No. 50. 
213 
Economical Geology of Sullivan, Delaware, Ulster, Greene 
AND Schoharie Counties. 
The economical results of the survey, with as little of scientific detail 
as possible, are brought before the public in the annual reports. It has 
been thought proper to retain most of the strictly scientific matter, until 
the final report, to insure greater certainty in the results, from long con- 
tinued, more extended, and better matured observation. 
Topographical character. 
The general aspect of the country where the Hudson River group 
forms the surface, is hilly, with a good soil, though often very broken 
and stony. The hills rarely exceed three or four hundred feet above 
the Hudson. The Shawangunk mountains, Marlborough mountain, 
Huzzy hill, and the range of high hills between the two latter, and be- 
tween the Wallkill and the Hudson are from 600 to 1,100 feet high. 
The Shawangunk grits, and the strata between these and the Hel- 
derberg and Schoharie rocks, are high rolling hills, with a cold, and fre- 
quently a stony soil. 
The limestone and slate lands of the Helderherg group) are rolling, 
with a good soil, and very productive for wheat and other crops. The 
strata are generally nearly horizontal, but through the valley of the De- 
laware and Hudson canal, and from Kingston to Coxsackie, the rocks 
are upheaved, and sometimes overturned. Many parts of this region 
are very rough and broken. 
The Catskill mountain group forms the high mountain region of 
Greene, Ulster, Sullivan, Delaware and Schoharie counties. The 
streams flow in deep valleys which seem to have been formed by erosive 
action, since the strata in most instances correspond on the opposite 
sides of the valleys. There are some exceptions, where there are indi 
cations of great fractures and rents of the strata, which traverse the 
country for many miles, and give direction to the streams. The soils 
on this formation aie generally good, but as the country is very heavily 
timbered, much time, labor and expense are required to bring them into 
use. 
The tertiary and alluvial lands are level, or with small hills. The 
former are generally terraces of nearly level land, at an elevation of 10 
to 150 feet above the streams in the valleys. 
