﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  165 
  

  

  RELATIONS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SARATOGA 
  MINERAL 
  SPRINGS 
  TO 
  THE 
  

   STRUCTURE 
  OF 
  THE 
  SHALE 
  BELT 
  OF 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  HUDSON 
  

   VALLEY. 
  

  

  BY 
  R. 
  RUEDEMANN 
  

  

  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  belt 
  of 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  and 
  Schuylerville 
  

   quadrangles 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  brought 
  out 
  certain 
  structural 
  feat- 
  

   ures 
  which 
  appear 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  

   waters 
  in 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  region. 
  

  

  The 
  salient 
  facts 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  water 
  for 
  the 
  

   discussion 
  here 
  presented 
  are 
  : 
  (i) 
  the 
  mineral 
  springs 
  are 
  dis- 
  

   tributed 
  in 
  a 
  belt 
  extending 
  in 
  a 
  northeast-southwest 
  direction, 
  

   from 
  the 
  Gurn 
  spring 
  to 
  Ballston 
  Spa 
  and 
  farther 
  south 
  (Albany?) 
  ; 
  

   (2) 
  the 
  waters 
  come 
  up 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  or 
  near 
  a 
  fault 
  line, 
  

   extending 
  in 
  this 
  direction; 
  (3) 
  the 
  water 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  west 
  of 
  

   this 
  fault 
  line, 
  but 
  is 
  found 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  it 
  (Quaker 
  spring 
  

   and 
  Vita 
  spring) 
  ; 
  (4) 
  it 
  is 
  stored 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  limestone, 
  dolomite 
  

   and 
  sandstone 
  formations 
  underlying 
  a 
  shale 
  formaton. 
  

  

  The 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  have 
  now 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  shales 
  

   forming 
  the 
  surface 
  rocks 
  east 
  from 
  the 
  springs 
  fault 
  belong 
  to 
  two 
  

   entirely 
  different 
  series 
  or 
  sets 
  of 
  formations 
  which 
  were 
  deposited 
  

   in 
  two 
  separate 
  basins. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  set 
  begins 
  on 
  top 
  with 
  the 
  Canajoharie 
  shale. 
  This 
  

   is 
  underlain 
  by 
  the 
  Glens 
  Falls 
  and 
  Amsterdam 
  limestones, 
  the 
  

   Hoyt 
  limestone, 
  Little 
  Falls 
  dolomite 
  and 
  Potsdam 
  sandstone, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  resting 
  on 
  Precambric 
  rocks, 
  mostly 
  gneiss. 
  

  

  This 
  western 
  series, 
  which 
  sinks 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  step 
  faults 
  from 
  

   the 
  Precambric 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondacks 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  

   plain, 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  disturbed 
  and 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  but 
  little 
  tilted 
  and 
  not 
  

   folded. 
  It 
  continues 
  eastward 
  to 
  an 
  unknown 
  extent, 
  which, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  must 
  be 
  considerable 
  since 
  only 
  the 
  western 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   basin 
  is 
  now 
  exposed 
  on 
  the 
  surface. 
  Undoubtedly 
  it 
  extends 
  as 
  

   far 
  as 
  the 
  eastern 
  hill 
  region, 
  as 
  indicated 
  in 
  sections. 
  

  

  Only 
  3 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Saratoga 
  an 
  entirely 
  different 
  set 
  of 
  forma- 
  

   tions 
  begins 
  to 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  surface. 
  In 
  this 
  set 
  most 
  formations 
  

   are 
  represented 
  by 
  shale, 
  namely, 
  the 
  Trenton 
  by 
  the 
  Snake 
  Hill 
  

   shale, 
  the 
  Chazy 
  by 
  Normanskill 
  shale, 
  the 
  Beekmantown 
  by 
  Bald 
  

   Mountain 
  limestone 
  (thin), 
  Deep 
  Kill 
  shales 
  (thick) 
  and 
  Schaghti- 
  

   coke 
  shale, 
  and 
  the 
  Cambric 
  by 
  the 
  Georgian 
  shales, 
  slates, 
  lime- 
  

   stones 
  and 
  quartzites. 
  This 
  set 
  of 
  formations, 
  as 
  their 
  lithologic 
  

   character 
  and 
  faunas 
  show, 
  has 
  been 
  formed 
  in 
  another 
  more 
  

  

  