MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 22/ 



. The salt attains its maximum thickness apparently in the eastern 

 section, on the extension of the dip south of the Onondaga-Cayuga 

 county part of the Salina outcrop. This is indicated by the actual 

 records of the wells drilled to the salt and indirectly by the relative 

 magnitude of the gypsum beds which are exposed within the Salina 

 belt from Madison to Erie counties. Inasmuch as the gypsum 

 represents one element of the series of original deposits from the 

 Salina sea or salt basin, in which it may be believed that the relative 

 proportions of mineral ingredients were fairly uniform for the entire 

 area of evaporating waters, there ought to be some balance between 

 the volum.es of the two materials, unless exceptional conditions 

 obtained during the period of evaporation or the original relations 

 have been destroyed by subsequent attack of ground waters on 

 the beds. There is nothing to show that the salt beds have under- 

 gone marked rearrangem^ent resulting in any considerable increase 

 or shrinkage locally in their dimensions except for the wastage that 

 has taken place along the outcrop. 



In the series of TuUy wells, no. 2, group A, is reported by Luther 

 to have been drilled through four salt beds, 24, 74, 36 and 60 feet 

 thick respectively, in order from top to bottom and making an 

 aggregate of 204 feet. 



At Ithaca a well drilled in 1885 showed a total thickness of salt, 

 according to Prosser, of 248 feet, divided into seven seams. A 

 test well on Portland Point, 6 miles north of the Ithaca well, pene- 

 trated three beds, an upper of 17, a middle bed of 27 and a lower 

 bed of 72 feet, with a parting of shale 27 feet thick between the 

 upper and middle beds and another shale parting 6 feet thick 

 between the middle and lower beds. 



At Watkins, at the head of Seneca lake, a well was drilled 102 

 feet into the salt. There is no record of the total thickness. 



In Livingston county the several salt shafts show a thickness of 

 from 50 to 80 feet of salt including impure beds of shaly m_aterial. 



In the Oatka valley the salt beds have a thiclcness of 75 to So 

 feet where they have not been leached. 



The data of wells put down by the ordinary oil-rig, which is the 

 method employed in drilling brine wells, are not to be regarded 

 as very accurate and som^e allowance must be made therefore in 

 comparing the records with reference to the salt. This applies both 

 to the dimensions and the interpretation of the character of the 

 beds. In some wells, doubtless, the mieasurements include beds 

 which are really shale impregnated to a greater or less extent with 



