﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  3! 
  

  

  Paleozoic 
  formations. 
  The 
  western 
  trough, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  

   the 
  Chazy 
  basin, 
  was 
  a 
  subsiding 
  trough 
  which 
  repeatedly 
  was 
  sub- 
  

   merged 
  beneath 
  sea 
  level 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  Paleozoic 
  and 
  received 
  

   marine 
  deposits, 
  whose 
  uneroded 
  remnants 
  still 
  lie 
  in 
  comparatively 
  

   undisturbed 
  condition 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  deposited. 
  In 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  

   troughs 
  which 
  lay 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  were 
  mostly 
  quite 
  sepa- 
  

   rate 
  from 
  the 
  Chazy 
  basin, 
  early 
  Paleozoic 
  deposits 
  were 
  also 
  

   formed. 
  These 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  greatly 
  folded 
  and 
  faulted, 
  and 
  

   bodily 
  overthrust 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  from 
  their 
  original 
  position, 
  upon 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Chazy 
  basin. 
  For 
  convenience 
  we 
  here 
  refer 
  to 
  them 
  

   as 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  trough, 
  without 
  thereby 
  meaning 
  in 
  

   any 
  way 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  we 
  necessarily 
  regard 
  them 
  as 
  deposits 
  

   of 
  an 
  original 
  single 
  trough, 
  rather 
  than 
  as 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  one. 
  

   These 
  rocks 
  do 
  not 
  now 
  lie 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  originally 
  deposited 
  

   and 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  disturbed 
  and 
  folded 
  than 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  

   the 
  western 
  trough. 
  

  

  The 
  formations 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  trough, 
  in 
  order 
  of 
  age, 
  are 
  the 
  

   Potsdam 
  sandstone, 
  Theresa 
  formation, 
  Hoyt 
  limestone, 
  Little 
  Falls 
  

   dolomite. 
  Black 
  River 
  limestones 
  (chiefly 
  the 
  Amsterdam 
  lime- 
  

   stone), 
  basal 
  Trenton 
  shale 
  and 
  limestone 
  (Glens 
  Falls 
  limestone) 
  

   and 
  Canajoharie 
  shale. 
  All 
  these, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Tren- 
  

   ton 
  shale 
  and 
  limestone, 
  appear 
  upon 
  the 
  map. 
  

  

  Surface 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  western 
  basin 
  rocks 
  were 
  deposited. 
  

   The 
  old 
  surface 
  of 
  Precambric 
  rocks, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  basal 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  deposits 
  rests 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  

   by 
  several 
  observers 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  uneven 
  surface, 
  but 
  yet 
  not 
  exces- 
  

   sively 
  uneven. 
  The 
  data 
  are 
  most 
  easily 
  obtainable 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  

   since 
  there 
  the 
  rocks 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  disturbed 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  east. 
  On 
  

   the 
  southwest 
  both 
  Miller 
  and 
  Cushing 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  this 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  smooth, 
  almost 
  plane, 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  hillocks 
  rising 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level. 
  1 
  None 
  

   have 
  been 
  observed 
  rising 
  higher 
  than 
  50 
  feet 
  above 
  this 
  level. 
  ' 
  On 
  

   the 
  northwest 
  this 
  surface 
  is 
  far 
  less 
  smooth, 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  

   rapidly 
  alternating 
  elevations 
  and 
  depressions, 
  with 
  maximum 
  dif- 
  

   ferences 
  of 
  some 
  125 
  feet 
  of 
  altitude. 
  The 
  surface 
  consists 
  

   chiefly 
  of 
  slopes, 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  flat. 
  2 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  southeast, 
  in 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  region, 
  the 
  surface 
  seems 
  much 
  

   as 
  on 
  the 
  northwest. 
  For 
  the 
  Broadalbin 
  quadrangle 
  Miller 
  reports 
  

  

  1 
  N. 
  Y. 
  State 
  Mus. 
  Bui. 
  126, 
  p. 
  35 
  ; 
  N. 
  Y. 
  State 
  Mus. 
  Bui. 
  77, 
  p. 
  59-62. 
  

  

  2 
  N. 
  Y. 
  State 
  Mus. 
  Bui. 
  145, 
  p. 
  54-60. 
  

  

  