NYSGA 1966
GEOLOGY OF WESTERN NEW YORK
Guidebook
New York State Geological Assn
38th Annual Meeting
1964
Department of Geological Sciences
State University of New York at Buffalo
Buffalo, N.Y.
E. J. Buehler, Editor

A: SILURIAN STRATIGRAPHY OF WESTERN N.Y.
by Edward J. Buehler
State University of New York at Buffalo
and
Wiliam J. Kilgour
Buffalo Museum of Natural Sciences

A: SILURIAN STRATIGRAPHY OF WESTERN N.Y.

STOP 1. DeCew Generating Station
Refer to papers by Fisher (p. 1), Kilgour (p. 10), and Zenger (p. 19). The following stratigraphic column for DeCew Falls is taken from Bolton, 1949.
0 - 12 | Dolomite, light grey dense nodular, weathering buff to white. | Lockport
12 - 25 | Dolomite, as above, but with abundant nodules of chert. | Ancaster
25 - 56 | Limestone, coarsely crystalline and porous, or sandy, with thin shale interbeds. | Gasport
56 - 64 | Dolomite argillaceous to sandy, calcareous, dark grey, weathering buff to tan. | DeCew
64 - 120 | Shale, fissile, green-grey to dark grey. | Rochester
120 - 127.5 | Limestone, pink to dark grey, coarsely crystalline, crinoidal. | Irondequoit
127.5 - 134 | Limestone, dolomitic, dense, light grey; top 0.5' sandy. | Reynales
134 - 142 | Limestone, dense, light grey, massive, with thin sandy partings. | Reynales
142 - 143 | Shale, greenish grey to dark grey. | Neahga
143 - 148 | Sandstone, fine grained, massive, white to light grey, with a few thin shale partings. | Thorold
148 - 148.5 | Shale, dark grey. | Grimsby
148.5 - 152 | Sandstone, as above | Grimsby
152 - 183 | Sandstone, fine grained, red mottled with green, with interbedded red shale. | Grimsby
183 - 194 | Shale, red and green, with minor beds of red sandstone. | Grimsby
194 - 242 | Shale, dark grey to green, calcareous, with beds of sandy shale and light grey calcareous sandstone. | Power Glen
242 - 254
Sandstone, quartzose, white to light grey, massive to thick bedded with small scale crossbedding. Thin zones of grey shale pebbles (intraformational conglomerate).
Whirlpool
254 - | Shale, brick-red with 0.3' of light green shale at top. | Queenstone

STOP 2. Lunch. Examination of exhibits at Power Vista.
Following is the stratigraphic section here. See papers by Fisher (p. 1), Kilgour (p. 10), and Zenger (p. 19), for details.
Eramosa | 20'
Goat Island | 19'
Gasport | 27.5'
DeCew | 8'
Rochester | 68'
Irondequoit | 26'
Reynales | 8'
Neahga | 6'
Thorold | 7'
Grimsby | 52'
Cabot Head, etc. | 36'
Whirlpool | 25'
Queenston | 100' exposed

Ascend Niagara Escarpment

Lockport Dolomite outcrop

STOP 3. Frontier Crushed Stone Quarry
The following units of the Lockport are exposed here. See paper by Zenger (p. 19) for details.
Goat Island | 24.0'
Gasport | 29.5'
DeCew | 8.5'

STOP 4. Akron Falls
STOP 4A. The following members of the Bertie dol. are exposed at the falls. See paper by Rickard (p. 24) for further details.
Scajaquada | 8'
Falkirk (the massive Member) | 20'
O-atka | 20'
The reentrant of the base of the falls is identified as the top of the Camillus Shale.
STOP 4B. About 1/4 mile upstream from the falls. The units here are:
Nedrow member of Onondaga | about 6' exposed
Edgecliff member of Onondaga | 5'
-- Silura-Devonian unconformity --
Akron dolostone | 8'
Williamsville member of Bertie | 6'
See papers by Rickard (p. 26), and Oliver (p. 32) for details.

