Moraines with Raised Beaches of Lake Erie. 17 
siderable prominence for at least four miles. It is here that it 
makes its closest approach to the northeastern terminus of the 
Crittenden beach, the interval being scarcely two miles. Its 
altitude along the highest portion of the crest is nearly 100 
feet below the level of the Crittenden beach. In the eastern 
portion of Alabama township, near Smithville, the moraine 
rises to the escarpment of Corniferous limestone and attains an 
altitude 50 feet or more above the level of the Crittenden 
beach. On this escarpment its features are different from 
those displayed by the moraine where it lies at a lower level 
than the beach line. Instead of a stout ridge of till with 
gently undulating surface and well defined crest there is a 
series of low knolls sharp in contour enclosing basins and 
sloughs but presenting no main ridge. This phase of the 
moraine is continued for many miles to the eastward. The 
moraine was traced as far as the Genesee river which it crosses 
near Avon. The width of the belt is seldom less than a mile 
and often reaches two or three miles. 
Features Inside (northeast of) the Lockport Moraine.—In 
the district northeast from the Lockport moraine the surface is 
sharply in contrast with that on the southwest. It embraces 
the great drumlin belt of western New York and an intricate 
series of drift knolls and ridges of various types. Only a 
small part of the surface is plane. In the district southwest 
from the Lockport moraine and west from the Crittenden 
beach there are only a few drumlins and a few inconspicuous 
drift knolls and ridges. The contrast in drift features is nearly 
as great between these districts as it is between the portion of 
southwestern New York which stood above lake level and that 
which stood below. 
In the district northeast from the Lockport moraine the 
altitude, with the exception of a narrow belt in the vicinity of 
the moraine, is below that of the eastern terminus of the Crit- 
tenden beach. The low altitude cannot be due to postglacial 
crust warping for what warping has occurred is that of east- 
ward differential uplift instead of westward. This district 
must, therefore, have been occupied by the lake and subjected 
to wave action unless barred out by the ice sheet. J urther- 
more it is apparent that upon the withdrawal of the ice sheet 
this region would be invaded by the lake at least for a brief 
period, since it was then, as it is now, lower than any outlets to 
the west. This being the case the effects of wave action may 
be looked for at any level below that of the Crittenden beach, 
even if the lake was held at that level by an ice barrier. In 
case there was no ice barrier we should expect a similar amount 
_ of wave action throughout the entire border of the basin. But 
if the eastern or Ontario portion had been for a considerable 
portion of the time occupied by ice, while the lake was wash- 
Am. Jour. Sci1.—TuiIrRD Serres, Vou. L, No. 295.—Juny, 1895. 
2 
