﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  493 
  

  

  localities 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  valleys 
  of 
  Esopus 
  creek, 
  and 
  along 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  "slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Catskills. 
  Portions 
  of 
  the 
  sand- 
  

   stones 
  are 
  in 
  heavy 
  masses 
  with 
  cross-bedded 
  structure, 
  and 
  these 
  

   members 
  are 
  usually 
  of 
  exceptional 
  hardness. 
  There 
  are 
  in 
  this 
  

   series 
  occasional 
  intercalations 
  of 
  dark-colored 
  shales, 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  very 
  infrequent, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  observed 
  any 
  of 
  greater 
  

   thickness 
  than 
  three 
  feet. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  local 
  occurrences 
  of 
  

   conglomerated 
  sandstone 
  and 
  scattered 
  pebbles, 
  some 
  beds 
  of 
  

   which 
  occur 
  at 
  two 
  horizons 
  on 
  Overlook 
  mountain. 
  The 
  red 
  

   shales 
  occur 
  in 
  beds 
  varying 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  thirty 
  feet, 
  

   but 
  are 
  usually 
  not 
  over 
  ten 
  feet. 
  They 
  are 
  most 
  frequent 
  and 
  

   extensive 
  in 
  Woodstock 
  and 
  adjacent 
  townships. 
  In 
  the 
  western 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  there 
  are 
  red 
  shales 
  at 
  long 
  intervals 
  among 
  

   the 
  upper 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  formation. 
  In 
  Wawarsing 
  and 
  

   Kochester 
  townships 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  beds 
  of 
  red 
  shales 
  in 
  the 
  

   lower 
  members. 
  The 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  is 
  about 
  3000 
  

   feet, 
  but 
  the 
  precise 
  amount 
  can 
  be 
  determined 
  only 
  by 
  careful, 
  

   instrumental 
  measurements. 
  The 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  are 
  

   nearly 
  everywhere 
  exposed 
  within 
  its 
  area, 
  particularly 
  the 
  

   harder 
  sandstones, 
  which 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  cliffs 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  

   prominence. 
  The 
  finest 
  successions 
  of 
  outcrops 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Esopus 
  creek, 
  the 
  upper 
  valley 
  of 
  Kondout 
  creek, 
  

   the 
  west 
  branch 
  of 
  Neversink, 
  the 
  Kondout 
  valley 
  below 
  Lacka- 
  

   wack, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  Catskills 
  in 
  Wood- 
  

   stock 
  township 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Saugerties. 
  

  

  Lower 
  flagstone 
  series. 
  — 
  This 
  series 
  consists 
  of 
  beds 
  of 
  thin- 
  

   bedded 
  sandstones 
  with 
  intercalated 
  beds 
  of 
  dark 
  shales. 
  It 
  

   extends 
  diagonally 
  across 
  the 
  county 
  from 
  Saugerties 
  to 
  Wa 
  war- 
  

   sing 
  townships 
  and 
  constitutes 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  hills 
  and 
  terraces 
  lying 
  

   next 
  east 
  from 
  the 
  foothills 
  of 
  the 
  Catskills. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  

   source 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  bluestone 
  product 
  of 
  Ulster 
  county, 
  and 
  it 
  

   contains 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  heavy 
  beds 
  of 
  this 
  material. 
  

  

  Sandstones 
  constitute 
  the 
  larger 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  series, 
  and 
  

   they 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  terraces 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  width 
  and 
  height 
  in 
  

   the 
  less 
  disturbed 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  They 
  are 
  in 
  masses 
  

   which 
  vary 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  forty 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness 
  but 
  

   in 
  greater 
  part 
  average 
  from 
  ten 
  to 
  fifteen 
  feet. 
  The 
  color 
  varies 
  

   from 
  greenish-gray 
  to 
  light 
  bluish-gray 
  but 
  some 
  portions 
  are 
  

   dark 
  gray. 
  The 
  rock 
  is 
  mostly 
  moderately 
  fine 
  grained, 
  but 
  the 
  

  

  