534 Surface Geology of the Merrimack Valley. [ September, 
longest axis has most frequently a northwest-southeast trend, 
coinciding nearly with the course of striz on ledges throughout 
this part of New England. This is well seen on the north side 
of the Merrimack, notably in East Kingston, Kensington, and 
South Hampton, N. H.; but there are many exceptions on the 
south side of this river. 
_ The till on the surface of these hills is comparatively loose and 
sandy, brownish or yellowish in color, and contains frequent 
bowlders up to five feet or more in diameter, many of which are 
angular and wholly unworn. At a depth of two or three to fif- 
teen or twenty feet, this upper till is succeeded by the very com- 
pact, clayey, and dark or bluish lower till, which contains few 
large bowlders, but is thickly filled with stones up to one or two 
feet in diameter, nearly all of which are glaciated, having bev- 
eled or striated sides and rounded edges. 
Typical examples of these drift hills are Bear Hill in Methuen ; 
Silver’s, Golden, and Great hills in Haverhill; Morse Hill in 
East Kingston; Moulton Ridge, Martin, and Horse hills in Ken- 
sington; Indian Ground and Chair hills in South Hampton; | 
Whittier’s Hillin Amesbury ; Powow Hill in Salisbury ; Prospect 
Hill in Andover; Hazeltine and Dead hills in Bradford ; Bald 
Pate Hill in Georgetown; and Crane Neck and Archelaus hills 
in West Newbury.. 
Modified drift is scanty or wanting along this part of Merti- 
mack River. The floods from which it was deposited seem to 
have kept their straight course and carried the most of their 
alluvium southward, passing over the very low water-shed be- 
tween Lowell and Massachusetts Bay. A conspicuous sand ter- 
race at Haverhill was brought down by Little River. Its steep 
escarpment shows that much of this deposit has been undermined 
by the Merrimack. 
Part of the city of Newburyport is built on a broadly round = 
ridge of gravel and sand, which probably had a similar orig 
with the narrower and steep ridges of the kames. This deposit 
appears first in the south part of Amesbury. It has been eu! 
through by Merrimack River, and on its opposite side rises to @ 
height of about one hundred and fifty feet in Moulton’s Hill. 
A quarter of a mile farther southeast it is depressed to seventy 
five feet, and shows the sharp ridges and knolls of typical ae a 
From this point it extends with a nearly uniform height hE 
one hundred feet along High Street to the middle of the ere 
and thence continues on the southwest side of this street ade 
