﻿INTRODUCTION 
  

  

  The 
  eastern 
  escarpment 
  of 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  plateau, 
  generally 
  

   termed 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  mountains, 
  forms 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  

   topographic 
  features 
  of 
  central 
  eastern 
  New 
  York. 
  The 
  most 
  

   prominent 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  escarpment 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  

   Albany 
  co. 
  in 
  New 
  Scotland 
  township 
  where 
  it 
  turns 
  from 
  a 
  

   southerly 
  to 
  a 
  westerly 
  direction. 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  New 
  Scotland 
  

   the 
  Helderberg 
  and 
  Catskill 
  mountains 
  form 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  the 
  

   western 
  boundary 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  valley, 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  

   of 
  New 
  Salem 
  the 
  escarpment 
  forms 
  the 
  northern 
  boundary 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  plateau 
  region 
  of 
  southern 
  New 
  York 
  which 
  has 
  re- 
  

   cently 
  been 
  well 
  termed 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Tarr 
  the 
  New 
  York-Pennsyl- 
  

   vania 
  plateau 
  province.® 
  An 
  excellent 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  rugged 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  mountains 
  is 
  offered 
  every 
  traveler 
  on 
  the 
  

   N. 
  Y. 
  C. 
  & 
  H. 
  R. 
  railroad 
  on 
  leaving 
  Albany 
  who 
  on 
  looking 
  out 
  

   of 
  the 
  car 
  window 
  toward 
  the 
  west 
  will 
  see 
  a 
  steep 
  mountain 
  

   ridge 
  rising 
  from 
  1000 
  to 
  1300 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  valley. 
  Not 
  only 
  is 
  the 
  region 
  famous 
  for 
  its 
  

   natural 
  scenery 
  but 
  the 
  massive 
  limestones 
  which 
  form 
  cliffs 
  

   from 
  50 
  to 
  100 
  feet 
  in 
  hight 
  are 
  familiar 
  by 
  name 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  

   every 
  geologist 
  as 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  limestones. 
  Prof. 
  James 
  Hall 
  

   has 
  made 
  numerous 
  trips 
  to 
  this 
  region 
  and 
  the 
  Schoharie 
  valley 
  

   and 
  has 
  added 
  some 
  hundreds 
  to 
  the 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  fossils 
  so 
  

   that 
  the 
  locality 
  has 
  become 
  a 
  classic 
  one. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  great 
  

   English 
  geologist 
  Lyell 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  said 
  after 
  visiting 
  

   the 
  Helderberg 
  region 
  that 
  no 
  one 
  eould 
  consider 
  himself 
  a 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  trained 
  geologist 
  until 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  moun- 
  

   tains, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  favorite 
  locality 
  of 
  Louis 
  Agassiz 
  

   for 
  geological 
  study. 
  

  

  However 
  when 
  the 
  writer 
  came 
  to 
  study 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  this 
  

   extremely 
  interesting 
  region 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  no 
  one 
  had 
  published 
  a 
  

   precise 
  geological 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  Helderbergs. 
  Since 
  

   no 
  less 
  than 
  10 
  different 
  geological 
  formations 
  are 
  exposed 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  aBull. 
  Am. 
  geog. 
  soc. 
  1896. 
  28:106. 
  

  

  