GEOLOGY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS AND VICINITY I5I 



as demand for stone develops. It is used both for structural pur- 

 poses and for road metal. 



In the quarry near Wilton a twelve-foot thickness of similar 

 beds is shown, also with cherts and drusy cavities containing quartz 

 crystals. This quarry was opened chiefly for road metal purposes, 

 and its product has been much used on the State roads of the 

 vicinity. Some misapprehension as to the true nature of the rock 

 exists in the minds of some people, as we frequently heard it re- 

 ferred to as a trap quarry, perhaps with the idea that any rock 

 used on the roads must of necessity be trap. The material should 

 make an acceptable road metal, though by no means so good as 

 good trap. 



Between 3 and 4 miles due west of Saratoga four quarries have 

 been opened in the dolomite, on the west side of the Highland 

 Park fault. The horizon in the formation is somewhat uncertain, 

 but is judged to be near the summit, since Amsterdam limestone 

 is the surface rock a short distance away to the south. The beds 

 are massive for the most part, and consist of alternating courses 

 of dark colored, fine grained stone, and lighter beds of coarser 

 grain. At the time of our visit none of these quarries were being 

 worked and we could obtain but little information regarding 

 them. One of them is quite extensive and the stone is likely used 

 both for structural purposes and for crushed stone. 



Limestone. Three of the formations of the district have been 

 quarried for limestone, the Hoyt and Amsterdam limestones of 

 the western basin and the Bald Mountain limestone of the eastern 

 basin. 



Two quite large quarries have been worked in the Hoyt lime- 

 stone, the Railroad quarry and the Hoyt quarry, the former i 

 mile north and the latter 3 miles west of Saratoga Springs (plates 

 5 and 2). Neither has been worked for some years, and the 

 earlier working was to supply lime chiefly for local use. The 

 quarries are thus examples of what has happened on a large scale 

 all over northern New York, the passing of local limekilns and 

 the concentration of the lime industry at a few localities deter 

 mined by favorable location and quantity and purity of the 

 limestone. 



The Amsterdam limestone has been quarried at Rowlands M\V 

 and at Rock City Falls. It was burned for lime to some extent 

 and also used for structural purposes and on the roads. At present 

 it is being extensively quarried at Rock City Falls to furnish 

 crushed stone for concrete. 



