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GEOLOGY OF THE FIRST DISTRICT. 
CHAPTER IV. 
UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM. 
This system contains three divisions, viz. 
1. Long-island division, 
2. Trappean division. 
3. Red Sandstone division, 
1. LONG-ISLAND DIVISION. 
The Long-island division of deposits is composed of strata of sand, clay, gravel and peb¬ 
bles. The sands are white, yellow, red, and variously tinged. The clays are blue, white, 
mottled of white, red and yellow ; some are brown, greenish, and pyritous. The pebble and 
gravel beds are composed of fragments of rocks that exist in place, within a distance of fifty 
or one hundred miles. Fossil shells are said to have been found in many places. Lignite 
has been found in numerous places, both by myself and others. 
The geological position of this formation is between the drift deposits and the red sandstone 
formation of New-Jersey and Rockland county; for its position beneath the drift can be seen 
in a great number of places, and red sandstone pebbles and red sand from the destruction of 
this sandstone may be plainly distinguished in many localities. The reasons for believing 
that the principal mass of this formation is older than the tertiary, will be seen in tracing the 
equivalency of these beds to those of New-Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, where 
it is considered as established that the corresponding strata belong to the upper secondary of 
the epoch of the cretaceous and greensand formations. 
Location and Extent. 
The tertiary deposits of the First Geological District have been found in New-York only 
on the island of New-York, Staten island. Long island, and Gardner’s, Plum, Shelter and 
Governor’s and Bedlow’s islands ; but it undoubtedly exists beneath the drift deposits of most 
of the islands in Long island sound, as Gull islands, Fisher’s island. Hart’s island. Brothers, 
City island. Barn islands and Riker’s island. It is usually covered by a mantle of the drift, 
