Published monthly by the 



New York State Education Department 



BULLETIN 342 Jt'NF. IQ05 



New York State Museum 



John M. Clarke Director 



Bulletin 83 

 GEOLOGY 7 



PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY 



OF 



MOOERS QUADRANGLE 



BEING A PORTION OF CLINTON COUNTY, INCLUDING PARTS OF THE TOWNS OF 

 MOOERS, CHAMPLAIN, ALTONA, CHAZY, DANNEMORA AND BEEKMANTOWN N. Y. 



BY 



JAY BACKUS WOODWORTH 



PAGE 



Preface 3 



Introduction 4 



Surface deposits of the area 4 



Wisconsin epoch 5 



Glacial striation 5 



Table of glacial striae 5 



Interpretation of the striae 6 



Glacial erosion 8 



Glacial deposits 9 



Glacial drainage and spillways 13 



Ingraham esker 13 



Deltas contemporaneous with ice fronts. . 14 



Spillways and the flat rocks 16 



Small rock exposures 24 



Late and Post- Wisconsin lake and marine 



deposits 25 



Shore lines of the area 26 



Marine invasion 46 



Recent changes 50 



Streams and stream deposits 50 



Wind-blown sands 52 



Swamps 52 



Summary of Pleistocene history of the area 53 



Explanation of the map 5* 



Bibliography S7 



Index 59 



Plates FACE PAGE 

 r Index map showing location of Mooers 

 quadrangle 3 



2 Sketch map of Mooers quadrangle n 



3 Frontal moraine ridges north of Altona 



spillway 11 



4 The Ingraham esker 13 



5 Sketch map of spillways from the Canada 



line to the Little Chazy river 18 



6 Altona "flat rock" spillway 18 



7 The Dead Sea ; view from head of gorge 19 



8 The Dead Sea, looking s. 76 w 19 



Plates FACE PAGE 

 9 View from western end of Dead Sea, 

 showing Potsdam sandstone and high- 

 water mark , r g 



10 View near Dead Sea, looking north over 



the washed ledges of Potsdam sand- 

 stone ig 



11 Sketch map of Covey hill, Canada 22 



12 Looking north along eastern slope of 



Cobblestone hill 33 



13 A lower beach than in plate 12 33 



14 Crest of Cobblestone hill, showing strong 



wave action on boulders and large 

 cobbles 33 



15 The beach at 500 feet elevation in Mooers 39 



16 Looking w r est by north on the shore bar 

 at 500 feet, on the head waters of Bullis 



brook 3Q 



17 Shore bar cut through by head waters of 



Bullis brook 39 



18 Looking north along the uppermost beach 



ridge shown in plate 19 46 



19 Looking east over the coarse beach 



ridges along the shore south of the 

 Sciota cliff 46 



20 Landward slope of one of the coarse 



beaches, 2^ miles south of Sciota 46 



21 Looking north along the less developed 



beach lines south of Sciota 46 



22 Abandoned sea cliff in Potsdam sand- 



stone 46 



23 Upper part of the oid cliff south of Sciota 



shown in plate 22 46 



24 Looking south along abandoned sea cliff 



in Potsdam sandstone 46 



25 Sketch map of Mooers quadrangle show- 



ing extent of submergence beneath the 

 sea 47 



COVER PAGE 



Geologic map of Mooers quadrangle 3 



