780 NEW YOEK STATE MUSEUM 



Greene county ^ 



The only limestone formations in tlie county are tliose of tlie 

 Lower Helderberg and Upper Helderberg, wliich extend across 

 the eastern part of the county from its northern to its southern 

 border, the two belts being separated by the Oriskany sandstone. 



The Onondaga is usually represented by its cherty member, 

 the CorniferouSj and is of little use except for building purposes 

 and road material, but the Lower Helderberg supplies an abun- 

 dance of lime rock, which could be employed in several directions. 

 At the northern boundary the Lower Helderberg limestone ridge 

 is probably 2 miles back from the river, the shore lines of the 

 Quaternary terrace abutting against it. In this vicinity it is 

 quarried near 'New Baltimore, by W. Fuller's Sons. At Catskill, 

 however, the ridge approaches close to the Hudson, and is easily 

 available for shipment. Both the Scutella and also the under- 

 lying members are exposed in the ridge, which closely follows 

 the river from Catskill southward to Sanger ties, and, while they 

 have been much used for building, other uses have remained in 

 the background. 



Recently the possibility of combining the Llelderberg limestone 

 with the nearby Quaternary clays for the manufacture of Port- 

 land cement has been recognized, and several factories are in 

 contemplation, while one large works is nearly completed at 

 Smiths Landing. 



Where a selection of certain layers is to be observed, the dip 

 of the beds has to be considered, for in this ridge it is quite 

 variable, owing to the folding which the region has been sub>- 

 jected to. 



The Becraft limestone forms the most massive member of the 

 Lower Helderberg in Greene county. It is similar in its char- 

 acters to that found on the eastern side of the river near Hudson, 

 and is underlain by the Tentaculite and Pentamerus. "West of 

 Catskill it has been extensively quarried by George Holdredge 



1 Mather, W. W. Geol. 1st dist. N. Y. 1843. 



