
          -10-
intervening ridges have been covered by a long active sedimentation
stage. Thus does a precipitation pattern express itself through
topography and we could ask for no better verification of the native
report that southern Iran has no summer thunder storms.

The western part of the area traversed so far as observed is
completely sedimentary with limestone and limy sandstones predominating.
About Kerman volcanic igneous has intruded the sedimentaries.
Saline soils are common about the bolson water standways or intermittent
lakes.  Between Shiraz and Isfahan gypsiferous sedimentaries are
extensive and much of the mountain slopes and intermittent lakes are
therefore sterile.  Nothing comparable to our southern California 
granodicrites was observed.  Some of the valleys have extensive areas
of dune sand and from the air show both linear and crescenic types as
well as some mounded and peaked forms, reflecting variable winds of 
changing direction, and which appear to be correlated with the deflective
influence of mountain situations.  The best soils appear to
be the silty gray desert earths of the well-drained bajadas of mild
gradients, where washing has removed the mineral salts to plant
tolerance levels.

Vegetation is very sparse due primarily to the arid climate,
as little as 5 inches annually about Kerman, to salt-toxic soils, and
abraising sand.  Furthermore, it has  thoughtlessly been over-exploited
for centuries, at least from the time of Persepolis and the Darius
kings.  However, among the bitter and the spiny species, considerable
"natural" vegetation exists upon areas of better soil.  In localities
where stock-water is not available such plants are also accompanied
        