﻿IRON 
  ORES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CLINTON 
  FORMATION 
  9 
  

  

  crosses 
  the 
  Niagara 
  river 
  at 
  the 
  falls 
  and 
  comes 
  to 
  an 
  end 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  in 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Ontario. 
  The 
  Clinton 
  areas 
  of 
  Ohio 
  and 
  

   Wisconsin 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  in 
  basins 
  separate 
  from 
  

   the 
  above. 
  

  

  The 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  outcropping 
  strata 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  maps 
  

   ranges 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  maximum 
  of 
  about 
  5 
  miles. 
  It 
  is 
  greatest 
  in 
  the 
  

   central 
  part, 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Oneida 
  lake 
  and 
  immediately 
  

   westward. 
  It 
  diminishes 
  very 
  gradually 
  away 
  from 
  that 
  sec- 
  

   tion, 
  specially 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  where 
  the 
  strata 
  continue 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  

   distance 
  with 
  scarcely 
  perceptible 
  changes. 
  The 
  outcrop 
  nar- 
  

   rows 
  more 
  quickly 
  toward 
  the 
  east 
  mainly 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   increasing 
  inclination 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  

  

  The 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  Clinton 
  strata 
  to 
  the 
  single 
  belt 
  above 
  

   delimited 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  geol- 
  

   ogists, 
  generally 
  accepted 
  until 
  recent 
  years, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   port 
  of 
  most 
  convincing 
  evidence. 
  The 
  beds 
  in 
  Schoharie 
  and 
  

   Albany 
  counties 
  that 
  were 
  formerly 
  supposed 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  belt 
  are 
  now 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  much 
  

   later 
  (Salina) 
  age. 
  Likewise 
  the 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  Skunnemunk 
  and 
  

   Shawangunk 
  mountains 
  of 
  Sullivan 
  and 
  Orange 
  counties, 
  some 
  

   60 
  miles 
  long 
  altogether, 
  assigned 
  to 
  the 
  Clinton 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  

   reports, 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  post-Clinton 
  

   development. 
  

  

  TOPOGRAPHIC 
  FEATURES 
  

  

  The 
  Clinton 
  outcrop 
  is 
  seldom 
  traceable 
  by 
  the 
  surface 
  con- 
  

   figuration. 
  Physically 
  and 
  structurally 
  united 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  above 
  and 
  

   below, 
  the 
  formation 
  has 
  developed 
  few 
  topographic 
  features, 
  by 
  

   weathering 
  or 
  erosion, 
  that 
  are 
  distinctive. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  extreme 
  west 
  the 
  Clinton 
  strata 
  are 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  Niagara 
  

   escarpment 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  constitute 
  the 
  median 
  portion 
  as 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  in 
  the 
  Niagara 
  gorge. 
  Passing 
  eastward 
  the 
  escarpment 
  

   become 
  less 
  prominent 
  as 
  a 
  scenic 
  feature 
  and 
  practically 
  disap- 
  

   pears 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Rochester. 
  The 
  soft 
  shales 
  have 
  been 
  

   denuded 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  yield 
  a 
  gentle 
  slope 
  from 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Lock- 
  

   port 
  limestone 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  Ontario 
  plain 
  that 
  is 
  floored 
  

   by 
  Medina 
  sandstone. 
  The 
  outcrop 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  widens 
  out, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  with 
  the 
  flattening 
  of 
  the 
  topography. 
  

  

  At 
  Rochester 
  the 
  Clinton 
  strata 
  are 
  crossed 
  by 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  

   which 
  occupies 
  a 
  deep 
  gorge 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  causing 
  a 
  V-shaped 
  up- 
  

   stream 
  deflection 
  of 
  the 
  outcrop. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  place 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  