Oceanic Current in the Utica Epoch. — Rucdcmann. jj 
ment of the fossils on Nine-Mile creek, the writer had made 
use of its existence to prove the submergence of the southern 
Adirondacks in the Utica epoch. It is evident that if this out- 
lier is only to be regarded as the remnant of a deposit in a 
drowned valley, the assumption of the passing of a current 
across the Adirondacks as far north as Trenton Falls, is not 
justified. 
The outlier at Wellstown, which had been discovered and 
described by Vanuxem in 1842, has been lately described more 
fully by N. H. Darton.* It appears from the latter investi- 
gator's description, that "the area of Palaeozoic rocks was 
found lying against a fault scarp on its western side, and pos- 
sibly faulted on the east side also," and that the Potsdam, Cal- 
ciferous, Trenton and Utica formations have their usual char- 
acteristics, and the latter two, their usual faunas. Thus, the 
interesting fact that four different beds belonging to different 
periods occur in the same small outlier, in a remote place in 
the Adirondacks, is rendered still more remarkable by the 
observation that all these beds apparently differ in no way 
from the continuous terranes along the southern border of the 
Arcluean area. These remarkable features of the outlier and 
the importance of the knowledge of its origin for the writer's 
views on current action in the Utica epoch, induced him to 
visit the locality. 
The outlier was found to form an oblong plain surrrounded 
on all sides by steeply rising ridges of crystalline rocks. The 
fault-scarp at the west side is distinct, the Archaean rocks ris- 
ing steeply 1,300 feet above the Potsdam level. As also on the 
east side, the Archaean hills present a steeper slope than the 
but slightly tilted Palaeozoic rocks which outcrop at their base, 
the existence of a fault is very probable also on this side. The 
whole outlier, therefore, seems to be the remnant of a fault- 
valley or "graben." This fault-valley has, however, been 
formed after the deposition of the Palaeozoic strata, and served 
only to protect them from the destructive efifects of the atmos- 
phere and of glaciers. Originally, the beds belonged to a con- 
tinuous mantle of Palaeozoic strata, which covered the south- 
*Geology of the Mohawk Valley, Rept. of N. Y. State Geologist for 
189.3, PP- 414 and 429. See also: .\ PreHminary Description of the 
Fauhed Region of Herkimer. Fulton, Montgoiv.ery and Saratoga 
Counties. Rept. of N. Y. State Geo!, for 1894, p. 47. 
