CHAPTER II 



CONDITIONS IN NEW ENGLAND DURING THE 

 DEPOSITION OF THE VARVE CLAY 



Higher Elevation of Southern New England in Late 

 Glacial Time 



While the last ice sheet was disappearing, southern New- 

 England had a higher position than now. This is proved by the 

 occurrence of excellent varve clays at New Haven, Conn., 

 more than 25 feet below sea level, and at Hackensack, N. J., 

 down to more than 15 feet. The clays were deposited in entirely 

 fresh water, in lakes, not in bays of the sea. Varve clays, to be 

 sure, were formed in the sea close to the mouth of a glacial river; 

 but, as the ice edge retired from the place and the amount of 

 melting water diluting the sea water grew less, homogeneous 

 clays were deposited. Varve clays also were deposited in long 

 bays where the water was brackish. In both cases, however, the 

 varves were indistinct, differing considerably from those de- 

 posited in fresh water. These facts, as already explained, are 

 well known from studies in Sweden. In the marine area of 

 southeastern New Hampshire the clays are found to be homo- 

 geneous. If the sea had covered Hackensack and New Haven 

 in late glacial time, probably about ten varves at the bottom of 

 the clays might have been distinguishable, while the rest of the 

 clay would have been homogeneous. 



Accordingly the terminal moraine south of New York City 

 must have been continuous where it now is broken between Perth 

 Amboy and Staten Island by Arthur Kill and between Staten 

 Island and Long Island by the Hudson, at the Narrows. Peet 

 (1904, p. 641) and Salisbury (1908) discuss the subject and 

 hold forth this as an alternative. Arthur Kill, near its southern 

 end, now is 46 feet deep, and the Narrows reach a depth of 116 

 feet. Both of them have no doubt been silted up in post-glacial 

 time. 



