﻿THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  59 
  

  

  lating 
  sediments 
  caused 
  this 
  sinking. 
  Finally, 
  toward 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  Paleozoic 
  era, 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  marginal 
  sea 
  bottom 
  and 
  deposition 
  

   of 
  sediments 
  ceased, 
  and 
  " 
  eventually 
  the 
  trough 
  began 
  to 
  yield 
  to 
  

   lateral 
  compression 
  and 
  its 
  contained 
  strata 
  were 
  thrown 
  into 
  folds 
  

   or 
  fractured 
  by 
  great 
  overthrusts. 
  Thus 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  sinking 
  sea 
  

   bottom 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  interior 
  sea, 
  arose 
  the 
  Appala- 
  

   chian 
  mountains, 
  which 
  in 
  their 
  youth 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  lofty 
  

   range 
  rivalling 
  the 
  Alps 
  in 
  height. 
  This 
  range 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  river 
  to 
  Alabama." 
  1 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  

   great 
  physical 
  revolution 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  eastern 
  North 
  America 
  

   was 
  raised 
  well 
  above 
  sea 
  level, 
  though 
  the 
  more 
  moderately 
  ele- 
  

   vated 
  Mississippi 
  valley 
  region 
  was 
  unaccompanied 
  by 
  folding 
  or 
  

   faulting 
  of 
  the 
  strata. 
  

  

  The 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  Appalachian 
  revolution 
  upon 
  Nezv 
  York 
  State 
  

   is 
  of 
  fundamental 
  importance 
  because 
  the 
  whole 
  State, 
  except 
  

   probably 
  a 
  small 
  area 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Hudson 
  river, 
  

   was 
  raised 
  well 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  true 
  marine 
  conditions 
  never 
  

   again 
  prevailed 
  over 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  area 
  except 
  the 
  extreme 
  south- 
  

   eastern 
  portion? 
  Judging 
  by 
  the 
  vast 
  amount 
  of 
  erosion 
  which 
  

   took 
  place 
  during 
  the 
  succeeding 
  Mesozoic 
  era, 
  we 
  are 
  safe 
  in 
  our 
  

   belief 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  

   Paleozoic 
  was 
  at 
  least 
  several 
  thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level. 
  It 
  is 
  

   also 
  important 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  this 
  great 
  uplift 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  was 
  

   accomplished 
  without 
  any 
  folding 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  except 
  along 
  the 
  

   Hudson 
  valley. 
  The 
  gentle 
  southward 
  to 
  south 
  westward 
  tilt 
  (dip) 
  

   of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  strata, 
  however, 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  produced 
  

   at 
  this 
  time 
  due 
  to 
  somewhat 
  greater 
  uplift 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  valley, 
  folds 
  produced 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Appalachian 
  revolution 
  are 
  plainly 
  visible, 
  though 
  

   the 
  folding 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  here 
  was 
  much 
  less 
  violent 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   Appalachians 
  proper. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  these 
  folds 
  are 
  but 
  

   continuations 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  eastern 
  Pennsylvania, 
  but 
  the 
  compres- 
  

   sive 
  force 
  in 
  southeastern 
  New 
  York 
  was 
  too 
  weak 
  to 
  cause 
  much 
  

   disturbance. 
  Professor 
  Davis 
  has 
  aptly 
  styled 
  these, 
  " 
  Little 
  

   mountains 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Catskills." 
  By 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  

   physiographic 
  feature 
  of 
  this 
  folded 
  region 
  is 
  the 
  Shawangunk 
  

   mountain 
  (ridge) 
  which 
  stands 
  out 
  very 
  prominently 
  and 
  whose 
  

  

  1 
  Scott's 
  Introduction 
  to 
  Geology, 
  second 
  edition, 
  p. 
  647. 
  

  

  2 
  The 
  influx 
  of 
  tide 
  waters 
  along 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  northern 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  in 
  the 
  Quaternary 
  period 
  presents 
  no 
  exception 
  to 
  this 
  statement 
  

   because 
  the 
  conditions 
  then 
  were 
  esturaine 
  rather 
  than 
  marine. 
  

  

  