﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  1 
  5 
  

  

  The 
  deposits 
  of 
  these 
  terraces 
  were 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  close 
  prox- 
  

   imity 
  to 
  the 
  ice 
  sheet, 
  occasionally 
  covering 
  stranded 
  blocks 
  of 
  ice. 
  

   When 
  this 
  melted 
  away, 
  depressions 
  were 
  left 
  which 
  became 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  by 
  ponds. 
  Three 
  such 
  ponds 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  sands 
  south 
  of 
  Corinth 
  ; 
  

   and 
  Moreau 
  pond, 
  northwest 
  of 
  Gansevoort, 
  and 
  Lonely 
  lake 
  near 
  

   Saratoga 
  lake, 
  are 
  larger 
  examples. 
  Saratoga 
  lake 
  itself 
  lies 
  in 
  

   an 
  old 
  drainage* 
  valley, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  which 
  was 
  less 
  deeply 
  

   filled 
  with 
  drift 
  than 
  the 
  remainder. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  GEOLOGY 
  

  

  BY 
  II. 
  P. 
  CUSHING 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  and 
  Schuylerville 
  quadrangles 
  

   belong 
  apparently 
  to 
  two 
  separate 
  geologic 
  provinces. 
  The 
  rocks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  and 
  the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Schuylerville 
  quad- 
  

   rangle 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  plateau 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  Mohawk 
  

   trough; 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  Schuylerville 
  quadrangle 
  

   are 
  deposits 
  of 
  more 
  eastern 
  troughs. 
  The 
  Adirondack 
  plateau 
  

   rocks 
  are 
  of 
  Precambric 
  age 
  and 
  comprise 
  both 
  sedimentary 
  and 
  

   igneous 
  rocks. 
  Those 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  trough 
  are 
  of 
  early 
  

   Paleozoic 
  age, 
  Cambric 
  and 
  Ordovicic, 
  and 
  contain 
  no 
  igneous 
  

   rocks 
  in 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  region. 
  Those 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  easterly 
  troughs 
  

   are 
  also 
  of 
  early 
  Paleozoic 
  age, 
  Cambric 
  and 
  Ordovicic. 
  But 
  the 
  

   formational 
  units 
  are 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  

   trough, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  also 
  very 
  unlike 
  structurally. 
  

  

  Except 
  for 
  the 
  cover 
  of 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   Pleistocene 
  age 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  younger 
  than 
  the 
  

   Ordovicic, 
  with 
  one 
  trifling 
  exception, 
  and 
  that 
  an 
  igneous 
  rock. 
  

   A 
  mile 
  north 
  of 
  Schuylerville, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson, 
  

   is 
  a 
  small 
  knob 
  of 
  extrusive 
  rock 
  of 
  peculiar 
  character, 
  which 
  is 
  

   certainly 
  younger 
  than 
  the 
  Ordovicic 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  very 
  

   much 
  younger. 
  

  

  STRUCTURE 
  

  

  Since 
  their 
  formation 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region 
  and 
  

   the 
  Mohawk 
  trough 
  have 
  been 
  considerably 
  deformed. 
  The 
  

   Precambric 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondacks 
  were 
  enormously 
  deformed 
  

   in 
  Precambric 
  time 
  and 
  folded 
  in 
  a 
  complex 
  manner, 
  while 
  the 
  

   sediments 
  were 
  all 
  cut 
  to 
  pieces 
  by 
  great 
  intrusions 
  of 
  igneous 
  rock 
  

   from 
  beneath. 
  

  

  Besides 
  this 
  early 
  deformation 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  Adiron- 
  

   dacks 
  have 
  undergone 
  subsequent 
  deformation, 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  

  

  