THE MUSEUM. 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. III. 



ALBION, N. Y., NOVEMBER 15, 1896. 



No. T 



Notes from the Mohawk's 

 Country. 



p. M. VAN EPPS. 



(X.) 



ALONG THE ANTICLINE. 



Looking westward from the slate 

 hills (Touareuna) of Glenville across 

 to the low anticline of Silurian rocks, 

 whose eastern escarpment — resulting 

 from an enormous fault — stretches in 

 a line of low glacier-polished cliffs far 

 to the north-east, one sees in vast pan- 

 orama three groups of stratified rocks, 

 — three chapters in the book of paleo- 

 zoic time, each having its own distinct- 

 ive fauna. Directly west lies a wood- 

 ed elevation whose few exposures 

 show us a very dark crumbling shale, 

 probably the Utica. This is under- 

 laid by the Trenton limestone, whose 

 thick fossiliferous layers crop out to 

 the surface more to the north. From 

 old-time quarries in these strata many 

 fine examples of characteristic Trenton 

 fossils have been obtained. Yet more 

 to the north we find the Calciferous 

 sandrock emerging from beneath the 

 Trenton. The dip of all these groups 

 is toward the south-west, consequently 

 as we travel northward, though gain- 

 ing in elevation, we are continually 

 meeting with lower and older leaves of 

 the great geological book. Some of 

 these pages are beautifully illustrated 

 with proof impressions fresh from na- 

 ture's press. Crinoids, corals and tril- 

 obites abound in the Trenton group 

 but the Calciferous appears quite desti- 

 tute of fossil life. 



In some layers of the Calciferous are 

 many nodular masses of flint and in 

 certain localities on this anticline the 



Calciferous rocks abound in geodes 

 containing quartz crystals. Owing to 

 the surface, weathering of this rock and 

 the consequent breaking up of these 

 geodes many crystals are found loosely 

 scattered in the soil; among them are 

 found many small doubly-terminated 

 crystals of water-clearness. Odd 



forms and twins are not at all uncom- 

 mon and a few crystals have been 

 found showing a decided amethyst 

 tinge. From a lot of crystals from 

 this anticline examples could be se- 

 lected of far greater purity and clear- 

 ness than from the noted localities in 

 the vicinity of Little Falls, N. Y. 

 Certain indications have led some to 

 suppose that caverns of considerable 

 extent exist in the raised la\'ers of this 

 anticline, but if so the entrance way 

 to them is yet to be discovered. 



At different times in past years fruit- 

 less excavations in search of coal have 

 been made in the black layers of the 

 Utica shale. These are along the 

 faulted eastern margin of the anti- 

 cline in a romantic gorge known as 

 Wolf's Hollow. One gloomy looking 

 drift, now partially filled with water, 

 extends for many feet into the hillside, 

 the black bituminous character of the 

 shales at this place leading the digger 

 on and on, ever hoping to tap the bed 

 of black diamonds. It is said that 

 neighbors helped on the deception by 

 "salting the mine." While the luck- 

 less miner would abandon his works at 

 noontime, they would take possession 

 and carelessly scatter bits of genuine 

 coal along the drift, thereby encourag- 

 ing false hopes. In the shales of these 

 abandoned diggings graphtolites occur. 

 * * * 



Along this ancient Silurian wrinkle 



