﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  169 
  

  

  the 
  Champlain 
  valley 
  to 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence, 
  the 
  Delaware 
  & 
  Hudson 
  

   Railroad, 
  does 
  not 
  follow 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  to 
  Fort 
  Edward 
  as 
  

   one 
  would 
  expect, 
  but 
  leaves 
  it 
  at 
  Mechanicville 
  to 
  swing 
  far 
  to 
  

   the 
  west. 
  Thus 
  again 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  faults 
  which 
  bring 
  up 
  

   the 
  mineral 
  waters 
  of 
  Saratoga 
  is 
  strongly 
  felt 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  

   of 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  quadrangles 
  and 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   principal 
  railroad. 
  

  

  A 
  third 
  geologic 
  agent 
  which 
  controls 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  

   settlements 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  constantly 
  growing 
  in 
  importance 
  is 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  rapids 
  and 
  waterfalls 
  in 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  brooks. 
  These 
  

   are 
  due 
  to 
  two 
  causes 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  first, 
  the 
  greater 
  erosive 
  

   power 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  over 
  that 
  of 
  its 
  tributaries 
  on 
  both 
  

   sides, 
  whereby 
  the 
  latter 
  flow 
  in 
  " 
  hanging 
  valleys 
  " 
  and 
  are 
  forced 
  

   to 
  reach 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  along 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  falls 
  and 
  rapids 
  in 
  

   their 
  lowest 
  course; 
  and, 
  second, 
  the 
  rejuvenation 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  by 
  

   the 
  glacial 
  period, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  which 
  in 
  their 
  new, 
  immature 
  

   courses 
  they 
  frequently 
  meet 
  ridges 
  of 
  harder 
  rock 
  protruding 
  into 
  

   the 
  glacial 
  deposits 
  from 
  the 
  irregular 
  preglacial 
  surface, 
  and 
  in 
  

   such 
  places 
  are 
  dammed 
  up 
  and 
  form 
  falls 
  or 
  rapids. 
  Thus 
  

   Schuylerville 
  and 
  Victory 
  Mills 
  grew 
  up 
  where 
  Fish 
  creek 
  falls 
  

   into 
  the 
  deeper 
  Hudson 
  valley; 
  Ballston 
  Spa 
  where 
  the 
  Kayaderos- 
  

   seras 
  creek 
  falls 
  into 
  the 
  old 
  preglacial 
  fault 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  

   Saratoga 
  fault 
  ; 
  Thomson 
  and 
  Fort 
  Miller 
  where 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  

   plunges 
  over 
  ridges 
  of 
  shales, 
  chert 
  and 
  grit 
  that 
  block 
  its 
  way. 
  

   Likewise 
  Gansevoort 
  is 
  located 
  where 
  the 
  Snook 
  kill 
  strikes 
  a 
  line 
  

   of 
  anticlinal 
  ridges 
  and 
  overthrusts 
  in 
  the 
  Canajoharie 
  shale 
  and 
  

   supplies 
  water 
  power 
  by 
  a 
  waterfall, 
  and 
  Clark 
  Mills 
  where 
  the 
  

   Batten 
  kill 
  crosses 
  a 
  ridge 
  of 
  harder 
  Normanskill 
  rocks; 
  Middle 
  

   Falls 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  held 
  up 
  and 
  falls 
  over 
  the 
  Bald 
  Mountain 
  lime- 
  

   stone, 
  and 
  Greenwich 
  where 
  the 
  olive 
  grits 
  of 
  the 
  Georgian 
  forma- 
  

   tions 
  force 
  the 
  Batten 
  kill 
  to 
  form 
  rapids 
  and 
  supply 
  water 
  power. 
  

   It 
  is 
  thus 
  seen 
  that 
  every 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  shale 
  belt 
  is 
  located 
  where 
  

   water 
  power 
  is' 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  geologic 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  

  

  Equally 
  interesting 
  with 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  settling 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  

   by 
  its 
  geology 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  events 
  of 
  the 
  battles 
  of 
  Saratoga 
  by 
  

   the 
  same 
  agency. 
  

  

  Burgoyne 
  had 
  two 
  routes 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  and 
  thereby 
  

   Albany, 
  his 
  objective 
  point; 
  namely, 
  first, 
  the 
  deep 
  depression 
  ex- 
  

   tending 
  from 
  Whitehall 
  to 
  Fort 
  Edward 
  and 
  caused 
  largely 
  by 
  the 
  

   downfaulting 
  of 
  the 
  Ordovicic 
  rocks 
  at 
  the 
  eastern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   Adirondacks 
  and, 
  second, 
  the 
  fault 
  basin 
  of 
  Lake 
  George. 
  He 
  

  

  