﻿246 
  J. 
  Bar 
  veil 
  — 
  The 
  Piedmont 
  Terraces 
  

  

  Although 
  in 
  most 
  general 
  views 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  the 
  upland 
  

   has 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  a 
  single 
  peneplaned 
  surface, 
  

   detailed 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  topographic 
  maps 
  shows 
  it 
  is 
  

   divided 
  into 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  benches 
  or 
  terraces 
  of 
  variant 
  

   width 
  which 
  differ 
  in 
  elevation 
  from 
  200 
  to 
  400 
  feet. 
  

   The 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  eight 
  pre-Pleistocene 
  terraces 
  is 
  shown 
  

   by 
  fLg. 
  1. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  northwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  the 
  upland 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  lies 
  mostly 
  between 
  1,200 
  and 
  1,400 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   sea. 
  The 
  highest 
  hills 
  rise 
  200 
  to 
  300 
  feet 
  above 
  this 
  

   level 
  and 
  the 
  valleys 
  are 
  cut 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  below 
  

   it, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  streams 
  having 
  their 
  floors 
  from 
  

   500 
  to 
  700 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level. 
  In 
  a 
  general 
  way 
  the 
  

   hilltops 
  broaden 
  and 
  the 
  relief 
  somewhat 
  diminishes 
  as 
  

   the 
  upland 
  descends 
  toward 
  the 
  Sound. 
  

  

  The 
  highest 
  elevations 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  northwestern 
  

   corner 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  where 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  a 
  plateau 
  1,700 
  

   to 
  1,800 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  Above 
  this 
  general 
  level 
  low, 
  

   dome-shaped 
  hills 
  rise, 
  their 
  culminating 
  point 
  being 
  

   Bear 
  Mountain 
  2,355 
  feet 
  in 
  elevation. 
  This 
  belt 
  of 
  high 
  

   country 
  is 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Taconic 
  Range 
  and 
  

   represents 
  an 
  erosion 
  surface 
  distinct 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   western 
  upland 
  at 
  lower 
  elevations. 
  

  

  The 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  upland 
  are 
  dominantly 
  gran- 
  

   ites, 
  gneisses, 
  and 
  schists. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  commonly 
  

   highly 
  metamorphic 
  feldspathic 
  and 
  siliceous 
  mica- 
  

   schists 
  and 
  over 
  considerable 
  areas 
  are 
  so 
  intimately 
  

   injected 
  with 
  granite 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  a 
  very 
  resistant 
  

   gneiss. 
  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  rock 
  formations 
  of 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  upland 
  are 
  somewhat 
  more 
  massive 
  and 
  resistant 
  

   than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  upland. 
  

  

  The 
  main 
  drainage 
  exhibits 
  a 
  marked 
  indifference 
  to 
  

   geologic 
  structure. 
  In 
  places, 
  best 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  Housa- 
  

   tonic 
  valley, 
  a 
  river 
  will 
  flow 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  along 
  the 
  

   outcrop 
  of 
  a 
  weak 
  formation 
  and 
  then 
  break 
  across 
  

   resistant 
  rock 
  masses 
  in 
  a 
  steep-walled 
  gorge. 
  The 
  

   regional 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  formations 
  is 
  slightly 
  east 
  

   of 
  north, 
  but 
  broad 
  sweeping 
  belts 
  occur 
  convex 
  to 
  the 
  

   northwest. 
  The 
  structure 
  planes 
  dip 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  

   to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  southeast. 
  The 
  relative 
  indifference 
  of 
  

   the 
  larger 
  drainage 
  pattern 
  to 
  the 
  structure 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  ex- 
  

   plained 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  factors. 
  The 
  broad 
  

   areas 
  of 
  resistant 
  rocks 
  and 
  frequent 
  flat 
  dips 
  have 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  a 
  digitate 
  pattern 
  to 
  persist 
  from 
  earlier 
  erosion 
  

   cycles. 
  The 
  initial 
  drainage 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  to 
  the 
  

   southeast, 
  diagonal 
  to 
  the 
  structure 
  ; 
  the 
  Housatonic 
  still 
  

  

  