Minerals.

264. No mines are worked in the District nor is it at all likely that any of. importance will be discovered. The brackish water of the Daryapur taluk discloses the presence of considerable quantities of salt below the surface, and in former days a small amount of salt-drying was locally carried on and the product was even one of the exports of Berar. At a hill known as Gulal Tekri, about a mile north of Dabheri (Morsi taluk), and in the Amraoti hills iron ore of laterite origin is said to be obtainable, but is not turned to any account. Considerable masses of Gondwana sandstone crop out along the southern face of the Gawilgarh hills, and the stone which is extremely fine might be much more used for building than it is. The old fort at Karasgaon, the city walls and the magnificent tombs of the Nawabs at Ellichpur are of sandstone. Besides this the trap of which both the hill ranges of the District are largely composed, makes very durable building stone as exemplified in the town walls of Amraoti as well as many of the new public buildings, and good though by no means perfect road metal. Muram (a softer road metal but better for light traffic), earth, sand and lime are also quarried. Some manganese ore was once found at Pimpalkhuta in the Morsi taluk: [V. Ball Manual of the Geology of India, Part III. Economic Geology, page 331 (1881).] but the result of local inquiry was to show that the broken fragments of ore which had been found at a short depth beneath the surface inside the village had been brought from some unknown localities by former inhabitants. Similarly there is a block of excellent coal in the Geological Museum at Calcutta said to come from a ravine near Chikalda: but nothing further is known about it. Its history is probably very similar. The annual outturn of minerals, chiefly trap, murant, etc., is insignificant and is included under the heading ' minor produce' in the Forest Accounts already given.