B: UPPER DEVONIAN N.Y.S.G.A. FIELD TRIP
by Dr. Irving H. Tesmer
State University College at Buffalo

B: UPPER DEVONIAN N.Y.S.G.A. FIELD TRIP

Onondaga Limestone
Observe Onondaga Limestone to left (Buffalo NW quad)

STOP 1. Hamburg Park
Hamburg Park (Buffalo SE quad); exposures of Ledyard and Wanakah

STOP 2. Home of Piarist Fathers
Home of Piarist Fathers (Eden quad); exposures of Wanakah, Tichenor, Windom, Genundewa and West River;
2010: Now the Graycliff Conservancy maintains this Frank Loyd Wright house

STOP 3. New York Central Railroad Bridge.
Arrive 11:15. Follow path to left along west side of railroad to banks of Eighteen-mile Creek (Eden quad); observe exposures of Cashaqua and Rhinestreet; depart 11:30.

STOP 4. Church Parking lot
Walk 0.2 miles further east along Eighteen-mile Creek Road to U.S. 20 and then to bridge over Eighteen-mile Creek (Eden quad); observe exposure of Rhinestreet; depart 12:00.

Sand Ridge
Observe prominent sand ridge to right (Angola quad) . Next 1.2 miles.

STOP 5. Evangola Parking Lot
Arrive 12:30. Evangola State Park (Farnham quad);lunch and rest stop; exposures of Angola Shale; depart 1:30.

STOP 6. Bridge over Cattaraugus Creek
Arrive 11:45. Niagara Trading Post and bridge over Cattaraugus Creek (Farnham quad); observe Angola Shale and preglacial course of Allegheny River; depart 2:00.

STOP 7. Walnut Creek
Arrive 2:15. Walnut Creek (Silver Creek quad); exposures of Angola, Pipe Creek and Hanover; depart 2:45.

STOP 8. Point Gratiot Park
Arrive 3:15. Exposures of Dunkirk Shale; depart 3:30.

Hanover Shale
Observe various exposures of Hanover Shale in the Lake Erie cliffs to right (Silver Creek and North of Dunkirk quads). (Next 4.7 miles.)

Abandoned Lake Beach
Observe abandoned lake beach to right, associated with glacial Lake Warren at Sheridan, New York (Dunkirk and Forestville quads)

Hanover-Dunkirk contact
Silver Creek interchange #58; observe Hanover-Dunkirk contact (Farnham quad).

Rhinestreet Shale
Observe exposures of Rhinestreet Shale (Buffalo SE quad). (Next 0.3 miles)

C: LATE PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN NEW YORK
by Parker E Calkin and Charles J. Caseau
State University of New York at Buffalo

C: LATE PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN NEW YORK

Subdued Niagara Falls Moraine
Pass south over very subdued Niagara Falls Moraine; 20-30 feet of relief at stream cuts on otherwise very flat plain of Lake Tonawanda. This is the lowland of Upper Silurian, Salina Group.

Plains of former Lake Tonawanda
Turn right at Exit N-16 onto U.S. Rt. 290, Youngman Expressway, and proceed east over plains of former Lake Tonawanda.

Onondaga limestone Escarpment
Rise south over Onondaga limestone (M. Dev.) Escarpment. Exposure here in roadcut as you pass under Main Street.

Cazenovia Creek
Cazenovia Creek, a tributary of the Buffalo River at your right.

Morainal ridge
Turn left (E) onto Main St. and proceed along well defined morainal ridge at 660-670' through Ebenezer. Ridge is a probable westward extension of Leverett's (1902) Alden Moraine. DeCew 15' Orchard Park 7 1/2' It has been mistaken for a Lake Dana beach ridge but has probably been altered by Lake Dana waters (680-700'). Cellar cuts reveal a dense till, rich in large, striated boulders of Onondaga limestone.

Subdued morainal ridge
Join Seneca St. and proceed along subdued morainal ridge.

Road collapse
Turn right (SE) onto N.Y. Rt. 16, still continuing on Seneca Rd. At right, lateral migration of Cazenovia Creek has caused collapse of paved road.

Tichenor limestone falls
Note at left the falls formed by resistant and fossiliferous Tichenor limestone Member.

