﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  495 
  

  

  high 
  above 
  the 
  limestone 
  region 
  eastward. 
  The 
  beds 
  are 
  nearly 
  

   everywhere 
  exposed 
  excepting 
  the 
  basal 
  members 
  which 
  usually 
  

   underlie 
  the 
  western 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  at 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  slope. 
  

   The 
  immediately 
  overlying 
  beds 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  frequent 
  cliffs 
  of 
  

   moderate 
  height, 
  and 
  in 
  these 
  there 
  were 
  seen 
  alternations 
  of 
  

   harder 
  and 
  softer. 
  dark-colored 
  shales 
  with 
  thin 
  sandy 
  intercala- 
  

   tions. 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  beds 
  are 
  harder 
  and 
  contain 
  scattered 
  flaggy 
  layers 
  

   capping 
  the 
  slopes 
  and 
  constituting 
  terraces 
  along 
  them. 
  The 
  

   summit 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  has 
  been 
  considered 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   heavy 
  flag 
  belts 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Flag 
  series, 
  but 
  this 
  may 
  vary 
  some- 
  

   what 
  in 
  horizon 
  through 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  county. 
  The 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  averages 
  about 
  600 
  feet. 
  The 
  beds 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  

   lower 
  Hamilton 
  group, 
  but 
  the 
  precise 
  equivalence 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  

   Fossils 
  occur 
  sparingly 
  throughout 
  the 
  series, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  

   as 
  yet 
  been 
  systematically 
  collected 
  or 
  studied. 
  

  

  Onondaga 
  limestone. 
  — 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  this 
  formation 
  is 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  economic 
  importance, 
  for 
  it 
  furnishes 
  lime 
  of 
  excellent 
  

   quality 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  burnt 
  at 
  many 
  localities. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  

   source 
  of 
  building 
  stone 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  local 
  use 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  market. 
  

   The 
  formation 
  is 
  a 
  light 
  bluish-gray 
  limestone, 
  dense 
  in 
  texture, 
  

   and 
  in 
  greater 
  part 
  massively 
  bedded. 
  It 
  contains 
  much 
  chert 
  

   mainly 
  in 
  thin 
  beds 
  and 
  elongated 
  lenses, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  sometimes 
  

   absent 
  locally. 
  The 
  chert 
  predominates 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  beds, 
  but 
  it 
  

   is 
  also 
  usually 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  beds. 
  The 
  basal 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  

   Onondaga 
  limestones 
  are 
  beds 
  of 
  passage 
  from 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   formation, 
  and 
  for 
  several 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness 
  consist 
  of 
  intermixt- 
  

   ures 
  of 
  clayey 
  and 
  sandy 
  rocks 
  which 
  gradually 
  emerge 
  upward 
  

   into 
  the 
  fine 
  limestone. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  is 
  rarely 
  

   exposed 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  no 
  outcrop 
  in 
  Ulster 
  county 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   drift 
  filled 
  valley 
  which 
  here 
  always 
  occupies 
  the 
  Onondaga- 
  

   Hamilton 
  boundary 
  belt. 
  

  

  The 
  outcrop 
  of 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  limestone 
  is 
  practically 
  continuous 
  

   from 
  the 
  northeastern 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  to 
  Wawarsing 
  town- 
  

   ship, 
  through 
  which 
  outcrops 
  are 
  rarely 
  observed. 
  For 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  course 
  it 
  dips 
  west 
  into 
  the 
  wide 
  valley, 
  across 
  

   which 
  rise 
  the 
  steep 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Hamilton 
  ridge. 
  

  

  About 
  Kingston 
  the 
  outcrop 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  widens 
  greatly 
  

   in 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  gentle 
  folds 
  which 
  traverse 
  the 
  region 
  and 
  

  

  