REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I9II g 



Some of the most valuable mineral deposits are found within the 

 series of sedimentary or stratified rocks which cover all the area 

 outside of the Adirondacks and the Highlands region. Such de- 

 posits generally occur at definite horizons and it has been the task 

 of the geologist to identify their position in the series of rock forma- 

 tions by study of the accompanying evidences supplied by fossils 

 or by physical features. For example, the rock salt deposits of the 

 western counties — and they furnish about one-third of the total 

 salt produced in the entire country — are restricted to a certain 

 position in the Salina shale formation. The geographical limits of 

 this formation have been traced with accuracy so that there is no 

 longer any doubt as to the region that may be profitably explored 

 for that mineral. 



In the same way it has been well established that the gypsum beds, 

 which have given rise to a very important mining and manufacturing 

 industry, form a special member of the sedimentary sequence having 

 a well-recognized position and a real distribution. With the informa- 

 tion at hand the prospector or intending investor may be accurately 

 guided in his search for gypsum properties. 



The supplies of building stones, lime and cement materials, and 

 clays for the most part are governed by similar relations of occur- 

 rence. The clay deposits have been given thorough investigation 

 from the various standpoints of distribution, chemical and physical 

 characters, and technology of manufacture. Another special report 

 deals w^ith the lime and cement materials, and it is proposed to 

 present the facts regarding our building stone supplies with like 

 detail wdth a view to assisting their development. 



The features surrounding the accumulation of oil and natural gas 

 are admittedly obscure, though of late years considerable progress 

 has been made toward the establishment of a practical basis for the 

 exploration of these resources. The fact that both oil and gas are 

 more often found in certain kinds of rocks than others is confirmed 

 by experience. It is further recognized that the pools in each field 

 usually occupy a definite position in the stratigraphic column, while 

 their areal distribution may be influenced by the tectonic structures 

 assumed by the strata, by underground water conditions or by other 

 factors that come within the range of geological observation. The 

 studies in the oil and gas territory of New York have been mainly 

 concerned wnth the determination of the productive horizons for the 

 several districts, in which work some very useful results have been 

 obtained. An inquiry into the specific relations that characterize the 



