part 2 .] Blanford: Coal at Korba, Bilaspur. 
55 
Sandstone. 
Good coal 
Shale with bands of coal 
Shale and coal, the latter good in part 
Coal rather inferior in part, but generally good 
Shale 
Good coal 
Not exammedy about... 
Shale ... 
Good coal 
Not examined, about.. 
Good coal 
Shale ... ... ... 
Good coal containing one or two thin bands of shale 
Not examined, about... 
Shale 
Good coal ... 
Sandy shale 
Sandstone 
Brought forward 
Feet. Inch. 
45 
3 
4 
Of 
3 
0 
3 
0 
• 3 
6 
1 
0 
1 
0 
3 
0 
1 
0 
4 
og 
3 
0 
4 
0 
0 
4 
6 
8 i 
3 
0 
0 
4 
2 
8 j 
The above section shows a minimum thickness of 50 feet of fair coal. The proportion 
is probably nearer two-thirds of the seam. The best bands appear to be those marked 
b, g, and h ; portions of these and especially the lower two feet of h * appeared to me equal 
in quality to any coal found in the Banigunj field. There is some iron pyrites here and 
there, bat not throughout.. The coal ignites readily and burns well with rather more 
flame than is usual in Indian coal obtained from the surface. The ash left is lar°-e in 
quantity and partly red, partly white. 
Probable extent of seam— Meta.nii>rphic rocks are seen in the Has do about three miles 
south of Iv o r b a, and also at about the same distance to the north : these mark the limits of 
the beds accompanying the coal in those directions. East and west the coal-bearing beds 
extend to a great distance,^ and to the north-east they are apparently continuous with those 
iorming the hills east of Churi and Sutringa, and these are probably part of one large field 
which has been found by Mr. Medlicott to extend beyond Sirguja. But unfortunately 
the surface of the country near K o r b a is so much covered with alluvial deposits that 
very few rocks are visible, and those seen are almost invariably coarse sandstones, the dip 
ol which can rarely be determined accurately. West of the Hasdo the concealment is even 
greater than to the east, while in the latter direction the whole country is an immense forest 
rendering the relative position of' the few outcrops met with very obscure. 
But little information can be derived from the rocks seen in the H a s d o. The second 
outcrop of coal occurs about 300 yards higher up the river than that already described, 
and close to the same (right) bank. It is distinctly seen to be faulted against the sandstones 
which overhe the coal exposed at the southern outcrop. About 50 feet of coal are exposed, 
neither the top nor the base of the seam being visible. The dip is very irregular and 
twisted owing to the fault close by; it averages about 12° to N.-10°-W. 
It appears more probable that this is the same seam as that seen a little further down 
the river, and that it is brought up again by the fault than that two seams of such unusual 
thickness should occur in the same beds. This, however, can only be decided positively by 
liming the coal at the more northern outcrop appears rather inferior to that seen to the 
south, but m the latter locality the central portion of the seam contains more shale and 
interior coal than the top and bottom, and it is the central portion of the seam which alone 
is exposed to the north. If the two outcrops belong to the same seam the fault has a down¬ 
throw on its eastern side of no great amount, probably not much above 100 feet. 
So far as any reliance can he placed upon the dips in the sandstones, the general direc¬ 
tion appears to be north by east to north-north-east for about a. mile up the river above 
thecoah Beyond this no rocks are seen. Just above the village of Korba on the left 
bank there is a reversed dip to the south-west, but it is probably local. 
, Bel 7 the r tiem ro °k ^ only seen in the river at distant intervals ; the few 
sections observed appear to indicate that the direction of the dip changes to the eastward. 
* By a rough experiment, I obtained very fair coke from this part of the seam. 
