﻿r66 
  

  

  NEW 
  YOEK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1895 
  Professor 
  H. 
  L. 
  Fairchild** 
  spent 
  a 
  

   short 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  supposed 
  higher 
  levels, 
  and 
  liis 
  results 
  

   were 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  "Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  geological 
  society 
  of 
  

   America." 
  

  

  Most 
  geologists 
  who 
  have 
  visited 
  the 
  region 
  about 
  Ithaca 
  and 
  

   Watkins, 
  have 
  been 
  attracted 
  by 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  

   delta 
  terraces 
  along 
  the 
  lower 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  sides, 
  where 
  

   the 
  tributary 
  streams 
  enter, 
  and 
  have 
  doubtless 
  surmised 
  their 
  

   significance. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  present 
  study 
  was 
  first 
  begun, 
  it 
  was 
  intended 
  to 
  re- 
  

   strict 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  lake 
  sequence 
  in 
  the 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca 
  lake 
  valleys. 
  

   But, 
  after 
  working 
  out 
  the 
  higher 
  local 
  stages 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  valleys 
  

   and 
  studies 
  begun 
  on 
  the 
  next 
  lower, 
  it 
  soon 
  became 
  evident 
  that 
  

   the 
  order 
  of 
  events 
  in 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca 
  lake 
  valleys 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

   isolated 
  from 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Finger-lake 
  series. 
  

   Hence, 
  for 
  a 
  territory 
  so 
  large 
  and 
  extended, 
  time 
  has 
  been 
  insuf- 
  

   ficient 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  entire 
  post-glacial 
  lake 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Finger- 
  

   lakes, 
  but 
  has, 
  I 
  believe, 
  proved 
  ample 
  for 
  tracing 
  out 
  and 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  levels. 
  

  

  Preliminary 
  considerations 
  

  

  Topography 
  of 
  the 
  Finger-lake 
  region.^ 
  Almost 
  without 
  

   exception, 
  all 
  previous 
  writers 
  have 
  described 
  the 
  Finger-lake 
  

   topography, 
  and 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  a 
  detailed 
  description 
  at 
  present, 
  

   would 
  simply 
  mean 
  a 
  restatement 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  previously 
  

   stated 
  many 
  times 
  over 
  by 
  others, 
  without 
  adding 
  any 
  special 
  value 
  

   or 
  merit 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  work. 
  In 
  view, 
  therefore, 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  done, 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  general 
  outline 
  of 
  its 
  topography 
  will 
  be 
  

   attempted, 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  deemed 
  necessary 
  to 
  an 
  adequate 
  understand- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  what 
  follows 
  in 
  the 
  subsequent 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  study. 
  

  

  The 
  Kew 
  York-Pennsylvania 
  plateau 
  has 
  been 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  the 
  

   New 
  York 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  northernmost 
  Appalachian 
  plateau, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  lakes 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   central 
  New 
  York 
  region 
  have 
  been 
  deeply 
  incised. 
  All 
  the 
  lakes 
  

  

  a 
  Bull. 
  geol. 
  soc. 
  Am., 
  1895, 
  6, 
  353-374. 
  

  

  b 
  Mather, 
  Geology 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  Part 
  1, 
  1843, 
  317-365. 
  

  

  Hall, 
  J., 
  Ibid 
  Part 
  2, 
  1843. 
  

   A 
  further 
  description 
  may 
  be 
  had 
  by 
  referring 
  to 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  appended 
  references 
  in 
  the 
  

   bibliography. 
  

  

  