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at Bombay, Agra, Calcutta and Kodaikanal. This shock was felt at such distant places as Kabul, Dehra Dun, Simla, Multan, Dera Ismail Khan and Roorkee.

The frequency of aftershocks of the Quetta earthquake of May 1935 appears to have considerably diminished, but several sharp shocks were felt during the year in the Assam seismic area, of which the shocks of 16th January at about 18-45 hours and of 21st March at 21-45 hours I. S. T. deserve mention.

METEORITES.

35. Mr. J. B. Auden was informed by the Tahsildar of Skardu, in Kashmir, that a meteorite fell at or near Arundu, in the northwest corner of sheet 43 M, in September, 1936.

In the Calcutta edition of the Statesman of the 12th November, 1937, it was reported that a number of large stones had fallen from the sky and had crushed to death two men and a woman near their hut near Jhansi in the United Provinces. The phenomenon was supposed to have occurred in a storm that was preceded by rumbling noises and a blinding light which shot across the sky. Reference to the District Magistrate of Jhansi and the Political Agent, Bundelkhand Agency elicited the information that no fall of meteorites had been reported in the district of Jhansi, or in Datia and Orchha States.

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There seems little doubt that a meteorite fell near Mabwe-Khoywa village in the Karenni State of Kyetbogyi, about 120 miles east of Toungoo in Burma at about 10-45 P.M. on the 17th September, 1937. A Karen cultivator, Htisalay, while sleeping at his house, heard a noise like the explosion of a cannon in the sky and saw a brilliant ball of fire fall through the roof at the back of his house'. Villagers who saw the occurrence were awestruck. Some went to Htisalay's house and extinguished a fire that had been started. Next day Htisalay is said to have found a meteorite in a deep hole, and this has since entered the possession of Mr. Thompson Durmay of Toungoo. It is said to weigh about 4.9 lbs. So far it has not been examined by this Department. However, Mr. Durmay sent for examination and return a small specimen of another so-called meteorite which was supposed to have been found by Saw Derthamoo of Lapache village, Karenni State. This proved to be a schistose granite.

Jashpur State, Eastern States Agency.

ECONOMIC ENQUIRIES.

Bauxite.

36. Primary laterite resulting from the alteration of the Deccan trap in situ is found extensively in north-west Jashpur and in the Khuria highlands, forming cappings on the flat-topped hills locally known as pats. These laterite cappings locally contain segregations of bauxite. In the course of his work in Jashpur State, Dr. Dey found two areas of laterite where the segregations of bauxite are rich enough to attract attention. One is located on the pat north-west of Patia (22° 58′: 84° 1′). Here bauxite occurs as scattered blocks and segregated patches in the laterite and is found all along the pat in its northward extension. There is also some detrital bauxite west of the village. Owing to its mode of occurrence it is difficult to estimate the total quantity of ore available near Patia, but Dr. Dey considers that there would no difficulty in obtaining 25,000 tons, or possibly much more, from this area. An analysis of this bauxite shows:

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The other area lies immediately to the south-west of Daunapat (23° 1′: 84° 5′), at an elevation of about 3,234 ft. above sea-level. Here the material is grey and pisolitic. It is of excellent quality (see analysis below) and might repay exploitation when facilities for transport are available in this area

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At present both Patia and Daunapat are at prohibitive distances from the nearest railway station, Lohardaga.

Building Materials.

37. A number of enquiries were received regarding building materials, particularly with reference to the cement industry. Summarised reports on the various limestone,

General enquiries.

clay, gypsum and coal occurrences of India

were, in reply, issued by the Department.

38. Mr. A. M. N. Ghosh visited Shillong about the middle of January to advise the Deputy Commissioner, Khasi and Jaintia Hills, on the limestone deposits of these hills between Limestone, Khasi and Jaintia Hills, Therriaghat (25° 11': 91° 46') and Shella (25° 11' 91° 38').

Assam.

39. Dr. A. L. Coulson notes that there are large supplies of limestone in Waziristan. However, this is true of most of the NorthWest Frontier Province. The Shahur Tangi Limestone and sandstone, South Waziris- (Pab) sandstones could be quarried for use as a building stone but their variable hardness, texture and composition would necessitate careful selection of material being made.

tan.

40. During his survey of the Mardan district of the North-West Frontier Province, Dr. A. L. Coulson thoroughly examined the marble and dolomite deposits of Ghundai Marble, Mardan district Tarako, a hill forming part of the boundary and Swat, N.-W. F. P. between the Swabi tahsil of the Mardan district and the Buner tract of Swat. The results of Dr. Coulson's work have been incorporated in a paper published in Part 2 of Volume 72 of the Records of the Geological Survey of India; pp. 227-234, (1937). He concludes that perhaps the largest deposits of pure white statuary marble in the Frontier Province will be found in the Gundai Tarako, but adds that careful selection of sites for development should be made, taking into consideration the type of stone required. Probably the best sites for development will be found in the neighbourhood of the main peak of the ridge.

