﻿NOTES 
  UPON 
  THE 
  LITHOLOGY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ADIRONDACK. 
  

  

  By 
  ALBERT 
  R. 
  LEEDS. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  to 
  present 
  a 
  complete 
  

   lithology 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondacks. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  possible, 
  during 
  the 
  

   present 
  very 
  partial 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  this 
  region. 
  A 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  still 
  deserves 
  its 
  

   popular 
  name 
  of 
  "The 
  Wilderness," 
  and 
  the 
  surface 
  rocks 
  of 
  

   this 
  vast 
  area 
  have 
  not 
  even 
  been 
  carefully 
  collected, 
  while 
  a 
  

   beginning 
  only 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  critical 
  study 
  of 
  those 
  

   which 
  have. 
  The 
  geological 
  map 
  of 
  this 
  district 
  covers 
  with 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  expanse 
  of 
  color, 
  and 
  aggregates 
  together 
  under 
  one 
  

   common 
  name, 
  rocks 
  of 
  many 
  varieties, 
  occurring 
  under 
  many 
  

   different 
  relationships 
  to 
  one 
  another, 
  and 
  of 
  whose 
  past 
  history 
  

   and 
  transformations, 
  probably 
  far 
  more 
  diversified 
  and 
  complex 
  

   than 
  we 
  have 
  hitherto 
  imagined, 
  we 
  know 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  and 
  

   that 
  imperfectly. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  labor 
  of 
  some 
  years, 
  upon 
  the 
  

   sound 
  basis 
  of 
  an 
  exhaustive 
  topographical 
  survey, 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  

   the 
  stratigraphy 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  to 
  analyze 
  chemically 
  and 
  opti- 
  

   cally 
  its 
  various 
  rock-formations 
  and 
  assign 
  them 
  their 
  relative 
  

   place 
  and 
  importance 
  as 
  chapters 
  in 
  the 
  primeval 
  geological 
  

   history. 
  We 
  shall 
  attempt 
  therefore 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  to 
  give 
  : 
  

  

  1st. 
  An 
  outline 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  hitherto 
  in 
  this 
  field. 
  

   2d. 
  A 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  so 
  far 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  writer, 
  

   and 
  whose 
  physical 
  and 
  pyrognostic 
  characters 
  have 
  to 
  a 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  extent 
  been 
  determined. 
  3d. 
  The 
  analyses 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  typical 
  rocks 
  and 
  minerals. 
  4th. 
  Results 
  of 
  the 
  

   microscopic 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  rock-sections. 
  5th. 
  Inferences 
  drawn 
  

   from 
  the 
  limited 
  range 
  of 
  studies 
  detailed 
  above. 
  

  

  I. 
  Previous 
  Literature. 
  , 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  previously-acquired 
  knowledge 
  

   is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  Report 
  upon 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Second 
  Dis- 
  

   trict 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  published 
  by 
  Prof. 
  E. 
  Emmons 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  

   1842. 
  He 
  devotes 
  more 
  especial 
  attention 
  to 
  this 
  subject. 
  

  

  