east. If so, they would be close to the water carriage of the Ganges.
The
coal is, for the most part, stony and bad. It is not now regularly
mined, but a large quantity was extracted during the construction of
the East Indian Railway.
II. & III. BIRBHUM, DEOGURH, &c*
A
number of small detached basins or outliers occur in the districts of
Birbhum and Deogurh where meta-morphic rocks mainly prevail. They are
of little or no economic importance, and may be passed in this record
without farther notice.
IV. KARHARBARI OR KURHURBALL.f
This
small field, having an area of only 11 square miles, and which is
situated in the district of Hazari-bagh, at a distance of 200 miles
from Calcutta by rail, is one of great importance, both from its
position and the quality of its coal. The sedimentary groups of
Gondwana rocks represented in this area are Barakar and Karharbari, 500
feet (= coal-measures), and Talchir, 600 feet.
The
coal occurs in three principal seams, which have an average total
thickness of 16 feet. They spread over an area of 8-1/2 square miles.
The amount of coal may therefore be estimated at 1,360,000,000 tons,
and the available portion of this at 80,000,000.
• •
A
sample assay gives the following results—carbon, 66-3; volatile matter,
23; ash, 107. In working power, the Karharbari coals are to those of
the Ranigunj field as 113 : 100.
* Hughes, "Mem. Geol. Survey of India," vol. vii. pp. 247, 255. "Manual," p. 171. + Hughes, loc. cit., p. 299.
