REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I917 43 



the latter gives way to 5 or 6 feet of beds of a light ashen color whose 

 full significance is not yet understood. Analyses of the drill samples 

 are bein^ made to determine whether these are the gypseous shale of 

 the Camillus, or the whitish beds of the lower Falkirk such as directly 

 underlie the Onondaga limestone at Honeoye Falls. 



A preliminary reconnaissance of about 5 miles, from Oaks to 

 northwest of Phelps Junction, seems to indicate great variations in 

 the thickness of the interval between the Camillus and the Onondaga, 

 with subtraction and addition of beds at both base and summit of 

 the waterlimes. 



Richfield Springs quadrangle. The field work here was carried on 

 by Mr C. A. Hartnagel and the area lies to the south of the Mohawk 

 valley, including parts of Herkimer and Otsego counties, with a 

 small strip of Montgomery county at the east. Mr Hartnagel 

 makes the following provisional report on this work. 



The area studied includes formations of the Ordovician, Silurian 

 and Devonian systems. 



The lowest formation in the quadrangle is the Trenton limestone, 

 which extends as a spur from the Little Falls quadrangle. Above 

 this is the Canajoharie shale. The relation of this shale to the 

 Dolgeville beds has afforded some difficulty but present paleonto- 

 logical studies by Dr Ruedemann give promise of clarifying the 

 situation. 



Above the Canajoharie shale, especially well shown along Nowa- 

 daga creek, is an excellent and what is probably the most complete 

 section of the Utica shale in New York State. Not only is the 

 transition from the Canajoharie favorably shown, but there are 

 present several fossil zones and its very gradual change to the Frank- 

 fort shale is exhibited in a very satisfactory way. 



Of the Silurian formations, the Oneida conglomerate, the several 

 stratigraphic divisions of the Clinton formation and the Bertie 

 waterlime, are present but have not been found in force east of this 

 quadrangle. Five divisions of the Clinton formation are recognized 

 in ascending order as follows : 



a Sandstones and shales. The sandstone greatly predominates. 

 Much of it coarse, cross-bedded and of a red color 

 b Oolitic ore 



c Green shale with fossils 



d ' ' Red flux ' ' ore — not well developed and rarely exposed 

 e Gray sandstone 



The Vernon red shale which is found in the western half of the 



