﻿THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  III 
  

  

  first 
  named 
  valley 
  only 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  very 
  sharp 
  turn 
  back 
  on 
  its 
  

   course 
  to 
  flow 
  across 
  the 
  mountains 
  and 
  into 
  the 
  Hudson 
  at 
  

   Luzerne. 
  A 
  preglacial 
  divide 
  was 
  located 
  at 
  Conklingville 
  as 
  

   shown 
  by 
  the 
  gorge 
  there; 
  the 
  perfectly 
  graded 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   valley 
  bottom 
  westward 
  from 
  that 
  place; 
  and 
  the 
  flaring 
  of 
  the 
  

   valley 
  westward. 
  This 
  remarkable 
  deflection 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  a 
  morainic 
  blockade 
  across 
  the 
  southern 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  rock 
  valley 
  from 
  Broadalbin 
  to 
  Gloversville. 
  

   The 
  peculiar 
  courses 
  of 
  Hans 
  and 
  Kennyetto 
  creeks 
  are 
  thus 
  also 
  

   easily 
  explained. 
  

  

  The 
  Hudson 
  river 
  now 
  flows 
  through 
  a 
  gorge 
  more 
  than 
  iooo 
  

   feet 
  deep 
  just 
  above 
  Stony 
  Creek 
  station, 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  rock 
  valley 
  at 
  Corinth 
  where 
  it 
  turns 
  abruptly 
  

   to 
  the 
  northeast 
  to 
  flow 
  across 
  the 
  Luzerne 
  mountain 
  ridge. 
  The 
  

   preglacial 
  Hudson 
  certainly 
  did 
  not 
  flow 
  through 
  the 
  Stony 
  creek 
  

   gorge, 
  but 
  rather, 
  where 
  the 
  gorge 
  now 
  is, 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  important 
  

   divide. 
  Among 
  other 
  proofs 
  for 
  this 
  former 
  divide 
  are: 
  the 
  deep, 
  

   narrow 
  gorge 
  of 
  recent 
  origin 
  ; 
  the 
  flaring 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  both 
  north- 
  

   ward 
  and 
  southward 
  from 
  the 
  gorge; 
  and 
  the 
  anomalous 
  turns 
  of 
  

   both 
  the 
  Hudson 
  and 
  Schroon 
  rivers 
  toward 
  the 
  southwest 
  through 
  

   a 
  highland 
  region 
  of 
  hard 
  rock, 
  instead 
  of 
  southeastward 
  across 
  

   the 
  much 
  lower 
  land 
  between 
  Warrensburg 
  and 
  Lake 
  George. 
  The 
  

   most 
  probable 
  preglacial 
  channel 
  was 
  past 
  Warrensburg, 
  Caldwell, 
  

   and 
  Glens 
  Falls 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  map. 
  The 
  now 
  extinct 
  Luzerne 
  

   river 
  started 
  on 
  the 
  Stony 
  creek 
  divide, 
  and 
  flowed 
  southward 
  past 
  

   Corinth 
  and 
  thence 
  through 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  rock 
  valley 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  

   of 
  Saratoga 
  Springs. 
  The 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  over 
  

   the 
  Stony 
  creek 
  divide 
  was 
  partly 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  lowering 
  of 
  the 
  divide 
  

   by 
  ice 
  erosion, 
  but 
  mostly 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  ice 
  retreat 
  the 
  

   ice 
  lobe 
  in 
  the 
  Lake 
  George 
  depression 
  forced 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  to 
  

   take 
  a 
  more 
  westerly 
  course 
  which 
  was 
  continued 
  after 
  the 
  melting 
  

   of 
  the 
  ice. 
  The 
  deflection 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  across 
  the 
  Luzerne 
  mountain 
  

   divide 
  was 
  certainly 
  caused 
  by 
  heavy 
  drift 
  accumulations 
  in 
  the 
  

   Paleozoic 
  rock 
  valley 
  south 
  of 
  Corinth. 
  

  

  The 
  famous 
  Ausable 
  chasm 
  in 
  Clinton 
  county 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  illustra- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  deep, 
  narrow 
  gorge 
  cut 
  through 
  the 
  Potsdam 
  sandstone 
  

   by 
  the 
  Ausable 
  river 
  since 
  the 
  Ice 
  age. 
  The 
  river 
  was 
  deflected 
  

   from 
  its 
  preglacial 
  channel 
  by 
  heavy 
  drift 
  filling. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  evidence 
  recently 
  presented 
  by 
  Fairchild, 
  the 
  lower 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  did 
  not 
  flow, 
  as 
  now, 
  westward 
  past 
  

   Watertown 
  and 
  into 
  the 
  Ontario 
  basin, 
  but 
  continued 
  northward 
  

   to 
  northeastward 
  into 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  valley 
  and 
  in 
  perfect 
  

  

  