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A Note on the investigations for China clay by boring

In Kasaragod taluka, South Kanara District

By

S. Krishnaswamy,

Geologist, Geological Survey of India

____

Following the preliminary ceramic survey conducted by Mr. (now Dr.) A.P.
Subramaniam, Assistant Geologist, Geological Survey of India, during the field-
season 1946-47, and the recommendations made by him, Mr. M.S. Balasundaram,
Geologist, Geological survey of India, had selected five sites near the following
localities for putting down bore-holes to prove the alleged occurrence of china clay
below the lateritic cap-rock :-
0 0
1. Mulinja (48 L/14; 12 40': 74 55').- One bore-hole between 50 to 100 feet to
the south of a well in R.S. No. 79,
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2. Kasaragod (48 L/14 and P/2; 12 30': 74 0').- A hole close to a well on the
northern margin of the Kasargod-Jalsur road near milestone 2/2 in the locality known
as “Kunhimavu”,
0 0
3. Mangad (48 P/3; 12 27': 75 2').- A hole was recommended close to a filled-
up well inside Mr. Chiruvanda’s compound lying about half-a-mile to the W.N.W. of
Mangad post office,
0 0
4. Chalangal (Periya) (48 P/3; 12 23': 75 6'15").- Here a hole close to an
abandoned well lying to the east of the Mangalore-Hosdurg road about a furlong to
the north by east of milestone 61/6,

5. Chalangal.- A site on the west of the Hosdurg-Mangalore road, lying about

0
a furlong and a half to W30 N. of milestone 62/2, close by a well.

The Department of Industries and Commerce of the Government of Madras

had now put down all the above bore-holes except at Mulinja.

I was not shown the cores obtained from the Chalangal boring (site No. 5,
above), but examined the cores said to have been recovered from site No.4, above,
and from the borings at sites No.3 and 2 above. M.y examination both of the ground
and of these core showed that these vari-coloured clays associated with the lateritic
(really lateritoid) formations are only lithomarges and not china clays since these

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clays sadly lacked that degree of suspensibility in water which is so characteristic of

the typical china clays. These pink, purple, buff and brown clays cannot be used for
the same purposed for which good quality china clays can be utilized, but perhaps
they may find a use in the manufacture of the inferior grades of pottery and ceramic-
ware and as filler in the inferior grades of textiles and paper.

The formations encountered in the various bore-holes are given below :-

Chalangal (Periya) bore-hole.- (Lies about 200 feet to east of the Mangalore-Hosdrug
0
road at N15 E. of the 61/6 milestone).

Surface
From To
0' 3'6'' Dark coffee-brown sandy loam.
3'6'' 8'0'' Red lateritic (fine gravelly) sub-soil.
8'0'' 9'0'' Red fine lateritic sub-soil.
9'0'' 12'0'' Pink Lithomarge (good colour wash).
12'0'' 14'0'' Red ferruginous laterite.
14'0'' 16'0'' Laterite carrying specks of pink clay.
16'0'' 18'0'' Red Laterite
18'0'' 26'0'' Fine reddish gritty clay.
26'0'' 30'0'' Dark pinkish gritty clay.
Dark pinkish highly gritty clay.
30'0'' 37'0'' (Rather gravelly).
37'0'' 42'0'' Pink and black speckled lateritic gravel.
42'0'' 48'0'' Pink highly gritty clay with tiny sand particles.
48'0'' 50'0'' Brown and black speckled weathered gneissic rock.
50'0'' 52'0'' Dark brown weathered gneiss with magnetite particles.
52'0'' 56'0'' Hornblende gneisses (?) occasionally epidotised.

Mangad boring (In Mr. Chiruvanda’s compound, close to an old filled_up well).

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Surface
From To
0' 3'0'' Brown clayey soil.
3'0'' 8'0'' Brown fine sand.
8'0'' 10'6'' Grey fine sand intercalated with smaller amounts of fine brown sand.
10'6'' 14'0'' Grey (gneissic) sand, derived from weathered gneisses.
Medium grained grey (gneissic) sand, derived from the weathering of
gneissic and carrying biotite flakes, small grains of feldspar and
14'0'' 18'0'' occasionally grains of epidote.
18'0'' 20'0'' Fine grained grey (gneissic) sand, occasionally speckled brown.
Medium grained grey (gneissic) sand, speckled brown with ferruginous
20'0'' 21'0'' impurities.
21'0'' 25'6'' Grey fine-grained biotite-pyroxene-granulite.
25'6'' 27'6'' Core not recovered from hole.

Brown and buff coloured lithomarges occur probably in this site between a depth of 3
and 8 feet.

Kunhimavu boring (close to an old well, north of the Kasaragod-Jaisur road at

milestone 2/2).

Surface
From To
0' 4'0'' Pinkish-red ferruginous soil (fine sandy soil).
4'0'' 8'0'' Pinkish-red ferruginous sub-soil.
Hard lateritic rock with inclusions of pinkish and pinkish-grey
8'0'' 10'0'' lithomarges.
10'0'' 15'6'' Pinkish-red fine (ferruginous) sand.
15'6'' 23'6'' Brownish-grey fine sand.
23'6'' 31'6'' White lithomarge stained yellow in places by ferruginous solutions.
31'6'' 37'0'' Greyish-white lithomarge.
37'0'' 39'0'' Greyish-white lithomarge slightly speckled red.
39'0'' 42'0'' Pink speckled white lithomarge.
42'0'' 47'0'' Pinkish lithomarge.
47'0'' 49'0'' Light pinkish-grey lithomarge.
49'0'' 75'0'' White speckled pinkish lithomarge.
75'0'' 80'0'' Pink lithomarge.
80'0'' 81'0'' Pink lithomarge with thin ferruginous parting (½" to ¾" wide).
81'0'' 100'0'' Pink lithomarge.

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The fairly good quality plastic lithomarge of white to greyish-white colour

encountered in this boring between a depths of 23'6'' and 39'0'' may possibly be used
as a filler in the manufacture of the inferior grades of textiles and paper as also in the
manufacture of low-grade ceramic-ware; the pink lithomarge found between 39'0'' and
100'0'' may be utilized for the making of acid jars and other vitreous wares after some
preliminary washing.