'THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF DHUFAR PROVINCE, MUSCAT AND OMAN' [‎24r] (37/96)

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next morning (9th February) and in doing so gradually crossed the
stony plains (with outliers of conical and flat-topped hillocks) and
climbed slowly to a higher level (above the tops of the hillocks) on
to younger strata of the same limestone series. After about 5 miles
from Ha’rat we began to approach the northern edge of the Qara
Hills (Qutun) and continued to rise slowly by steps and across bare
stony plains and also across occasional wadis. These are always
difflcult, due to the steps made by the successive flat-lying limestone
beds as well as to little pillars of limestone (which stand up 18 inches
or so as a result of solution or erosion).
43. We turned east, fairly close to the main northern slopes of
A1 Qutun, at a place known as Kach’um. Here the low northward
dips which have been present all the way from Hanun become flat
and show a southward inclination along an east-west axis at Kach’um.
It is therefore a low arch or anticlinal trending east-west, with a
slight overall inclination of the arched strata to the west. After
another 5 miles or so we came to a large wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , up which we found
the big pool of Obet (Hay’Ath). It is surrounded by tall reeds and
is at the base of a dry waterfall. There is a cave immediately above
the pool on its south-west side, and a spring just beyond and below
the cave. The water is not cold and has a slight muddy taste but is
without a trace of salt. It was warm at noon and all the men had a
bath in the pool. We drew water from the spring. Here again the
cave is eroded out of a bed of limestone, evidently a part of the
scouring by the stream when in flood. We appeared to be among
tributaries of the Dhahibun wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. (see Bertram Thomas’ book
Arabia Felix, 1932, page 140, but his names do not agree with
those given to me by the same kind of people as those depicted in his
photographs, notwithstanding that they are Sheiks and Saiyids).
There is a climb of about 500 feet out of Obet (Tay’Ath ?) southwards
which leads on to open upland like that south of Kazmeem, and so
we arrived on the northern margin of A1 Qutun (or Jabal Qara).
44. The slope of this upland is to the north, so we continued
upwards in travelling southward. X should mention that, on the
climb out of Obet, I found casts of large gasteropods and lamelli-
branches similar to those on the descent to Heelah, and I feel sure
we have the same strata in each of the cliffs referred to (see para
graph 37). In another miles over open upland with some grass
and a few shrubs now visible, we arrived at Niccha or Nissa (Na Sat)
to camp at dusk. This is a shallow valley which drains into the
northern system of. wadis of the Qam Shaiba which carry flood water
into the Nejd. Next morning (10th February) we left Nissa or
Na’Sat and crossed a grass and scrub covered upland on to the real
A1 Qutun or watershed of Jabal Qara. It is again typical karstland
with limestone showing like the teeth of a miniature tank barrier
all along the gently sloping surface, which now takes the run-off