﻿122 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  ^ 
  

  

  communication 
  between 
  the 
  open 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  the 
  interior 
  Paleozoic 
  

   sea 
  which 
  existed 
  during 
  Ordovicic 
  time. 
  This 
  bay 
  was 
  thus 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  old-lands 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  east 
  and 
  southeast, 
  and 
  its 
  

   waters 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  shallow. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  just 
  

   what 
  the 
  conditions 
  were 
  under 
  which 
  the 
  early 
  Siluric 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   this 
  region 
  were 
  made; 
  for 
  the 
  lower 
  beds 
  are 
  so 
  barren 
  of 
  organic 
  

   remains, 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  forced 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  evidences 
  other 
  than 
  that 
  

   furnished 
  by 
  fossils, 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  conditions 
  during 
  this 
  period. 
  

   It. 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  Medina 
  sea 
  were 
  

   cut 
  ofif 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  at 
  large, 
  at 
  least 
  sufificiently 
  to 
  prevent 
  a 
  free 
  

   communication. 
  This 
  may 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  at 
  first; 
  for 
  A 
  r 
  - 
  

   throphycus 
  harlani 
  flourished 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  during 
  the 
  

   deposition 
  of 
  the 
  Oswego 
  beds/ 
  and 
  this 
  species 
  characterizes 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  late 
  Medina 
  age, 
  during 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  

   reason 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  a 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Medina 
  sea 
  with 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   at 
  large 
  had 
  been 
  effected. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  southeastern 
  margin 
  of 
  this 
  interior 
  water 
  

   body 
  were 
  deposited 
  the 
  thick 
  beds 
  of 
  conglomerate, 
  which 
  now 
  

   constitute 
  the 
  capping 
  rock 
  of 
  the 
  Shawangunk 
  and 
  other 
  ranges 
  

   of 
  hills, 
  while 
  farther 
  west, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  supply, 
  

   the 
  Oswego 
  sandstone 
  was 
  accumulating. 
  Later 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  deposit 
  changed 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  from 
  the 
  gray 
  silicious 
  sands 
  to 
  

   the 
  impalpable 
  muds 
  and 
  fine 
  sands 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  Medina. 
  What- 
  

   ever 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  these 
  sands, 
  ferruginous 
  matter 
  was 
  plentiful, 
  as 
  

   shown 
  by 
  the 
  red 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  deposits, 
  and 
  this 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   position 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  derived 
  from' 
  the 
  crystalline 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  

   Adirondacks 
  and 
  the 
  Canadian 
  highlands 
  and 
  not 
  from 
  Ordovicic 
  or 
  

   Cambric 
  deposits. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that, 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  Medina 
  epoch, 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  this 
  basin 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  highly 
  saline 
  character. 
  No 
  deposits 
  

   of 
  salt 
  were 
  formed, 
  or 
  if 
  these 
  existed, 
  they 
  were 
  subsequently 
  

   leached 
  out. 
  The 
  Medina 
  beds 
  are 
  however 
  rich 
  in 
  saline 
  waters,, 
  

   salt 
  springs 
  being 
  common 
  throughout 
  this 
  region,'^ 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  

  

  ^This 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  Oneida 
  conglomerate. 
  

  

  ^In 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  century 
  salt 
  was 
  not 
  infrequently 
  manufactured 
  

   from 
  these 
  springs. 
  

  

  