20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The writer of the report has first sought to compare the dissolved 

 salts with those known to exist in the sea water of today and with 

 the composition usually attributed to the Paleozoic sea. The sugges- 

 tion is made that the oceanic waters doubtless covered the valley 

 of the Hudson and probably the site of the springs in Post-glacial 

 time. 



Judged by their connate representatives elsewhere, the Paleozoic 

 sea is believed by those who have written upon the subject, especially 

 Dr T. Sterry Hunt, to have had more calcium chlorid than sodium 

 chlorid. If so, its connate waters can not account for the Saratoga 

 Springs waters which have vastly preponderating sodium chlorid. 



When compared with modern sea water, whether its samples are 

 taken from the most concentrated portions like the Red Sea or the 

 most dilute embayments like the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic, or 

 from the open ocean, analogies fail because the dissolved salts of 

 the sea are singularly uniform and all carry in analyses of their 

 evaporated salts 7^ per cent SO4 and from two to five times as 

 much magnesium as calcium ; whereas, in the salts from Saratoga 

 waters, when based on analyses believed to be of genuine samples, 

 there is rarely .1 of i per cent SO4 and the calcium exceeds the 

 magnesium. H we recast the Saratoga analyses so as to reduce the 

 calcium to sea water values, on the assumption that it has been dis- 

 solved from the limestone, we thereby raise the proportion of sodium 

 from 5-10 per cent above the sea water values. There are other 

 differences believed to be irreconcilable so that it seems impractic- 

 able to support the derivation of the salts from sea waters whether 

 connate or Postglacial. 



A second and very serious objection lies in the fact that in the 

 Champlain valley there is an indefinite number of faults with greater 

 sections of Paleozoic strata next them and with greater artesian head 

 near them than is the case at Saratoga, but with no development 

 of brine springs. 



The carbonic acid gas is next taken up. All its possible sources 

 3 re passed in review and the conclusion is reached that it is due to 

 igneous forces, of which expiring volcanic action is the usual and 

 most probable one. The existence of the volcanic plug at North- 

 umberland ten or twelve miles east of Saratoga Springs, is cited. 

 That sodium and other chlorids are derived from volcanoes is shown 

 to be a matter of observation. 



The conclusion is reached that the source of the salts and the 

 gas, and doubtless of some of the water, is deep seated and while 



