08 
Records of Ike Geological Survey of India. 
[vol. IV. 
northern section on the Sitariva; the two being, moreover, on the same general strike. 
Regarding the southern extension of the seams, where, it may be hoped, they become steadier 
and farther from trap, no result has as yet been attained. The small trial-shaft and boring 
close to Benar on the north-west not having proved coal within 50 feet, Mr. Taylor shifted 
his operations to a point south-east of the village, and well in on the Mahadeva rocks 
where he is now boldly sinking a shaft. He could not, within his limits, have chosen 
a better position for making a thorough trial of the ground. According to the nearest dip 
seen (25°), and supposing no intervening fault, the shaft may have to be sunk 235 feet 
before striking the measures; but there is hope that the dip flattens, so as to lessen the 
depth. The shaft is now 98 feet deep, 92 feet of which were through an unbroken mass 
of mottled red clay, locally silicified and very hard, but all requiring to be cased up. 
The bottom 6 feet are in a firm, clear gray, sandstone-conglomerate. The plane of junc¬ 
tion, which (Mr. Taylor informs me) seemed regular, thus affording a fair observation of 
the dip, sloped at 18° to the south-south-east. The prospects are so far improving. The 
spirited euterprize of Mr. Jones, the present proprietor, deserves every success. 
In my small map of last year I marked some Talchir rocks, with a query, on the 
south of Puwaria village. A re-examination of that obscure section, later in the season, 
whon the ground is less concealed, has convinced me that the rocks are Mahadeva; thus 
making the suppression of the older roeks to the westward of the Sitariva. much more rapid 
than was at first apparent. But there is no deciding as to the manner of this suppression ; 
it may be altogether due to faulting or to folding of the strata. Tho alternative suppo¬ 
sition to that of disturbance to account for this so sudden disappearance of the coal-measures 
would be that there is strong denudation-unconformity between the two rock-series. There 
are some puzzling sections about the mines seeming to corroborate this view of the case; 
still it is hard to get over the fact first adduced against it—that in the best exposed sections 
the succession of the rocks seems regular. And there certainly can be no objection now to 
(ho supposition of disturbance. The unpromising nature of the ground in this position, 
at the edge of the basin, is further displayed in this section at Puwaria by the discovery 
of four strong trap-dykes, or at least outcrops (the section is so flat one cannot positively say 
how the trap occurs), iu a length of about three quarters of a mile. 
Several new outcrops of the lignite-coal in the Upper Mahadeva rocks have been ex¬ 
amined during the past field season in tho hills east of the Sitariva. They all bear out 
the opinion already given on the subject. 
There remains to notice the coal near Lokartalai at the extreme west end of the basin, 
so far as exposed at the surface; the whole sedimentary series there passing beneath the 
trap. The coal-band here seems different to any yet noticed. It occurs (see small map 
annexed) at some distance from the boundary of the metamorphic rocks, being exposed in a 
trench cut by the Moran across a flat anticlinal fold of the strata. Tho upper rock is a strong 
pebbly Malidddva sandstone, but on what exact horizon has not been determined, imme¬ 
diately beneath which come the earthy coal-bearing beds. There is the usual appearance of 
complete conformity; the upper rocks dipping at the same angles as the lower; and the 
same beds of shale being identifiable on both sides of tho anticlinal; a thick bed of nodular 
and shaly, micaceous and carbonaceous clay is recognizablo at a few feet below tho 
sandstone on either side. There are altogether about 80 feet of the lower rocks: 40 
to 50 feet at top arc earthy, some of the layers of shale containing strings of bright coal. 
These arc best exposed iu the southerly elbow formed by the river. They rest upon a thick 
mass of fine sandstones, between which and a similar mass below occurs the principal seam. 
It is about 4 feet thick. What coal there is in it is very bright; but shale predominates 
in tho mass, and there is a great deal of pyrites. Some explorer had last year cut a short 
drift into the seam and evidently abandoned it as worthless. This seam is about the lowest 
