Niagara Falls 



1898 them was called the Warren water, which name the writer has 



pencer defined as applicable to the great open water of the region, until 



after the formation of the Forest Beach — its most perfect 



episode — after which it was dismembered into the Algonquin 



and Lundy waters. 1 



During the changing stages of Warren water, its configuration 

 was somewhat varied but not sufficiently to call the water by a 

 multiplicity of names, according to the changing levels. The old 

 shore lines form prominent features, requiring nomenclature for 

 the most important. And additional naming only adds confusion. 

 Some of the beaches have been renamed by Mr. Leverett, 2 con- 

 trary to the usage of naturalists. 



With the continued elevation of the land, the Algonquin water 

 sunk to the level of the Nipissing beach (of Taylor) and the 

 Lundy became dismembered, and formed an insignificant Lake 

 Erie. 3 In the Ontario basin, the water sunk to the Iroquois 

 beach and lower levels, and Niagara Falls had their birth, after 

 the river had first been a strait. Remnants of beaches of that 

 time were long ago observed, not only in the vicinity of Niagara, 

 but also at the head of the lake. With the temporary pauses 

 recorded, the waters of the upper level were speedily lowered to 

 that of the Iroquois beach, and then the Niagara river descended 

 only 200 feet, in place of 326 feet, as at present. The effect of 

 this diminished descent upon the excavating power of the falls 

 was first pointed out by the writer in 1 888 4 and published in 1 889. 

 With the continued lowering of the waters in Ontario basin, the 

 descent of the Niagara increased to 80 feet more than at present, 

 as first shown by Prof. Gilbert; but later, by the tilting of the 

 earth's crust north of the Adirondack mountains, the outlet of 



1 High level shores, etc., cited before. 



2 On the correlation of the New York moraines with the raised beaches 

 of Lake Erie. Leverett. Am. Jour. Sci., vol. L, 1895, pp. 1—20. 



3 Proc. A A. A. S.. 1888, p. 199. 



4 Iroquois beach, etc. Trans. Roy. Soc. Can., 1889, p. 132. 



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