﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  l6l 
  

  

  source 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  the 
  waters 
  follow 
  the 
  upward 
  inclines 
  of 
  the 
  

   thrust 
  planes 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  dolomite, 
  which 
  eventually 
  lead 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  region; 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  dolomite 
  

   the 
  waters 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  along 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  fissures 
  or 
  cracks 
  

   in 
  the 
  rocks, 
  constituting 
  a 
  great 
  network 
  of 
  channels 
  which 
  are 
  

   all 
  connected 
  when 
  considered 
  at 
  large, 
  but 
  which 
  locally 
  may, 
  or 
  

   may 
  not, 
  be 
  closely 
  connected. 
  

  

  Summary. 
  We 
  hold 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  

   carbonated 
  waters, 
  as 
  they 
  exist 
  underground, 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   district 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  shale 
  cover, 
  underneath 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  held 
  

   imprisoned 
  in 
  the 
  Little 
  Falls 
  dolomite; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  orig- 
  

   inally 
  found 
  escape, 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  amount, 
  along 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  fault 
  

   and 
  through 
  the 
  shales 
  near 
  their 
  thinned 
  western 
  edge. 
  Certain 
  

   of 
  these 
  outlets 
  were 
  known, 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  also 
  others 
  in 
  un- 
  

   known 
  number 
  hidden 
  under 
  cover 
  of 
  overlying 
  glacial 
  drift. 
  We 
  

   hold 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  highest 
  degree 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  waters 
  are 
  

   mixed 
  waters, 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  in 
  part 
  a 
  deep-seated 
  source, 
  and 
  

   that 
  they 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  east, 
  following 
  up 
  the 
  thrust 
  planes 
  and 
  

   up 
  the 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  dolomite 
  beds, 
  utilizing 
  fractures 
  in 
  the 
  dolomite 
  

   as 
  their 
  channels. 
  When 
  their 
  path 
  is 
  blocked 
  by 
  a 
  normal 
  fault, 
  

   they 
  utilize 
  it 
  to 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  dolomite 
  on 
  the 
  upthrow 
  

   or 
  west 
  side, 
  and 
  then 
  reenter 
  the 
  dolomite. 
  When 
  the 
  particular 
  

   fault 
  which 
  terminates 
  the 
  shales 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  is 
  reached, 
  the 
  waters 
  

   rise 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  along 
  it 
  wherever 
  the 
  ground 
  levels 
  permit. 
  

   The 
  village 
  springs 
  and 
  the 
  Gurn 
  spring 
  are 
  located 
  on 
  such 
  a 
  fault. 
  

   The 
  Vita 
  spring 
  and 
  the 
  springs 
  along 
  Coesa 
  creek 
  rise 
  through 
  

   the 
  shales, 
  quite 
  possibly 
  along 
  a 
  fault, 
  though 
  the 
  fault 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  demonstrated 
  in 
  either 
  case. 
  

  

  When 
  we 
  pass 
  from 
  these 
  matters 
  to 
  those 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  

   amount 
  and 
  permanence 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  supply, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  

   of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  waters, 
  we 
  are 
  dealing 
  with 
  questions 
  of 
  quite 
  

   another 
  sort, 
  questions 
  regarding 
  which 
  wide 
  differences 
  of 
  opin- 
  

   ion 
  prevail, 
  and 
  concerning 
  which 
  we 
  can 
  obtain 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  direct 
  

   information. 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  supply. 
  Below 
  ground 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  this 
  

   mineral 
  water 
  either 
  has, 
  or 
  has 
  not, 
  ceased. 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  being 
  manu- 
  

   factured, 
  or 
  it 
  is 
  not. 
  If 
  not, 
  then 
  we 
  are 
  dealing 
  with 
  a 
  stored 
  

   water 
  supply 
  of 
  definite 
  amount, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  pumped 
  out 
  and 
  

   exhausted, 
  just 
  as 
  underground 
  stocks 
  of 
  petroleum 
  and 
  of 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  gas 
  become 
  exhausted. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  unlikely 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  

   a 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  kind. 
  Springs 
  have 
  been 
  flowing 
  at 
  Saratoga 
  ever 
  

   since 
  the 
  region 
  became 
  known, 
  and 
  for 
  an 
  unknown 
  length 
  of 
  

  

  