GEOLOGY. 
47 
Concluding Summary. 
As this collection of Dr. Stoliczka’s geological notes on the countries traversed during his 
journey was introduced hy a brief account of his previous geological work in the Himalayas 
and Western Tibet, it may most fitly he concluded hy a general sketch of the additional 
information which he has obtained in the countries north of those explored in earlier years. 
TTis explorations in his last journey extended over portions of Northern Ladak, of the 
Mastagh or Karakoram, Kuenluen, Pamir, and Karatagh ranges, the last being a part of 
the Thian Shan. He also examined the plains of Yarkand and Kashghar, and the upper 
valleys of the streams which form the source of the Oxus or Amu. The notes on Kashmir, 
and on the Indus valley west of Leh, although interesting and affording some addition to our 
previous knowledge of the geology, do not touch on fresh ground, or add more than details to 
what was known before. Each of the other areas demands a few notes separately. 
The Ladak range, north of the Indus, proved, so far as it was examined, to consist entirely 
of metamorphic rocks, principally syenitic gneiss. The same formations extend to the north¬ 
ward to the western end of the Pankong lake, and, so far as is known, throughout the greater 
portion of the Changchenmo, Shayok, and Nubra valleys, passing in places into a greenish 
chloritic rock, more or less schistose. These metamorphic rocks are believed by Dr. Stoliczka 
to be of silurian age. In the northern portion of the valleys named beds of dark shales 
and sandstones are met with, probably belonging to the carboniferous series : they are un- 
fossiliferous, but agree with rocks of that age in Spiti and elsewhere, and they are succeeded, in 
ascending order, by fossiliferous triassic limestones, red and grey in colour, with dark shales; 
whilst the crest of the Karakoram pass, and some of the smaller hills immediately south of it, 
are composed of liassic rocks, containing fragmentary Belemnites. At one spot alone near 
Kium, in the Changchenmo valley, sandstones and conglomerates of comparatively recent 
aspect were observed, which are perhaps tertiary, and may belong to the same eocene forma¬ 
tion as the rocks in the Indus valley near Leh. 1 
The valley of the Upper Yarkand river between the Mastagh (Karakoram) and Kuenluen 
ranges consists of metamorphic and sub-metamorphic schists and slates, reddish calcareous 
sandstone, and grey limestones, all unfossiliferous. The schists and slates are considered 
by Dr. Stoliczka as probably silurian; the other rocks, carboniferous. Some triassic lime¬ 
stones are found on the northern slopes of the Karakoram pass; and at Aktagh some recent- 
looking argillaceous beds were noticed, perhaps tertiary. 
Two sections across the Kuenluen were examined—one, on the Karakash river, the Suget 
and Sanju passes; the other, further west by the Yangi Diwan. On the former route the 
greater portion of the range consists of syenitic gneiss, associated with various forms of 
schists, with some of which pale-green jade is associated. On the more western route the 
same metamorphic rocks are found, but the syenitic gneiss is less developed, and there is a 
great quantity of greenstone. 
1 Drew (Jummoo and Kashmir, p. 343) has noticed the occurrence of hippuritic limestone (cretaceous) resting unconformably 
on older encrinital limestone (p palaeozoic) in the Lokzhung range, north of the Lingzi-thung plain and east hy south of the 
Karakoram pass. In the same work there is an excellent account of the extraordinary high plateaus of northern Ladak, west 
of which appear to be of lacustrine origin, 
