36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



II 



REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



CIVIC GEOLOGY 



The mineral springs and the fault at Saratoga, On a later page 

 reference will be made to the completion of the areal survey of the 

 Saratoga quadrangle which covers the Mineral Springs basin. In 

 the very successful operations made at Saratoga by the State 

 Reservation Commission toward the rejuvenation of the exhausted 

 springs, this office has taken a keen interest and has exercised such 

 cooperation as has been in its control. In the execution of- this 

 work the commission has been successful to an unexpected degree 

 in restoring the springs to their original virility, and in connection 

 with the elaborate experimentation thereupon opportunity has been 

 found to clear away the accumulations of rubbish and the tumble- 

 down buildings which have long covered most of the escarpment of 

 the celebrated Saratoga fault. The Saratoga fault has achieved a dis- 

 tinction which is perhaps quite out of proportion to its importance, 

 and yet this fracture is a controlling influence upon the relief of the 

 mineral water storage. The fault scarp stands as a rock cliff running 

 through the village from the High Rock spring southward, gradually 

 becoming a less conspicuous feature in the topography until it dis- 

 appears in the vicinity of Congress Park or the United States hotel. 

 The Saratoga fault has its heaviest throw far to the north of the 

 village and in its course southward its escarpment lowers on its way 

 through the length of the village until it is lost. It was formerly sup- 

 posed that there was a direct continuation of this fault southward 

 to Ballston where it influenced the Ballston mineral waters as it 

 does those at Saratoga. The soil mantle covers all this area so 

 deeply as to make it difficult to substantiate such an assumption. 

 It has become clear, however, that the surface evidence of dis- 

 placement terminates near Congress Park. In recent excavations 

 made by the commission in preparation of the Spencer Trask 

 memorial, to occupy this park, an opportunity was afforded of un- 

 covering the rock surface at the south end of the fault where the 

 displacement line is known to make a sharp turn to the west. The 

 commission has, with fine appreciation of the geological interest at- 

 taching to this phenomenon, given instructions to have the probable 

 course of the fault from this point uncovered where it crosses the 

 street in the direction of the Ainsworth spring — the only water- 

 bearing hole which has been put down west of the fault line. 



