142 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



years and probably is only temporary, geologically speaking, for it 

 is likely to be drained by stream erosion or filled with vegetable 

 matter, which in either case would cause it to pass out of existence. 



The altitude is 16 10 to 16 14 feet above sea level, subject to a 

 rise or fall of several feet, depending upon the precipitation. It is 

 2 miles long, a mile wide and covers an area of ij square miles (953 

 acres, if the calculation of the writer is correct). It is essentially 

 a rock basin filled with water with sandy and gravelly shores, espe- 

 cially on the west, northeast and east. A little distance east of the 

 Lake Clear Inn a submerged shelf of sand and gravel extends some 

 200 feet out from the shore with an average depth of about 15 feet. 

 Beyond this the water deepens rapidly to the depth of some 35 

 feet. This is the only place where such a shelf exists on the lake. 

 We find the deepest spot in the lake along the fault lines as has been 

 suggested before, the maximum depth being at the point where 

 the two lines cross, where it is about 50 to 55 feet deep. Passing 

 to the northeast corner, the shore material is very fine and collected 

 by the waves, assisted by the unnamed stream (on the map). The 

 point that projects from the west shore is nearly all sand, the sur- 

 face in many localities being composed of coarser material that 

 appears to be the result of stream action during glacial times.- 

 Near the south-central portion of the lake there is a shallow spot, 

 a sort of submerged island. 



On the south the anorthosite puts in an appearance and is 

 encountered all along the shore except where it dips below the level 

 of the lake at the outlet. The material about the outlet is of glacial 

 origin, composed of fine sand and ill-sorted till, forming an unstable 

 barrier. 



The lake, when sounded, is shown to have an L-shaped channel, 

 running from the southern shore to the deepest spot and from there 

 turning at right angles, heading northwest for " St Germain " bay 

 and for the swamp in the waterway which formerly connected this 

 region with Upper St Regis lake. The channel thus follows the 

 fault line. The bottom is composed of fine sand, gravel and bed 

 rock. The sands were largely derived from the disintegration of 

 the anorthosite and the syenite, the former predominating. The 

 sand is quite free from organic material and loam and affords rather 

 unfavorable soil for the growth of plants. This seems to account 

 for the relatively few kinds of plants found growing in the lake. 

 As all aquatic animal life depends more or less directly upon the 

 plants for its subsistence, a rich supply of fish can not be expected. 



