12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



it forms the bluffs of the east bank of the river and thence merges 

 into the Hudson river plain. 



DRAINAGE 



The two quadrangles drain entirely into the Hudson, the Schuy- 

 lerville directly, the larger part of the Saratoga indirectly. The 

 chief portion of the latter drains through Kayaderosseras creek 

 into Saratoga lake, and thence by Fish creek into the Hudson, 

 while the extreme northwest reaches the river by the still more 

 indirect route of the Sacandaga. 



Across the Schuylerville quadrangle flows the Hudson through 

 the structural valley of the lowland just described. In structure 

 this valley is the direct continuation southward of the Champlain- 

 Wood creek valley. The Hudson enters this valley at Fort Ed- 

 ward, north of which there is a low divide of Pleistocene mate- 

 rials between the Hudson drainage and Wood creek. Between 

 Corinth and Fort Edward the present position of the Hudson was 

 never before occupied by a large stream, but is apparently a com- 

 posite of portions of the narrow valleys of small preglacial streams. 

 A small portion of this stretch of the river's course is seen on the 

 two quadrangles, the remainder lying within the Glens Falls 'sheet. 

 In this part of its course it shows frequent and abrupt changes 

 in direction, abrupt variations in width, and frequent falls and 

 rapids. At Corinth the water level is 520 feet, at Fort Edward 

 140 feet, and the distance is less than 12 miles in an air line, though 

 much more following the river. This is a fall of over 30 feet to 

 the mile. 



At Corinth the river is in another structural valley of good size, 

 which in preglacial times must have been occupied by a consid- 

 erable stream. It has followed this valley for many miles through 

 the mountains. Structurally this valley continues to the south 

 across the Saratoga quadrangle and is now occupied by Kayaderos- 

 seras and Sturdevant creeks. It is heavily filled with Pleistocene 

 deposits, especially at the north, and it was this depth of drift 

 filling which turned the Hudson aside into its modern course 

 through Glens Falls. The deeper channel of the valley is indi- 

 cated on the areal map, and the valley continues on to the south 

 past Ballston and through Ballston lake to the Mohawk at 

 Schenectady. 



In this vicinity, then, the present Hudson is occupying portions 

 of two ancient, structural valleys, while its course from Corinth to 



