﻿GEOLOGIC 
  FORMATIONS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  155 
  

  

  portion 
  is 
  generally 
  a 
  dark 
  gray 
  slaty 
  rock, 
  with 
  layers 
  of 
  impure 
  

   limestone, 
  well 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  Auburn 
  and 
  Syracuse 
  railroad. 
  

   The 
  important 
  salt 
  springs 
  of 
  Syracuse 
  being 
  derived 
  from 
  these 
  

   rocks, 
  they 
  received 
  originally 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Onondaga 
  salt 
  group. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  Natural 
  History 
  Survey, 
  the 
  salt 
  

   was 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  solid 
  masses, 
  though 
  the 
  gray 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  

   in 
  some 
  places 
  showed 
  impressions 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  ^ 
  hopper 
  

   shaped 
  ' 
  crystals 
  of 
  halite 
  or 
  rock 
  salt, 
  proving 
  that 
  it 
  once 
  ex- 
  

   isted 
  there 
  in 
  small 
  quantities. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  diffused 
  

   in 
  beds 
  and 
  lenses 
  through 
  large 
  extents 
  of 
  these 
  strata, 
  through 
  

   which 
  in 
  places 
  the 
  surface 
  water 
  percolates 
  and 
  bears 
  the 
  salt 
  

   in 
  solution 
  to 
  the 
  deep 
  basin 
  at 
  Salina. 
  This 
  was 
  found, 
  by 
  bor- 
  

   ing, 
  to 
  be 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  filled 
  with 
  gravel 
  and 
  

   sand, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  seemed 
  to 
  lie 
  as 
  in 
  a 
  reservoir, 
  and 
  

   from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  raised 
  by 
  the 
  pumps 
  for 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  evap- 
  

   orating 
  works. 
  The 
  Onondaga 
  lake, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  comparatively 
  

   shallow 
  body 
  of 
  fresh 
  water, 
  lies 
  over 
  this 
  deep 
  mass 
  of 
  gravel, 
  

   but 
  has 
  a 
  water 
  tight 
  bottom 
  of 
  marl 
  which 
  keeps 
  its 
  fresh 
  

   waters 
  separate 
  from 
  the 
  salt 
  waters 
  below. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  18 
  years 
  a 
  large 
  industry 
  has 
  been 
  developed 
  

   from 
  the 
  boring 
  of 
  salt 
  wells 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  state 
  at 
  points 
  dis- 
  

   tant 
  from 
  Syracuse, 
  at 
  Warsaw 
  and 
  in' 
  the 
  Genesee 
  valley. 
  These 
  

   wells 
  show 
  that 
  rock 
  salt 
  in 
  beds 
  and 
  lenticular 
  masses 
  varying 
  

   in 
  thickness 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  150 
  feet 
  is 
  abundantly 
  interca- 
  

   lated 
  between 
  the 
  layers 
  of 
  shale 
  and 
  limestone 
  of 
  the 
  Salina 
  

   group. 
  This 
  salt 
  being 
  easily 
  soluble 
  in 
  water 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  

   at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  nor 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  surface 
  waters. 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  drab 
  or 
  gray 
  shales 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  contain 
  great 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  gypsum, 
  which 
  is 
  quarried 
  extensively 
  from 
  Madi- 
  

   son 
  county 
  westward. 
  The 
  rock 
  over 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  gypsum 
  often 
  

   seems 
  arched, 
  as 
  if 
  this 
  mineral, 
  in 
  forming, 
  through 
  some 
  chem- 
  

   ical 
  change, 
  had 
  exerted 
  an 
  upward 
  pressure, 
  lifting 
  the 
  overlying 
  

   masses. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  group 
  is 
  remarkably 
  destitute 
  of 
  organic 
  remains; 
  

   not 
  a 
  single 
  fossil 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  or 
  red 
  

   shale, 
  and 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  portion 
  at 
  a 
  few 
  

   localities. 
  

  

  