RECORDS 
OF THE 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 
No. 2.] ^ 1870 [May. 
Geology of Gwalior and vicinity, by Chas. A. Racket, Esq., Geological 
Survey of India. 
The following observations will be confined to the southern part of the country near 
to Gwalior, included in Sheet No. 1 of the Gwalior and Central India Topographical Survey, 
the northern part being covered by the alluvium, which I did not examine very closely. 
Physical features. —The southern part of tho area is traversed by six ranges of hills; 
three of these have an east and west and the other three a north-east and south-west 
direction. Of the three east and west ranges, that to the south, extending from near the 
town of Par on the west, to the Sindh river on the east, is between 3 and 400 feet above 
the level oi the plain to the south and presents a steep scarp in that direction. The other 
two are not so high and are less continuous; the northern range, that north of Gwalior, 
being formed of a line of isolated hills. 
The three north-east and south-west ranges are the continuation of ranges extending to 
the south beyond Sipri. All of them present a steep scarp to the south-east, and incline, 
at a small angle, in the opposite direction, roughly parallel to the dip of the rocks. 
Two series— The rocks forming the east and west line of hills belong to an entirely 
different series from those forming the north-east and south-west line ; the former being 
formed of the Gwalioe Series and the latter of the Uri’ER Vindiiyan. 
_ Unconformity. —These two series arc totally unconformable to each other, the former 
having been immensely denuded before the deposition of the latter. In fact, I shall show 
presently that the principal physical features of the Gwalior series, viz., the Par scarp 
and the two valleys included between the three ranges of hills, were in existence previously 
to the deposition of the Upper Vindhyan series. 
Crystalline. —The narrow strip of country south of the Par scarp is occupied by the 
crystalline rocks. But except on the scarp and a few hillocks in front of it, the rocks are 
mostly covered by the alluvium. This area is also traversed by numerous large quartz 
veins ; some of these extend for many miles in length, and attain to a height of 2 or 300 
feet above the plain. Further south, these quartz veins are more numerous, longer and some¬ 
times upwards of 500 feet high. 
Crystalline Rocks. 
Par scarp. —-As only a small area of these rocks is exposed within our limits, my observa¬ 
tions upon them will be very brief. The greater part of the Par scarp is formed of gneiss. 
Where highest there is only a capping of a few feet of the Par quartzite, the lowest member 
ol the Gwalior series; but in most of the deep bays, which have been worn out of the 
scarp, and east of Deogurh where the scarp is cut hack by the Sindh river, no gneiss is seen, 
but the quartzite extends down to the level of the plain. 
The g'deiss in the scarp is in a very decomposed state, and a good deal covered by the 
debris of the quartzites, &c. The foliation is obscure, but in places it can be traced ; the strike 
appeared to be east-20°-north. 
The gneiss most often seen in the scarp is composed of red felspar, quartz, and black 
mica ; frequently the mica is entirely absent, and sometimes steatite is very abundant. 
