140 GOEGE TERRACES. 



in the talcose schist through which the railroad passes. Between those and other projecting points, an 

 oval shaped meadow was seen, like the expansion in the first l.asin. We suppose that these high terraces 

 are gorge terraces, for like them they were deposited near obstructions. The current, which was transport- 

 ing materials along the wider part of the valley, when it impinged against the projecting ledge would 

 momentarily have its velocity diminished sufficiently to allow the detritus to descend below its influence. 

 It is in this way that gorge terraces are formed, when they are found at the upper side of gorges. But 

 here there was nothing which could be called a gorge simply an obstruction. The ledge may not have 

 reached the surface of the water : it was not necessary that it should have done so to sustain our sug- 

 gestion. 



When looking at some of these cases in 1857 in ascending the valley for the first time, with our eyes 

 open to the beautiful striation and embossment of the rocks, we surmised without much thought that 

 these gorge terraces were invariably upon the lee side of the embossed rocks, and that therefore they might 

 have been moraines, i. e. resulting from the remarkable drift current that ascended the valleys so much likr a 

 reversed glacier. In the following year we descended the valley, and saw that these accumulations were made 

 up of fine materials, and that in some cases they were found upon striated rocks as well as on the Ice side. 

 Hence we adopted the former explanation for their formation, at the same time allowing that their materials 

 were mostly derived from the latter source. 



We regard the district from Jonesville to the Falls in the west part of Waterbury as forming a distinct 

 basin, although the terraces are not numerous, nor tire eastern limit well marked. In it there are at least 

 three projections of ledges on both sides of the river, corresponding to ridges of the Green Mountains, as 

 the fine County Map of Mr. Walling shows, and there are four oval meadows between the ridges, in each 

 of which may be found two small streams, one from the north and the other from the south side of the 

 Winooski. Hence we see that these small streams assisted in the formation of the meadows. We might 

 indeed call these expansions sub-basins, for they are as truly sub-basins as those enumerated in the first 

 general basin. 



Emerging from the Green Mountains we enter the third basin, which at Waterbury street expands very 

 much to the north and south, as represented on Plate VI, Fig. 2. On the south side, there are four large 

 terraces, not remarkably distinct, succeeded by moraine terraces, all of which run up the valley south of 

 Duxbury Center, the first large valley east of Camel's Hump. On the north side is Waterbury street, which 

 is situated upon the first and second terraces. The second, third and fourth terraces make quite a curve 

 north of the village, skirting the Winooski at the west end of the curve, at the mouth of Thatcher's 

 branch. Winooski River formerly ran around the village at the foot of this curve. Beautiful and large 

 terraces follow up the Winooski east of Waterbury for a mile or two, then dwindle down and arc lost in 

 the west part of Middlesex, being intercepted by a rocky barrier, the remnant of a former extensive chain 

 of hills. Five terraces were occasionally seen upon the south side of the Winooski, on this basin, in 

 Moretown. 



The fourth basin extends from West Middlesex to Montpelier, at the point where the Winooski makes 

 a bend, running to the northwest for half a mile, the hill west being mostly naked rock. West of Middlesex, 

 on the north side of the river are five large terraces, across which may be traced some old river beds. As 

 they are found opposite the mouth of Mad River, and are of limited extent east and west, it is safe to infer 

 that the materials were brought down Mad River, and arranged by the Winooski, not being transported 

 down the Winooski, on account of the barrier. At Middlesex there is a deep gorge and falls in the Winoo- 

 ski River. East of the village on the north side, a high terrace may bo traced to West Montpelier to the 

 Cemetery. And in this district also, on the north side, may be seen at least three expansions of the 

 meadow, one in particular, nearly two miles from the State House, being quite noticeable. On the south 

 side the terraces are more limited, there being scarcely any in the east part, and only two in the west 

 part, near Middlesex. 



In the village of Montpelier, no terrace apart from the meadow or first terrace, upon which the town is 

 built is seen, except in the cast part behind the houses, where every one has noticed the side of a flat hill, 

 which exhibits marks of stratification very distinctly. It is composed of clay, is considerably wide across 



