174 RESEARCH IN CHINA. 
was confirmed by the observations of Prof. E. R. Lyman of the Shan-si 
University at T’ai-yiian-fu, who in a trip to the west of Fén-chéu-fu found 
granite and gneiss to be the prevailing rock for a distance of 20 miles, 32 
kilometers. Lyyman’s investigation was for the purpose of ascertaining the 
source of supply of a fluorspar used for the manufacture of glass in the 
neighborhood, and he visited the locality at which it was obtained from 
granite. The observations of Obrutschov show that further west, approach- 
ing Yung-ning-chéu, the Sinian limestones again descend at dips of 10° 
to 20° to the northwest. 
It appears clearly from the dips of the Sinian formation as well as 
from the distribution of the Pre-Cambrian and Paleozoic rocks that we have 
here a broad anticline, which, whether it coincides with a normal fault as 
von Richthofen supposed or not, is a feature of the earlier folded structure. 
This anticline lies in the strike of the great anticlinorium of Sinian rocks 
southwest of the Wu-t’ai-shan, which we followed southwestward as far 
as the Shi-ling, and the magnitude of the structures makes it probable 
that the fold is continuous, at least to the Shi-hia-shan west of W6n-shui- 
hién. The anticlinorium appears to pitch toward the southwest, as it is 
very much broader in the Wu-t’ai-shan region than near W6n-shui-hién, 
the arch in the latter neighborhood being in part at least capped by Sinian 
strata, but it is probable that the fold continues as a major feature of 
the structure toward the southwest, and would be crossed either as a belt 
of Pre-Cambrian rocks or as an anticline of Sinian between synclines of the 
coal-measure strata between Ho-chéu and Si-chéu. 
South of Fén-chéu-fu, following down the valley of the Fén-ho, we 
had little opportunity to see the structure of the rocks, the Huang-t’u 
being everywhere the prevailing surface formation. Here and there, in 
the valley of the Fén-ho and in crossing passes between Ling-shi-hién 
and Ho-chéu, we saw outcrops of the Shan-si coal-bearing system, which 
exhibited moderate folding on a small scale. The cliffs of Sinian strata 
which cap the Ho-shan were seen in strike and therefore in apparently 
horizontal attitude, but the beds dip eastward and may be more or less 
folded beyond the range. 
BEARING OF OBSERVATIONS ON GENERAL STRUCTURE. 
That portion of western Shan-si which lies between the Fén-ho and 
the Huang-ho is discussed by von Richthofen as a plateau of nearly hori- 
zontal coal-bearing strata. Our own observations indicate that the rocks 
are folded to such a degree that dips of 10° to 20° are common, and even 
vertical dips may occur. The difference has an important bearing upon 
the coal resources of the region. If the general structure be that of a 
plateau of nearly level strata, coal is probably of very general occurrence 
