﻿j6 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario, 
  the 
  hard 
  and 
  soft 
  early 
  Paleozoic 
  strata 
  outcropped 
  along 
  

   a 
  nearly 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  direction, 
  and 
  hence 
  considerable 
  streams, 
  

   tributary 
  to 
  the 
  major 
  southwestward 
  flowing 
  streams, 
  doubtless 
  

   followed 
  the 
  belts 
  of 
  soft 
  (shale) 
  rocks. 
  Such 
  a 
  west-flowing 
  

   stream 
  may 
  have 
  followed 
  the 
  belt 
  of 
  weak 
  Ordovicic 
  shales 
  which 
  

   runs 
  under 
  the 
  present 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  

  

  In 
  southeastern 
  New 
  York, 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  Mesozoic 
  era, 
  the 
  

   land 
  was 
  lower 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  era 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  late 
  Cretacic 
  sea 
  spread 
  over 
  at 
  least 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   region. 
  This 
  gave 
  a 
  better 
  opportunity 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  an 
  

   eastward 
  or 
  southward 
  drainage 
  toward 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  basin, 
  and 
  at 
  

   this 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  ancestors 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  Hudson, 
  

   Delaware, 
  and 
  Susquehanna 
  rivers 
  were 
  formed. 
  

  

  However 
  uncertain 
  our 
  ideas 
  may 
  be 
  regarding 
  the 
  topography 
  

   and 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  and 
  middle 
  Mesozoic, 
  we 
  are 
  nevertheless 
  

   sure 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  

   that 
  of 
  almost 
  a 
  peneplain 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  described, 
  and 
  

   that 
  the 
  streams 
  were 
  all 
  of 
  low 
  gradient 
  and 
  very 
  sluggish. 
  During 
  

   the 
  long 
  erosion 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Mesozoic, 
  there 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  many 
  

   changes 
  in 
  stream 
  courses 
  and 
  adjustments 
  to 
  rock 
  structures. 
  By 
  

   the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  era 
  the 
  courses 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  are, 
  as 
  yet, 
  not 
  defi- 
  

   nitely 
  known, 
  though 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  above 
  discussion 
  we 
  

   are 
  reasonably 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  principal 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  from 
  

   the 
  northern, 
  central, 
  and 
  western 
  portions 
  was 
  southwestward 
  to 
  

   westward 
  into 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  basin, 
  while 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  

   southeastern 
  portion 
  was 
  southward 
  to 
  southeastward 
  into 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  basin. 
  

  

  