part 1.] Blanford : Great Indian Desert between Sind and Rdjputand. 11 
Umarlcot to Balmir .—From Umarkot to Godra (60 miles) tlie road is over sandhills, 
with the same general strike north-east—south-west; but towards Godra the hills decrease in 
number, and sandy plains intervene. For about 35 miles from Umarkot, all well-water is 
very brackish, the wells being in sandy clay ; farther to the eastward, although no rock is 
seen at the surface, sandstone is found at a little depth, and sweet water is procured. The 
edge of the sandstone may mark the limit of the old estuary, and hence the brackishness 
of the water to the westward. 
Sandstone is also seen in some tanks near Godra. It is fine, whitish or pinkish in 
colour, rather felspathic, soft and often nodular from containing concretions of carbonate 
of lime. From a well in Godra, besides the sandstone, pinkish clay, a gritty ferruginous 
rock resembling laterite, and compact gritty limestone have been procured. No fossils were 
found, and it is difficult to ascertain what the beds can be. They may be either Jurassic 
or Tertiary, the former being perhaps rather more probable. 
Near Ramsir, 15 miles east of Godra, hills of hard rock begin to appear, at first isolated 
and of small extent, but farther to the eastward forming ranges of considerable height. 
These hills are chiefly composed of a very hard felsite-porphyry, dark-coloured and closely 
resembling jasper in texture. In some places, as at Redano hill, and again at Jessai, coarsely 
crystalline granitoid syenite and pegmatite are associated with the felsite. These felsites 
and their associates may be called for convenience Malani beds.* 
These rocks continue as far as Balmir, and extend for a considerable distance north 
and south of the road. The town of Balmir is built partly at the base, partly on the 
slope ot a hill, which, like several others to the northward, consists of sandstones, resting 
upon the dark-colourcd felsites. At the base of the formation is a coarse conglomerate of 
felsite pebbles ; above this are whitish and grey sandstones, sometimes very compact and 
hard, but elsewhere softer and veined or blotched with purple. A few ill-marked plant 
remains occur iu these rocks. 
These beds dip at 20° to 25° to the north-east on Balmir hill, a small outlier occurring 
on the top of the highest hill, a trigonometrical station. The same rocks continue for a 
mile, or rather more, along the edge of the hills to the northward, and re-appear in some 
isolated hills iu the sandy plain north-north-west of Balmir, the farthest observed being 
five or six miles from the town. Some of the sandstones are used for building, and are well 
adapted for the purpose. 
North and east of Balmir is a great sandy plain with occasional sandhills. At a 
village called Kapuli, 12 miles to the norlh, a very fine unctuous clay resembling fuller’s 
earth is found and quarried to some extent. It is associated with hard buff shale and some 
calcareous grit. The beds roll about at angles of 15° to 20° and may belong to the same 
group as the Balmir saudstones. A calcareous conglomerate is exposed about the village 
of Mohabar, 3 miles south-south-east of Balmir, and fragments of similar rock are seen 
north of the town, about the tanks. This conglomerate contains pebbles both of the Malani 
felsites and of the Balmir sandstone and is probably of late origin. 
Balmir to Jodhpur .—At Saokar, eight miles east of Balmir, much calcareous tufa occurs, 
apparently deposited from springs. The water at the village is very hard, evidently con¬ 
taining lime, and so brackish as to be unfit for drinking. No solid rock is seen in place for 
30 miles east of Balmir, on the road to Jasol, with the exception of this calcareous tufa. 
* Malani is the name of the district of which Balmir is the chief town. It belongs to Jodhpur hut is at 
present under British management. 