Glacial Lake Warren beaches
Beyond intersection with Kingsley Rd., Northrup crosses shaley gravel of glacial Lake Warren beaches, 800-830'. At left, 7 miles beyond is gravel beach ridge, 830', behind green house.

Glacial Lake Whittlesey
Proceed left (S) on Transit Rd. rising up to glacial Lake Whittlesey features, 900'.

STOP 1. Cancer Prevention Research Center.
View postulated, (Fairchild, 1906) Lake Whittlesey, wave-cut beach and scarp at left and right on north side of hill. Ridge appears to be largely shale, but its north side is partly flanked by well sorted sand.

Ridge crest in Lake Whittlesey gravel
Cross ridge crest (880') after .3 miles. Cellar of Barren house at right, was dug in Lake Whittlesey (?) gravel. Bear right (S) beyond ridge onto Willardshire Rd.

Hamburg Moraine
Proceed past probable kame moraine gravel ridge at right on north side, Hamburg Moraine.

Hummocky terrain
Cross Cazenovia Creek and proceed on Willardshire Rd. across typical hummocky topography of Hamburg Moraine.

Lake Whittlesey beach
Proceed through intersection of Jamison and Conley Roads with Seneca Rd. which overlie a Lake Whittlesey beach and spit at 900'. Beach topography is now nearly obscured except for minor sand ridges on grounds of Moog Plant at right (N). Descend from split, .3 miles west of Moog Plant.

Beaches of glacial lake Warren
Turn right (E) beyond Church onto Rice Rd. which follows beaches of glacial lake Warren (lower or second Lake Warren).

Beach Ridge
Observe prominent beach ridge at left of intersection with Dellwood Dr.

Pit cut in beach
An abandoned gravel pit 1.3 miles beyond Seneca Rd. cut in the beach exposes 20' of well sorted gravel.

Second Lake Warren ridges
Note again at least two prominent ridges of Second Lake Warren (Blackmon, 1956) left, .7 miles from Bowen Rd.

Cross Buffalo Creek.
Pipeline trenches adjacent to creek here revealed 2' of gravel over blue shaley till.

Lake Warren beach ridges
Turn left onto Stille Rd. (Stolle Rd.) noting well formed beach ridge of Lake Warren on right. Cross at least 3 NE-SW trending ridges of Second Lake Warren 835-800'.

Delta
Turn right onto Clinton Rd. and pass across delta of Buffalo and Little Buffalo Creeks formed in Lakes Whittlesey and/or Warren.

STOP 2. Huber and Huber sand pit.
Turn right into Huber and Huber sand pit. Observation and discussion of exposed Lake Warren beach and delta structures.

Beaches
Turn left (N) onto Town line Rd. and pass across beaches of Second Lake Warren, possible Lake Wayne 800' (.4 miles), and Lake Grossmere, 790;, (0.8 miles) beyond Clinton Rd.

Possible Lake Wayne beach
Possible Lake Wayne beach 800' (.4 miles from Clinton).

Possible Lake Grossmere beach
Possible Lake Grossmere beach 790;, (0.8 miles) beyond Clinton Rd.

Cayuga Creek
Cross unidentified beach ridge, 760', and Cayuga Creek, the eastern most river draining into Erie Basin. Proceed south over very subdued remnants of Alden Moraine. Borrow pits and cellar cuts reveal red, stony silts and normal clay till in this general region.

Ice contact deposits
Cross Ellicott Creek and turn left (W) onto N.Y. St. 33, Genesee St. Pass gravel pits in ice-contact deposits on right.

STOP 3. Pine Hill Concrete Co. sand and gravel pit.
Over 45' of ice-contact, stratified drift is exposed on the northeast corner. Thin layers of flow (?) till occurs at some horizons and the deposit is overlain by 7-10' of cobbly till in the northwest corner. This together with cross-bedding data suggest a possible (a) kame delta or (b) ice marginal stream origin. These and adjacent deposits may be related to the Buffalo Moraine of Kindle and Taylor (1913) .

Down Onondaga Escarpment
Proceed under Sheridan Dr. overpass and down Onondaga Escarpment to Lake Tonawanda plain, 630'. This area is largely underlain by lacustrine red silts and clays overlying Camillus Shale (U. Silurian). Scattered till ridges and drumlins project above its surface.