Dr. Coulson's paper contains numerous analyses of samples from different parts of the ridge and the excellent quality of the stone available is well shown.

41. Mr. P. C. Das Hazra reports that on account of the lack of beds of limestone in Udhampur, the limestone pebbles from the Limestone, Udham. Jhajjar Khad and Duddar Nala are burnt in pur district, Kashmir large quantities to produce lime for mortar making. He was informed that pebbles of small sizes, from 0.2-0.4 inches in diameter, are sent in large quantities to Lahore and Amritsar for use in mosaic flooring.

and Jammu State.

42. Mr. H. M. Lahiri reports the occurrence of crystalline limestone of Eocene (Subathu) age at Malla (30° 46' 76° 59') in the Patiala State, about six miles to the southPatiala east of Kalka. The limestone is carried to Chandigarh on the Ambala-Kalka railway

Limestone, State, Punjab.

where it is burnt into lime.

43. At Zibingyi (21° 53′: 96° 19′) in the Mandalay district, Plateau Limestone is quarried for lime burning. The limestone is burnt in primitive kilns, local firewood being Limestone, Mandalay used as fuel. White to slightly creamy lime district, Burma. is the final product.

44. Mr. Lahiri reports that the Nahan sandstone of the hills. near the water-pumping station at Kalka is used for making stone Sandstone Ambala mortars (i.e., vessels in which drugs, spices, etc., are pounded with a pestle).

district, Punjab.

45. Mr. P. C. Das Hazra reports that the Murree sandstones in Udhampur district are extensively used as building stones. As the sandstones have low porosity, fairly good Sandstone, Udham- crushing strength and resist corrosion well, pur district, Kashmir and Jammu State. they are also used locally in constructing bridges.

46. Mr. Das Hazra notes the that quartzite boulders of the Upper Siwaliks and Sub-Recent deposits are exclusively used in constructing Road metal, Udham- roads. The only binding material available is pur district, Kashmir and Jammu State. the calcareous Murree shales and clays. 47. Metamorphosed calcareous sediments consisting of diopsidegranulites and a little of the associated granite are largely quarried for road-metal about one mile north-east of Road-metal, Kyaukse Belin (21° 40′ 96° 8'), Kyaukse district. district, Burma. The diopside-granulites are fine to mediumgrained in texture, tough and very suitable for use as road-metal. 48. In the hill east of Payangazu station (20° 45': 96° 15'), Meiktila district, fine-grained granite-gneiss is quarried for use as

Road-metal, Meiktila district, Burma.

road-metal and railway ballast. The rock is fairly compact and is sometimes associated with quartz-porphyry.

North-east of Pyinyaung (20° 49′: 96° 26') in the Meiktila district near milestone 32 on the Thazi-Kalaw road, Plateau Limestones are quarried for local use as road-metal. These rocks are grey in colour, fine-grained in texture, generally hard and compact and without much brecciation.

49. Mr. A. B. Dutt records that granites are largely used in the construction of piers of railway bridges on the Southern Shan States branch of the Burma Railways, especially near Granite, Meiktila Pyinyaung station (20° 47′: 96° 26′), Meiktila district, Burma. district. These granites are generally of the biotite-hornblende type, are fairly coarse-grained and have no appreciable gneissic structure.

50. Calcareous slates are quarried at Patta (21° 36': 96° 9′), about one and a half miles south-east of Kyaukse (21° 37′: 96° 8') Kyaukse district; they dip north at 20° and are entirely used in the Kyaukse sub-division for flooring purposes.

Calcareous

slate slabs, Kyaukse district, Burma.

Clays.

51. Occurrences of white clay have been occasionally recorded in the Sanjari tahsil of Drug district. The most noteworthy of these occur east of Hithapathar (20° 40′: 80o Clays, Drug district, 53'). The rock is free from gritty matter and is fairly plastic. Fusibility is below 1,400°C. ; the brick on heating up to 1,400°C. assumes a uniform, bright porcellanic appearance without losing its shape. The clay may be usefully exploited for ceramic purposes.

Central Provinces.

Alteration and weathering of the felsitic rock of Drug has occasionally resulted in soft kaolinic matter. Often this is fairly free from grit and when kneaded with water forms a plastic mass, with fusibility just below 1,400°C. The heated brick (1,400°) suffers contraction and becomes uniformly glassy without losing shape or developing cracks. The colour of the unburnt brick is dull white, while that of the burnt brick is dark greenish grey. Noteworthy occurrences have been recorded in the river basin between Jungera Kalan (20° 42′ 80° 58′) and Bhandaritola (20° 42′; 80° 59′) in the Sanjari tahsil,

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