﻿Chapter 
  2 
  

  

  PHYSIOGRAPHIC 
  PROVINCES, 
  STRUCTURE 
  AND 
  

   DRAINAGE 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  STATEMENT 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  of 
  this 
  State 
  is 
  49,170 
  square 
  miles, 
  including 
  1550 
  

   square 
  miles 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  range 
  in 
  altitude 
  is 
  from 
  sea 
  level 
  to 
  

   over 
  5000 
  feet, 
  while 
  the 
  average 
  elevation 
  is 
  about 
  900 
  feet. 
  Mt 
  

   Marcy 
  (altitude 
  5344 
  feet) 
  in 
  Essex 
  county 
  is 
  the 
  highest 
  mountain 
  

   in 
  the 
  State. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  convenience 
  in 
  discussing 
  the 
  general 
  physiog- 
  

   raphy 
  and 
  structure, 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  divided 
  the 
  State 
  into 
  certain 
  

   well-defined 
  physiographic 
  provinces 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  accompany- 
  

   ing 
  map. 
  Lest 
  the 
  sharp 
  boundary 
  lines 
  convey 
  a 
  wrong 
  impres- 
  

   sion, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  provinces 
  are, 
  in 
  reality, 
  seldom 
  

   sharply 
  separated 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  (see 
  figure 
  2). 
  

  

  ADIRONDACK 
  MOUNTAIN 
  PROVINCE 
  

   The 
  Adirondack 
  mountain 
  province 
  comprises 
  fully 
  one-fourth 
  

   the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  great, 
  nearly 
  circular 
  mass 
  

   of 
  metamorphic 
  and 
  igneous 
  rocks 
  of 
  very 
  great 
  age, 
  that 
  is, 
  

   Prepaleozoic. 
  This 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  crystalline 
  rocks 
  is 
  completely 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  practically 
  unaltered 
  Cambric 
  and 
  Ordovicic 
  

   rocks. 
  The 
  whole 
  province 
  is 
  typically 
  mountainous 
  and 
  heavily 
  

   wooded, 
  often 
  being 
  truly 
  wilderness 
  in 
  character 
  with 
  very 
  few 
  

   roads 
  or 
  settlements 
  other 
  than 
  summer 
  resorts. 
  Except 
  along 
  the 
  

   immediate 
  borders, 
  the 
  elevations 
  range 
  from 
  1000 
  to 
  over 
  5000 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  greatest 
  axis 
  of 
  elevation 
  extends 
  from 
  southern 
  Hamil- 
  

   ton 
  county 
  (2000 
  feet) 
  northeasterly 
  well 
  into 
  Essex 
  county 
  where 
  

   the 
  highest 
  mountains 
  are 
  grouped 
  around 
  Mt 
  Marcy, 
  and 
  where 
  

   the 
  mountains 
  commonly 
  attain 
  altitudes 
  of 
  from 
  3000 
  to 
  5000 
  feet 
  

   (see 
  plate 
  1). 
  In 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  southeastern 
  portions 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   well-defined 
  tendency 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  masses 
  to 
  be 
  arranged 
  in 
  long, 
  

   nearly 
  parallel 
  ridges 
  or 
  " 
  ranges 
  " 
  whose 
  general 
  trend 
  is 
  north- 
  

   northeast 
  to 
  south-southwest. 
  This 
  structural 
  feature 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  

   numerous 
  faults 
  or 
  fractures 
  in 
  the 
  earth's 
  crust 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  

   explained 
  on 
  a 
  later 
  page. 
  In 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  western 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  the 
  mountains 
  are 
  very 
  irregularly 
  arranged. 
  Viewed 
  as 
  a 
  

   whole 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  high, 
  sharp-topped 
  peaks 
  which 
  stand 
  out 
  prom- 
  

   inently 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  mountain 
  level, 
  and 
  the 
  flowing 
  or 
  

   rounded 
  outline 
  of 
  topography 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  (see 
  plates 
  

   2 
  and 
  3). 
  The 
  very 
  ancient 
  Grenville 
  rocks 
  occur 
  throughout 
  the 
  

  

  [is] 
  

  

  