GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 



The Brine Springs and Salt Wells of the State of New 

 York, and the Geology of the Salt District. 



By D. D. LUTHER. 



Contents. Introductory remarks : The chemical and physical characters of salt, 

 p. 175 ; Brines or Salt Springs of New York, p. 176 ; Springs issuing from the Hudson 

 Rhur formation, p. 176; Springs of the Medina sandstone, p. 177; Springs of the 

 Clinton, Niagara and Salina groups, p. 178 ; SaH Springs from other formations, 

 p. 179 ; The Salt Springs at Syracuse, History and Geology, p. ISO ; Salt "Wells, History, 

 Distrihution and Records, p. 1S3 ; Geology of the Salt District, p. 199 ; Hudson 

 River group, p. 200 ; Oneida conglomerate, p. 201 ; Medina sandstone, p. 201 ; Clinton 

 group, p. 203 ; Niagara group, p. 204; Salina or Salt group, p. 205 ; Waterlime leds, 

 p. 211 ; Oriskany sandstone, p. 213 ; Onondaga group, p. 214 ; Hamilton group, p. 216 ; 

 Tully limestone, p. 220 ; Genesee slate, p. 221 ; Portage group, p. 223 ; Chemung 

 group, p. 225. 



Introductoky Remarks. 



The Chemical and Physical character of Salt, brief y stated. Halite, the 

 salt of commerce, when pure is a binary compound of the two elements 

 chlorine and sodium, and is produced by the combination of one atom of the 

 acidic element chlorine of the weight of 35.4 times that of one atom of 

 hydrogen, with one atom of the basic element sodium weighing twenty-three 

 times that of hydrogen. It is therefore a chloride of sodium (NaCl) its 

 composition being chlorirre 60.7 sodium 39.3= 100. It contains no water of 

 crystallization. 



In its commercial form it usually contains some insoluble matter and more 

 or less of the sulphate of calcium and magnesium, and the chlorides of calcium 

 and magnesium. It belongs to the isometric system of crystallization, the 

 crystals taking the shape of cubes or related forms. Sometimes they are 

 hopper-shaped, or have the form of an inverted quadrangular pyramid consist- 

 ing of an aggregation of cubes, formed while a nuclear cube was floating and 



175 



