
Jako is neared. Jako to Kuar (PajearlJ of map) ; elevation 7,640 feet. Mica-schists all the 
way. With some local variations, the dip is flat as far as Pandargtir (Gar = River). This 
is the Barabati of the map—a name 1 could not get any one to comprehend. After this the 
average dip is low to north-ll°-east. 
Near Knar there is a compact weathered limestone with some carbonaceous rocks dis¬ 
integrating into black earth. Prom Kuar down to the river (a considerable descent), and up 
to Dodra (elevation 8,300 foot) on the other side, the rocks are mica-schist closely resembling 
those of the Infra-Krol series. There are irregular strings of quartz in these schists 
(as in the Infra-Krol rocks), and the earth resulting from their disintegration is dark. Dip 
* A halting place under the rocks about three miles ou the north-east side of the pass, 
t A halting place nearly under the Goras peak, or thereabouts. 
t Properly Pujiari, so called because there is an idol temple there and a Pujari. Kuar is the collective name 
of three or four villages, and is the only name by which the place is known to people at a distance. 
