﻿10 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  movement 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  progress, 
  the 
  elevation 
  being 
  greater 
  

   toward 
  the 
  north. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  succeeding 
  pages 
  evidence 
  will 
  be 
  offered 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  

   most 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  has 
  been 
  repeatedly 
  covered 
  by 
  ocean 
  water. 
  

   It 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  established 
  that 
  where 
  such 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  as 
  

   the 
  Appalachians, 
  Alps 
  or 
  Himalayas 
  now 
  exist 
  was 
  formerly 
  

   ocean 
  bottom 
  upon 
  which 
  layers 
  of 
  sediment 
  were 
  being 
  spread 
  out. 
  

   Those 
  layers 
  of 
  sediments 
  have 
  been 
  bent, 
  crumpled, 
  folded, 
  and 
  

   greatly 
  elevated 
  above 
  sea 
  level. 
  Thus 
  it 
  is 
  literally 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  

   great 
  typical 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  have 
  been 
  born 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  ocean. 
  

  

  Among 
  other 
  important 
  processes 
  of 
  nature 
  which 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  

   active 
  in 
  modifying 
  the 
  earth, 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  weathering 
  and 
  erosion. 
  

   Weathering 
  is 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  various 
  atmospheric 
  agencies 
  

   such 
  as 
  moisture, 
  oxygen, 
  carbonic 
  and 
  other 
  acids, 
  together 
  with 
  

   changes 
  of 
  temperature, 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  is 
  to 
  cause 
  all 
  rock 
  masses 
  

   to 
  disintegrate 
  or 
  decay. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  most 
  soils 
  are 
  produced, 
  and 
  

   were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  erosion, 
  soils 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  deeper 
  

   and 
  more 
  widespread 
  than 
  they 
  now 
  are. 
  Weathering 
  prepares 
  the 
  

   material 
  which 
  is 
  carried 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  streams, 
  and 
  this 
  transported 
  

   material 
  as 
  deposited 
  either 
  along 
  the 
  flood 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   stream 
  courses 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  or 
  ocean 
  into 
  which 
  

   the 
  streams 
  flow. 
  Every 
  stream, 
  at 
  time 
  of 
  flood, 
  is 
  heavily 
  

   charged 
  with 
  mud 
  or 
  even 
  coarser 
  sediment 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  derived 
  

   from 
  the 
  wash 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  its 
  drainage 
  basin. 
  The 
  very 
  presence 
  

   of 
  the 
  sediment 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  proves 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  being 
  lowered 
  

   and 
  although, 
  on 
  first 
  thought, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  supposed 
  that 
  no 
  really 
  

   great 
  change 
  could 
  be 
  accomplished 
  by 
  this 
  means, 
  nevertheless 
  we 
  

   must 
  remember 
  that 
  nature 
  has 
  practically 
  infinite 
  time 
  at 
  her 
  

   disposal 
  so 
  that 
  slowly 
  but 
  surely 
  vast 
  geographic 
  changes 
  are 
  

   wrought 
  and, 
  perchance, 
  a 
  tremendous 
  canyon 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Colorado 
  in 
  Arizona 
  will 
  be 
  carved 
  out 
  by 
  weathering 
  and 
  erosion. 
  

   The 
  general 
  tendency 
  is 
  for 
  all 
  land 
  masses 
  to 
  wear 
  down 
  to 
  or 
  

   near 
  sea 
  level 
  and, 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  renewed 
  uplifts, 
  all 
  land 
  1 
  , 
  even 
  

   including 
  mountain 
  ranges, 
  would 
  long 
  ago 
  have 
  been 
  worn 
  down 
  

   to 
  near 
  sea 
  level, 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  peneplain 
  (almost 
  a 
  

   plain). 
  The 
  former 
  lofty 
  Appalachians 
  were 
  thus 
  worn 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  a 
  peneplain 
  which 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  somewhat 
  re- 
  

   juvenated 
  by 
  elevation. 
  Accordingly, 
  that 
  familiar 
  expression 
  "the 
  

   everlasting 
  hills 
  " 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  exact 
  when 
  made 
  to 
  read 
  " 
  the 
  

   everlastingly 
  changing 
  hills." 
  

  

  Still 
  another 
  important 
  process 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  physical 
  features 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth 
  have 
  often 
  been 
  changed 
  is 
  through 
  vulcanism, 
  or 
  

  

  