GLACIAL WATERS IN CENTRAL NEW YORK 



23 



about 1000 feet. This forces us to the other alternative, the Batavia 

 channels. To harmonize the phenomena it seems necessary to 

 assume that the Batavia channels were effective while the ice front 

 was yet lying against the high ground in the Syracuse region, and 

 that all the waters bathing the ice front as far east as the Butternut 

 valley, south of Jamesville, found westward escape. It is necessary 

 to distinguish these waters with westward flow from the preceding 

 Newberry lake with its southward escape and from the succeeding 

 waters with eastward escape, and they are named Lake Hall, as 

 already stated [see pi. 36]. 



Higher east-leading channels: Split Rock series. Lake Vannxem 



The two great channels lying west and southeast of Marcellus 

 have heads or intakes so far beneath the level of the channels on 

 the northeast, the Split Rock series, that it seems impossible for 

 the waters to have been held at the hight of the latter if the Marcel- 

 lus passes had then existed as low as they are today. For this 

 reason it is believed that the Marcellus cuts were deepened to their 

 present state subsequent to the cutting of the Split Rock channels. 

 In chronologic order the higher and northward channels have 

 precedence in our description. 



The interesting succession of channels called the Split Rock series 

 (named after the village and limestone quarry situated in the middle 

 of the channels) , lies on the limestone scarp southwest of Syracuse 

 and extends from near Marcellus station, on the Auburn branch of 

 the New York Central Railroad, eastward to Onondaga Hill and 

 Elmwood Park. The most southerly and highest of the unequiv- 

 ocal channels is south of the hill crossed by the east and west high- 

 way miles southwest of Split Rock. This channel is in Marcellus 

 shale, at an altitude of about 900 feet, according to the map con- 

 tours. North of the hill and the highway the stream erosion has 

 removed the Marcellus shale, and all the scourways down to the 

 Split Rock gorge, or to about 750 feet, are in Onondaga and lower 

 limestones. The bottom of the Split Rock gorge and all the chan- 

 nels northward are in the Cayugan (Salina) shales. 



The Auburn and Syracuse Electric Railway traverses the channel 

 district and affords a convenient way of obtaining a rapid view of 

 the phenomena. Leaving Syracuse the electric line enters the broad , 

 400 foot channel at the west city line, passes tl^^igh the deep gorge 

 at Split Rock quarry, then climbs up along th e the scarp and 



swings around the brow of Howlet Hill '** cellus valley. 



