﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  89 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  stated 
  in 
  a 
  footnote 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  vertical 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  colored 
  

   shale 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  siliceous 
  shale 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  black 
  

   and 
  gray 
  shale 
  with 
  Normanskill 
  graptolites 
  are 
  not 
  clear. 
  

   They 
  are 
  all 
  intimately 
  associated." 
  The 
  same 
  condition 
  prevails 
  

   farther 
  north 
  in 
  the 
  Schuylerville 
  quadrangle. 
  The 
  facts 
  which 
  

   are 
  here 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  succession 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  

   divisions 
  are, 
  first, 
  the 
  arrangement 
  in 
  belts 
  from 
  west 
  to 
  east, 
  and 
  

   second, 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  Willard 
  mountain. 
  The 
  arrangement 
  of 
  

   the 
  belts 
  from 
  west 
  to 
  east, 
  with 
  the 
  grits 
  as 
  the 
  westernmost 
  part 
  

   and 
  the 
  white 
  beds 
  following, 
  would 
  suggest 
  that 
  the 
  grits 
  are 
  the 
  

   youngest 
  division, 
  since 
  they 
  are 
  nearest 
  to 
  the 
  overlying 
  Snake 
  

   Hill 
  beds. 
  We 
  have 
  found 
  in 
  general 
  in 
  the 
  shale 
  belt, 
  where 
  

   larger 
  faults 
  or 
  folds 
  interfere, 
  that 
  the 
  westernmost 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  zone 
  are 
  frequently 
  the 
  younger. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  

   Willard 
  mountain 
  ridge 
  is 
  capped 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  mass 
  

   of 
  the 
  mountain 
  consists 
  of 
  grits, 
  which 
  dip 
  east 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  

   and 
  west 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side, 
  indicating 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  complex 
  

   synclinal 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  and 
  a 
  normal 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  

   white 
  beds 
  above 
  the 
  grits. 
  

  

  In 
  weighing 
  the 
  evidence 
  from 
  the 
  two 
  facts, 
  the 
  arrangement 
  

   of 
  the 
  belts 
  and 
  the 
  Willard 
  mountain 
  section 
  against 
  each 
  other, 
  

   we 
  incline 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  latter 
  as 
  nearer 
  the 
  truth, 
  for 
  the 
  

   abrupt 
  ending 
  of 
  the 
  grit 
  belt 
  near 
  Fish 
  creek 
  proves 
  that 
  the 
  

   boundary 
  line 
  between 
  the 
  Normanskill 
  and 
  the 
  Snake 
  Hill 
  forma- 
  

   tions 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  one 
  of 
  simple 
  succession, 
  but 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  

   overthrusting 
  and 
  folding, 
  the 
  grit 
  belt 
  being 
  faulted 
  out 
  north 
  of 
  

   Fish 
  creek. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  grit 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  Snake 
  Hill 
  beds 
  

   is 
  then 
  no 
  evidence 
  for 
  the 
  stratigraphic 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  grit 
  nearest 
  

   to 
  the 
  Snake 
  Hill 
  formation. 
  Moreover 
  we 
  have 
  good 
  reasons 
  for 
  

   believing 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  normal 
  succession 
  the 
  Rysedorph 
  Hill 
  con- 
  

   glomerate 
  is 
  located 
  high 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  Normanskill. 
  Its 
  absence 
  near 
  

   the 
  areal 
  boundary 
  on 
  the 
  quadrangle 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  is 
  then 
  

   further 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  diastrophic 
  rather 
  than 
  stratigraphic 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  that 
  line. 
  

  

  We 
  infer 
  from 
  a 
  remark 
  of 
  Dale's 
  1 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  have 
  placed 
  

  

  1 
  1899, 
  p. 
  294. 
  Dale 
  states 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  presence 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Ordovician 
  

   of 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  grit 
  containing 
  fragments 
  of 
  slate, 
  limestone 
  and 
  quartzite 
  

   * 
  * 
  * 
  points 
  plainly 
  to 
  some 
  unconformity 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  The 
  chief 
  

   objection 
  to 
  inferring 
  from 
  the 
  particles 
  of 
  clastic 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  grits, 
  an 
  

   unconformity 
  between 
  the 
  Cambrian 
  and 
  Ordovician, 
  is 
  that 
  these 
  grits 
  do 
  

   not 
  always 
  occur 
  at 
  the 
  contact 
  with 
  undoubted 
  Cambrian 
  rocks." 
  

  

  