72 
Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[vol. IV. 
found at the edges of the field, or weathered out in the deep valleys. The thickness of this 
group is variable, never very great, and it is locally altogether overlapped. In the Narbada 
it covers by far the larger portion of the area. As noticed, no coal has ever been found in 
the TdlcUr rocks, and very rarely any of the dark carbonaceous shales which are so frequent 
an accompaniment of coal, with the exception of a few thin and irregular streaks which 
invariably mark the transition of these T&lehir rocks into the Pamiidd (Bardkar) rocks 
above. This Pamiidd series is chiefly made up of thick-bedded, often coarse felspathic 
sandstones, with subordinate beds of blue and carbonaceous shales and con?. In Bengal 
and towards the east this series is of great thickness, and is easily divisible into several 
distinct groups. But towards the west and the Central Provinces the series is of much 
diminished thickness, and the sub-divisions so well marked in Bengal are not recognisable. 
The beds of coal in the same way are much fewer and less important. These variations 
appear to have only a local development when viewed in detail, while on a general compari¬ 
son the facts would seem to be expressed by saying that the Panchet series, which imme¬ 
diately succeeds the coal rocks, assumes towards the west a much greater thickness and 
importance than in the east, while the Pam,did series has been much less developed. In 
the Narbada valley the latter series is represented by one group of beds only, which belong 
to the lowermost group recognised in Bengal (the Bardkar), of no great thickness, and 
covered by an immense series of sandstones of varying age. No trace of any one of the 
sub-divisions of this great plant-hearing series— 
T&lehir, Pamiidd, or Pancliets —has been found to 
the west of about the parallel of Hoshangabad (Lokhartalai). The Damuda rocks 
cover a wide spread of country round the bases of the noble Pachmarht hills, and extend 
thence to Umreth and Bark of, about sixteen miles from Chhindwara. They rest in 
parts immediately on the gnoissose rocks, and are frequently succeeded directly by the great 
trappean flows. 
In Bilaspur (Chattisgarh) a large area of widely undulating country along the 
Hasdii—an affluent of the Mahiinadi—is also 
Bilfispftr coal-fields, „ , ,, , . , , , , . . 
tornied ot these rocks, and coal has long been known 
to exist there in some quantity. The district has not been examined as yet, and no trust¬ 
worthy information exists as to the quantity or quality of this coal.* 
In the Chiinda district again, and in Bcrar adjoining, similar Bardkar rocks are 
found resting upon the characteristic T&lcMr beds, 
and occupying a very small area in the large field of 
sandstones which there occur. At least one thick group of beds with coal is known in which 
the coal itself exhibits the same characters which distinguish the beds in the Bardkar series 
elsewhere—that is, there is rapid aud considerable variation in the thickness and quantity of 
the coal. Beds of great thickness have, however, been met with, and there is a very large 
supply therefore of useful fuel. 
Similar rocks extend down the valley of the Go davari and the Pranhita for a long 
, , distance, occurring in detached localities separated 
Godavari and Pranhita. . . . , , .. „ ,, 
by wide ridges ol the older formations. IN ear the 
mouth of the Tal river about fourteen miles above Diima'gudom, both Tdlchir and 
Pamiidd rocks occur, the latter containing coal, which form the bed of the river Godavari 
for some distance, and have probably a considerable extension ; and coal is also known to 
occur about thirty-four miles to the south of the same town, visible on the bauks of the 
river. 
Wardhd ltiver coal-fields. 
* See later information in Kecords Geological Surve)' of India, 1870, p. 71, also p. 64. 
