"تقرير عسكري عن جنوب غرب بلاد فارس، يتضمن أقاليم خوزستان (عربستان)، لورستان، وجزءًا من فارس" [‎٣‎٦‎٣] (٤٦٦/٤١٠)

368
crossed, dipping to the north-north-east at an angle of 68°. It is almost
entirely composed of red and coloured chert pebbles, moderately rounded, and not
exceeding six inches in diameter. The red cherts ^are by far the more abund
ant. Limestone pebbles are rare. The matrix is a reddish calcareous sand,
very hard. This conglomerate is overlaid by a thin bed of light grey crystal
line limestone, in which was observed a specimen of the Pul-i-Tang species
of scuteUa [see page 220).
The chert conglomerate and grey limestone, I conceive, may represent
the lowest part oi % a and 3 ^ of the Mungerrah section, fig. 5.
The stratification between Rabat and Bisitun is much disturbed, and
the rapidity of our march across it was not favourable to geological investiga
tion. There were noticed, however, several bands of iron-stone.
In describing the section fig. 3, I have hinted the probability that the blue
bituminous shales and marls ( 4 5) between Tang-i-Khashow (Penawur) and Deh-
i-Liz belong to the cretaceous series. Their position with regard to the over
lying reddish sandstones ( 4 <?), containing bands of iron-stone) beneath the
nummulitic limestone, as well as their striking resemblance to similar beds
at KaFa Kazi Zohab and the Bakhtran section ( 4 5, fig. 6), certainly favour
this'conclusion * < ^
The next point in a south-east direction at which I met with cretaceous
rocks is the Gilgird (Gurgir) range, on the Kuran, between Mal-i-Mir and
Susan, in the Bakhtian Mountains. This range is of a light grey, compact, and
sometimes crystalline limestone, containing ammonites, a small plicated
ostrea, a venus, and turbinated and turreted univalves. The beds are
much crushed and contorted, but dip generally to the south-west, as is evident
in the ascent of the pass from Mal-i-Mir, where their surface is so smooth
and slippery as to render it a most difficult task for either man or beast to
stand upon his legs {see page 75), .
Still further south-eastward, between Kal a-i-Tul and Isfahan, we nave
the well-developed section (fig. 6) which so admirably exposes the various beds
between the sphserulitic limestone and the nummulitic rocks.^
The most south-easterly point reached by our Commission was Madar-i-
Sulei'man (the Pasargadse of the Greeks),, at which place the ruined Kaaba is
built of a yellowish-white fine-grained marble, containing plicated tereira*
tula (rhynchonella), and apparently corals, &c ? referable to the
chalk. The stone was not observed m the immediate locality, but Baron de
Bode, in his "Travels in Luristan" (vol. i, page 79], says that beheaid
of quarries of this stone near Deb-Bid, about 9 farsangs (or 27 to 84 miles)
to the north of Murgab, and that there are none nearer.
Between this nlace and Persepolis the range which bounds the P la in of
Kemin on the south, dipping at an angle of 65° towards the nortb-east is eo -
posed of beds of yellow clunch, overlaid by crystalline, f ®
limestone. In the clunch beds I found a single crushed specimen of ammo-
nite.
(5) Lower Second
In describing the nummulitie rocks, I have remarked that
of the great masses of altered andfotid blue in many
lower secondary series. That such is the case i - j i v ere-
instances, seeing that the altered limestone is certainly overlaid by the ere-
taceous rocks, as shown in section s, figs. 7 an
* The same character of rock strata was seen at Gird-i -Bisher (page 289) > aki (page ^ ),
Khafr (page 296), and Alachum (page 239).