﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  433 
  

  

  some 
  cases, 
  at 
  least, 
  they 
  thin 
  out 
  and 
  give 
  place 
  to 
  slabby 
  sand- 
  

   stones. 
  Their 
  materials 
  do 
  not 
  merge 
  into 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  enclosing 
  

   members, 
  and 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  separated, 
  in 
  most 
  cases, 
  by 
  

   slight 
  local 
  unconformities. 
  The 
  red 
  sandstones 
  are 
  hard, 
  

   moderately 
  coarse 
  grained, 
  thick-bedded 
  quart 
  zitic 
  rocks, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  thought 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  represent 
  a 
  definite 
  horizon. 
  The 
  

   region 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Oneonta 
  formation 
  in 
  Albany 
  county 
  is 
  

   much 
  obscured 
  by 
  accumulations 
  of 
  drift, 
  which 
  render 
  precise 
  

   determination 
  of 
  stratigraphy 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  great 
  difficulty. 
  There 
  

   are, 
  besides, 
  rapid 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  which 
  

   gi^e 
  rise 
  to 
  considerable 
  dissimilarity 
  in 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   series 
  made 
  at 
  any 
  great 
  distance 
  apart. 
  From 
  the 
  northeast- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  first 
  exposures 
  of 
  the 
  Oneonta 
  formation 
  are 
  near 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  ridge 
  east 
  of 
  Kensselaerville, 
  where 
  the 
  red 
  

   shales 
  outcrop 
  along 
  the 
  road 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  adjacent 
  fields 
  over 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  belt. 
  This 
  belt 
  widens 
  to 
  the 
  &>uthward 
  and 
  covers 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  high 
  region 
  along 
  the 
  Westerlo-Rensselaerville 
  boundary. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  very 
  heavy 
  drift 
  cover 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  exposures 
  are 
  

   neither 
  frequent 
  nor 
  extensive, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  small 
  show- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  shales 
  and 
  flaggy 
  sandstones 
  in 
  various 
  stream 
  

   and 
  road 
  cuts. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  highlands 
  northwest 
  of 
  Eensselaerville 
  the 
  Oneonta 
  

   formation 
  thickens 
  rapidly 
  and 
  is 
  spread 
  out 
  over 
  a 
  wide 
  area 
  

   extending 
  far 
  into 
  Schoharie 
  county. 
  The 
  red 
  shales 
  and 
  asso- 
  

   ciated 
  beds 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  area 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  

   the 
  Little 
  Schoharie 
  creek, 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  which 
  cuts 
  through 
  to 
  

   the 
  underlying 
  formations. 
  In 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  Kensselaer- 
  

   ville 
  township 
  the 
  formation 
  is 
  very 
  extensively 
  exposed 
  in 
  the 
  

   deep 
  valleys 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  hill 
  slopes 
  which 
  characterize 
  this 
  

   region. 
  Above 
  Preston 
  Hollow 
  the 
  Catskill 
  creek 
  cuts 
  through 
  

   two 
  members, 
  which 
  belong 
  apparently 
  to 
  the 
  underlying 
  series, 
  

   but 
  about 
  Preston 
  Hollow 
  and 
  below, 
  the 
  banks 
  exhibit 
  the 
  red 
  

   shales 
  and 
  associated 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  Oneonta, 
  although 
  not 
  

   far 
  above 
  its 
  base. 
  The 
  surrounding 
  hills 
  rise 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  

   averaging 
  about 
  1000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  Catskill 
  

   creek 
  valley, 
  and 
  consist 
  of 
  the 
  characteristic 
  succession 
  of 
  red 
  

   shales 
  and 
  gray 
  flaggy 
  sandstones. 
  Exposures 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   this 
  region, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  areas 
  of 
  drift 
  which 
  hide 
  the 
  for- 
  

   mation 
  at 
  some 
  localities. 
  

   55 
  

  

  