86 Geology and To])ography of Western NeiD York. 



Art. V. — Remarks on the Geology and Topography of Western 

 New York ; by George E. Hayes, of Buffalo. 



- In a former paper, inserted in this Journal,* I endeavored to 

 show, that the rock formations in the western part of this state 

 belong to the transition series.f I now propose to otfer some ob- 

 servations on the causes which produced the disintegration and 

 removal of extensive strata of these rocks from their ancient beds 

 of deposit, and gave rise to the existing topographical phenomena. 



The " saliferous rock" of Prof. Eaton, which I there designated 

 as the old red sandstone, forms the southern shore of Ijake On- 

 tario. It has an average breadth of about six miles, nearly a level 

 surface, and is little elevated above the lake. Its southern boun- 

 dary is marked by the great limestone terrace, under which it 

 passes. 



Overlying this old red sandstone, is a group of calcareous rocks — 

 the " geodiferous" and " cornitiferous" of Prof. Eaton — with their 

 accompanying shales ; which are evidently equivalent to the moun- 

 tain limestone of Europe. This formation terminates on the 

 north, in a line nearly parallel to the lake shore, by an abrupt pre- 

 cipice, which forms what is here called the "mountain ridge." 

 The limestone district forms a kind of terrace, bounded on the 

 north by this precipitous escarpment, and on the south by the 

 mountainous region which occupies the south tier of counties. 



Superimposed on the mountain limestone, we have a series of 

 shales and slaty sandstones of great aggregate thickness, dipping, 

 as do the formations already noticed, in a southerly direction, but 

 less able to resist the powerful, degrading action to which all have 



* Vol. XXXI. p. 241. 



t As early as 1824, Dr. Bigsby suggested that the horizontal limestone of 

 Western New York, as well as that of the Canadas, was " the representative of 

 the mountain or Carboniferous limestone of England." See American Journal, 

 Vol. VIII. p. 76 and onward. 



Again, in ]829, Prof. Vanuxem stated his conviction that they were transition 

 rocks. Ibid. Vol. xvi. p. 254. 



In Bakewell's Geology, second Americaii edition, p. 369, the same opinion is 

 repeated : notwithstanding which, from the confusion produced by the introduc- 

 tion of new names, and an apparent disposition to adhere to the classification of 

 Prof. Eaton, they have till veiy recently been generally regarded as belonging to 

 the secondary class. 



