﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  

  

  r65 
  

  

  Introduction 
  

  

  The 
  Finger-lakes'* 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  plateau 
  are 
  

   too 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  American 
  geologists 
  to 
  admit 
  of 
  any 
  very 
  lengthy 
  

   introductory 
  statement. 
  It 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  regions 
  in 
  the 
  state 
  

   to 
  receive 
  attention 
  from 
  the 
  earlier 
  workers. 
  The 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  

   lakes 
  was 
  touched 
  upon 
  at 
  the 
  very 
  beginning 
  of 
  geological 
  survey 
  

   work 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  state, 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  the 
  

   glacial 
  hypothesis 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  clearly 
  expounded. 
  Not 
  only 
  was 
  their 
  

   origin 
  referred 
  to 
  but 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1842, 
  Yanuxem,^ 
  after 
  a 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  loose 
  deposits 
  of 
  gravel, 
  sand, 
  earth 
  etc., 
  found 
  along 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  sides, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  about 
  Ithaca- 
  

   stated 
  that 
  these 
  lakes 
  had 
  formerly 
  maintained 
  higher 
  levels. 
  He 
  

   says, 
  " 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  deposits 
  greatly 
  resemble 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  loose 
  

   materials 
  which 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  near 
  Fall 
  and 
  Cascadilla 
  creeks 
  

   when 
  the 
  lake 
  was 
  at 
  a 
  higher 
  level; 
  for 
  where 
  such 
  substances 
  are 
  

   deposited 
  in 
  deep 
  and 
  tranquil 
  waters, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  tendency 
  to 
  dif- 
  

   fusion 
  ; 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  upon 
  which 
  Ithaca 
  is 
  seated, 
  being 
  a 
  

   perfect 
  flat." 
  

  

  " 
  There 
  are 
  numerous 
  points 
  where 
  the 
  alluvium 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  formed 
  over 
  the 
  hill 
  side, 
  besides 
  those 
  near 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  

   creeks 
  near 
  Ithaca." 
  Since 
  the 
  writings 
  of 
  Lardner 
  Yanuxem 
  and 
  

   James 
  Hall 
  numerous 
  contributions 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  phasal 
  aspects 
  of 
  the 
  Finger-lake 
  geology, 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known 
  

   to 
  the 
  writer, 
  only 
  one 
  geologist 
  has 
  published 
  upon 
  the 
  supposed 
  

   higher 
  levels 
  of 
  these 
  lakes. 
  

  

  o 
  The 
  dimensions, 
  including 
  length, 
  average 
  width, 
  maximum 
  depth, 
  and 
  elevation 
  above 
  

   sea-level 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  lakes 
  are 
  here 
  appended 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  reference. 
  These 
  data 
  were 
  

   kindly 
  furnished 
  by 
  Professor 
  C. 
  L. 
  Crandall 
  of 
  the 
  College 
  of 
  civil 
  engineering 
  of 
  Cornell 
  

   university 
  and 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  Cornell 
  university 
  lake 
  surveys. 
  

  

  NAME 
  OF 
  LAKE 
  

  

  Canandaigua 
  

  

  Keuka 
  (or 
  Crooked) 
  lake 
  

  

  Seneca 
  

  

  Cayuga 
  

  

  Owasco 
  

  

  Skaneateles 
  

  

  Length 
  

   in 
  miles 
  

  

  Average 
  

  

  width 
  

   in 
  miles 
  

  

  Maximum 
  

  

  depth 
  

  

  in 
  feet 
  

  

  15.6 
  

  

  1.1 
  

  

  258 
  

  

  16.9 
  

  

  0.7 
  

  

  179 
  

  

  34.2 
  

  

  2.0 
  

  

  612 
  

  

  37.6 
  

  

  1.9 
  

  

  432 
  

  

  11.1 
  

  

  1.0 
  

  

  177 
  

  

  15.5 
  

  

  0.9 
  

  

  297 
  

  

  Height 
  

  

  above 
  

  

  sea 
  level 
  

  

  in 
  feet 
  

  

  687 
  

   718 
  

   441 
  

   378 
  

   703 
  

   858 
  

  

  & 
  Natural 
  History 
  Survey 
  of 
  New 
  York— 
  Geology— 
  Third 
  District, 
  by 
  Lardner 
  Vanuxem, 
  

   1842, 
  p. 
  219. 
  

  

  