Crest of Niagara Falls Moraine
Cross over crest of Niagara Falls Moraine.

Drumlin
Turn right (E) onto Branz Rd. (Bartz Rd.) and proceed up onto NE-SW trending drumlin. This and next drumlin have no more than 35' of relief but stand out clearly from flat Lake Tonawanda plain.

Crest of NE-SW trending drumlin.

Hummocky ridges of Barre Moraine

Barre Moraine crests
Good crests of Barre Moraine, near stop light at Lincoln Ave., City of Lockport.

Barge Canal / Erie Canal
Cross N.Y.S. Barge Canal/Erie Canal at Lockport. Canal leads NE through one of Lake Tonawanda outlet spillways.

STOP 4. Outwater Park for lunch
Turn left onto Outwater Dr. and proceed to Outwater Park for lunch. The park lies on the Lockport Dolostone (M. Sil.) forming the prominent Niagara Escarpment overlooking glacial Lake Iroquois plain to north. Lake Ontario lies 11 miles to the north.

Spillway draining Lake Tonawanda
You are passing down from Niagara Escarpment through one of many spillways cut by water draining from Lake Tonawanda to Lake Iroquois.

Ridge Rd. follows the Lake Iroquois beach ridge
Ridge Rd. follows the Lake Iroquois beach ridge, 390'+; Lake Ontario stands at 246'.

Bar of Lake Iroquois.
Bear right following N.Y. Rt. 93 at fork onto bar of Lake Iroquois.

STOP 5. Abandoned gravel pit
Abandoned gravel pit exposes shingled gravel of Iroquois bar, lightly cemented with secondary calcium carbonate as to preserve details of imbrication, bedding, and cut-fill structure.

Iroquois Beach
Turn right (W) onto RL 104 Ridge Rd. and proceed along Iroquois beach to Lewiston. Note Niagara Escarpment prominently displayed at left is reached at Dickersonville, where rise begins from Iroquois plain, 400' to Tonawanda Plain at 600'+.

Proceed up Niagara Escarpment
Turn left (S) onto N.Y. Rt. 18, Creek Rd. at outskirts of Lewiston and proceed up Niagara Escarpment. After.4 mile note exposure of Lockport Dolostone at left and view to right of Escarpment, and the broad Lower Niagara River. Emerging from the Gorge at Cataract Basin, the river spreads out to a width of 2,000', flowing with a gradient of less than 0.16' per mile to Lake Ontario 6 miles to the north.

Cross Niagara River
Cross Niagara River into Canada with Old Narrow Gorge and power projects at left, Lewiston Branch Gorge Section and Cataract Basin at right.

Brock Monument
Turn right (S) at first exit after paying toll, and after .4 mile turn right again at intersection with Niagara Park Commission, "River" Road. Brock Monument, and Niagara Escarpment are at your left (N). Proceed south over Barre Moraine represented by hummocky relief .5 mile from the bridge toll stop.

Sir Adam Beck Niagara Generating Station No.2
Pass Sir Adam Beck Niagara Generating Station No.2, a facility of Ontario Hydro. From this area to the Whirlpool (Stop 7) we pass through a shallow channel of the Niagara R. from Lake Tonawanda to Lake Iroquois. The deposits are red Silts with grey clay layers overlying bouldery till.

STOP 6. Vista
Vista overlooking Gorge and Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. Both Canadian and American Power Stations take their water from the Upper Niagara River. A clear view Of the Niagara stratigraphic section is revealed here from Queenston Shale to the Lockport Dolostone at the top. Proceed south along River Rd.

Wintergreen Flats and Niagara Glen
Pass Wintergreen Flats and Niagara Glen at left. Large talus blocks, some 20' in diameter and cut by giant potholes, lie below massive dolostone cliffs which remained when the retreating former Falls narrowed and gorge cutting resumed to the east.

