GEOLOGY OF MOUNT MARCY 7/ 



Beginning on the southern slopes of ElHs mountain, in the town- 

 ship of Jay, a long glacial channel extends south for a distance of 

 some ID miles with a dozen side outlets to the east. The lake 

 entrance to this channel was south of Ellis mountain at the northern 

 end of the South gulf as this north and south fault-line valley is 

 locally called. The controlling spillways were regulated by the ice 

 lobe that lay to the east. Thus as the ice retreated it permitted escape 

 first by the most southern side-outlets which represent the outlets of 

 the early stages of the Saranac glacial waters ; while later lower spill- 

 ways were opened farther north with a consequent lowering of the 

 waters. 



In several of these channels abandoned falls and cataracts were 

 found, which, together with correlation of the elevations of the 

 outlets and minor breaks in the sand plains, furnish positive evidence 

 of the origin of these levels. 



The chief cause for the indefiniteness of the levels and the lack of 

 shore line features is attributed to the fact that the ice was the bar- 

 rier controlling the spillways in many cases. Many one-bank chan- 

 nels exist showing unmistakable evidence of the rapid lowering of 

 the waters. 



Eastern Section 



St- Huberts lake. At a lower altitude than the Saranac water 

 levels there are scattered terraces of indefinite and sloping character 

 situated at 1 300-1 340 feet elevation. They are subordinate in 

 interest to the preceding levels as well as to those described below. 

 There is a small but finely developed terrace at the head of Keene 

 valley at 1300 feet. The level surface is now used as a baseball 

 diamond. Taking this as a starting point the other terraces fit into 

 the general scheme and thus there is the possibility of a lake level 

 at this altitude in the series that once flooded portions of the Mount 

 Marcy quadrangle. The most prominent remnant left of the St 

 Huberts lake is on the northeast slopes of Owls Head now traversed 

 by the Keene-Cascade highway, just off the northern edge of the map. 

 Its outlet was without much doubt to the east through the gulf, 

 south of Ellis and Bald mountains in the Ausable quadrangle, the 

 spillways being controlled by one-bank channels which are beauti- 

 fully shown in the woods on the southeast slopes of Black mountain. 



The Lower Series 



Confined Entirely to the Eastern Section 

 In descending from the higher lake levels to the lower ones, the 

 character of the terraces changes from indefinite levels of consider- 



