﻿GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  SARATOGA 
  SPRINGS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  95 
  

  

  they 
  have 
  furnished 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  fossils, 
  other 
  than 
  grapto- 
  

   lites, 
  recorded 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  in 
  Bulletin 
  42. 
  Frequently 
  concretions 
  

   of 
  both 
  limestone 
  and 
  clay 
  are 
  found 
  scattered 
  or 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   obscurely 
  arranged 
  in 
  layers. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  extreme 
  pliability 
  of 
  the 
  argillaceous 
  shales 
  and 
  

   the 
  lack 
  of 
  strengthening 
  intercalations 
  of 
  grits 
  etc., 
  the 
  Snake 
  

   Hill 
  beds 
  are, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  intricately 
  contorted 
  and 
  crumpled 
  and 
  cut 
  

   by 
  cleavage 
  planes 
  and 
  smoothed 
  slip 
  planes, 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  the 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  shales 
  which 
  were 
  termed 
  by 
  the 
  geologists 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  survey 
  " 
  glazed 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  semimetamorphic 
  " 
  shales. 
  These 
  

   shales 
  so 
  designated 
  were 
  Snake 
  Hill 
  shales 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  valley. 
  

   Yet, 
  localities 
  have 
  been 
  observed, 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  west 
  shore 
  of 
  Saratoga 
  

   lake, 
  where 
  these 
  shales 
  were 
  distinctly 
  slaty, 
  and 
  near 
  Argyle, 
  just 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  sheet, 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  quarried 
  for 
  slate. 
  

  

  At 
  Snake 
  hill 
  — 
  a 
  picturesque 
  high 
  promontory 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  

   of 
  Saratoga 
  lake 
  and 
  an 
  old 
  landmark, 
  suspected 
  by 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   settlers 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  being 
  an 
  " 
  old 
  volcano 
  " 
  — 
  the 
  formation 
  

   has 
  a 
  different 
  character, 
  the 
  shales 
  containing 
  here 
  compact 
  grit 
  

   and 
  conglomerate 
  beds 
  1 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  thick, 
  consisting 
  of 
  coarse 
  sand- 
  

   stone 
  with 
  silicious 
  and 
  argillaceous 
  cement 
  and 
  many 
  pebbles, 
  up 
  

   to 
  1 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  well 
  rounded 
  and 
  consisting 
  of 
  shale, 
  black 
  

   limestone, 
  cherty 
  " 
  white 
  bed 
  " 
  and 
  milky 
  quartz. 
  While 
  the 
  grit 
  

   and 
  conglomerate 
  beds 
  are 
  bent 
  into 
  recumbent, 
  nearly 
  flat 
  folds, 
  

   the 
  intercalated 
  shales 
  are 
  intensely 
  crumpled. 
  There 
  also 
  occur 
  

   thinner 
  beds 
  of 
  gray, 
  crystalline, 
  often 
  sandy 
  limestone. 
  In 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  grit 
  beds 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  

   extensive, 
  very 
  irregular 
  in 
  thickness 
  and 
  sometimes 
  replaced 
  in 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance 
  by 
  shale. 
  All 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  this 
  locality, 
  the 
  shales, 
  

   the 
  limestone 
  bands, 
  the 
  grits 
  and 
  the 
  conglomerates, 
  are 
  fossili- 
  

   f 
  erous 
  and 
  besides 
  a 
  few 
  graptolites 
  furnish 
  cystids, 
  crinoids, 
  

   brachiopods, 
  gastropods, 
  pelecypods 
  and 
  trilobites. 
  In 
  the 
  shore 
  

   cliffs 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  a 
  mile 
  north 
  of 
  Snake 
  hill, 
  lamellibranchs 
  and 
  

   gastropods 
  occur 
  in 
  association 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  characteristic 
  

   graptolites 
  of 
  the 
  formation, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  little 
  disturbed 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  

   west 
  shore 
  the 
  graptolites 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  fine 
  preservation 
  in 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  places. 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  other 
  outcrop 
  of 
  the 
  conglomerate 
  bed 
  was 
  observed, 
  

   6 
  miles 
  northeast 
  of 
  Snake 
  hill. 
  The 
  bed 
  may 
  therefore 
  be 
  len- 
  

   ticular 
  and 
  of 
  but 
  local 
  extent. 
  Intercalations 
  of 
  silicious 
  shales 
  

   weathering 
  whitish 
  and 
  of 
  sandstone 
  beds 
  were 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  

   section 
  exposed 
  along 
  the 
  road 
  leading 
  southeast 
  from 
  Gansevoort 
  

  

  