Tufaceous Lacustrine Formation of Syracuse, Onondaga 

 County, JVew York. 



MY attention was attracted, some years since, on my 

 way to Niagara, when passing through the canal, which 

 cuts the district of country a few miles east of Syracuse, 

 in the state of New York, by a level area of some miles in 

 extent. On descending from the boat at the locks, I 

 found the substratum, which lined the side of the canal, 

 to consist of a calcareous marl of a whitish colour, border- 

 ing on that of ashes, friable, and rather soft to the touch.* 

 Numerous perfect specimens of the genera Lymnea, Physa, 

 Planorbis, Paludina and Jlncylus were obtained, all being 

 analagous to the species inhabiting, at this time, the fresh 

 waters of that region : it was evident that the deposit was 

 caused by the drainage of a lake. The specimens were 

 found to be completely bleached, and were generally in an 

 unbroken state. It has been a matter of regret to me, that 

 circumstances did not permit me to make a more minute 

 investigation of this interesting deposit, which must be 

 considered as a true tufaceous lacustrine deposit. I crossed 

 it on a line, east and west, of about two miles, but its 

 width and depth I could not ascertain. 



* A subsequent analysis, by Professor Vanuxem, proved it to be nearly 

 pure carbonate of lirne. 