STOP 7. Whirlpool Basin
Turn left off main road to the Whirlpool parking area. The Whirlpool is a basin 1,700' by 1,200' with a maximum depth of 125'. The water enters the Whirlpool at high velocities after moving up to 30' per second through the Whirlpool Rapids upstream. Most of the flow rushes past the outlet to the far side of the Pool, makes a complete circuit counterclockwise, and escapes through the narrow outlet by passing under the incoming stream. Below the Whirlpool, there is another two miles of rapids with a drop of 40'. The feature responsible for the Whirlpool is the buried St. David's Gorge, intersected here by the Niagara Gorge. It is observed trending northwest from the opposite side of the Whirlpool and extends to the village of St. David on the escarpment west of Lewiston. Various excavations for road, canal, and power projects reveal that it has steep sides and a depth approximate to that of parts of the Niagara Gorge. It has been filled by till, mantled with red lacustrine silts and gray clays probably related to the former Lake Tonawanda. The Middle and Lower Silurian section is clearly revealed here. The Whirlpool Sandstone is at the river level,

Cross Bowmen River
Continue south along River Road. Cross Bowmen River which has partially excavated St. David's Gorge.

STOP 8. Refectory view of falls
Refectory view of Upper Great Gorge, American Falls, Goat Island, and Horseshoe (Canadian)Falls at right. Goat Island divides the Upper Niagara River into two channels, one leading to the American' Falls and the other to the Horseshoe Falls. In each channel the water flows over resistant ledges of the southerly dipping Lockport Dolostone Caprock to form rapids and cascades with a drop of about 50'. Before construction of a submerged weir above the Cascades (Horseshoe Rapids), only five per cent of the total flow went over the American Falls; a little more than one half the present percentage. The relatively small flow is distributed evenly along the 1,1OO feet crest of the American Falls so that the discharge per feet rarely exceeds 20 cubic feet per second compared to a maximum of 200 at the Horseshoe. At the 2,500' wide crest of 510-520' above sea level, there is a straight drop of about 160'. The crest has been lengthened as much as 100' in the past 100 years because the central portion recedes faster than the ends. In some places along the crest, there are depths from 6 to 12' but there are several small islands and shoals. In particular, there is a large central shoal dividing the flow into two main channels, which converge toward the central part of the crest. The massive Lockport caprock of the Falls is clearly shown beneath the observer and between the two falls. It is some 80' thick here, thickening to 130' south at the Cascades head. The black Rochester Shales beneath are hidden by the falls and the blocky dolostone talus. The latter is not removed from beneath the American Falls because of the low discharge. The recession of these shales has caused undermining and consequent joint block by joint block retreat of the Falls from Lewiston. The river in the Upper Great Gorge below the Falls, drops only five feet in its two and one quarter mile length. Soundings show maximum depths of from 100' to 187'.

STOP 9. Horseshoe Falls and Scenic Tunnels.
Proceed south, passing the Cascades and Canadian Niagara and Toronto Power Plants successively on the left, and the river-cut cliff and shelf in the Niagara Falls Moraine at right. This latter cut, now occupied by Queen Victoria Park was probably made (Taylor,. 1932) after the Falls had retreated past the high point of land just north of Stop 7. At this time the curved course of the river in the rapids threw a powerful current against the bank west and south of the fall.

Niagara Falls Moraine
Turn right (W) encircling Dufferin Is. and skirting 60' cliff of Niagara Falls Moraine. Return north toward Rainbow Bridge past Falls.

Power Intakes
Pass Niagara River and Power Intakes for Robert Moses Power Project. Twin conduits, each 46' by 66', carry water four miles beneath the city of Niagara Falls, The concrete bulkheads held the closing doors for these conduits.

D: ONONDAGA LIMESTONE IN WESTERN NEW YORK
by Dr. Edward J. Buehler

D: ONONDAGA LIMESTONE IN WESTERN NEW YORK

STOP 1. Buffalo Crushed Stone Quarry
STOP 1. 9:00 A.M. See paper by Oliver (p. 32) for stratigraphic details. Leave Quarry at 10:00 A.M.

STOP 2. Onondaga Bioherm
STOP 2. Arrive at Quarry at 11:15 A.M. This quarry exposes an Onondaga Bioherm. See paper by Oliver (p. 32) for details. Leave quarry at 12:15 P.M.

E: HAMILTON FOSSIL LOCALITIES
by Harvey Hambleton
Buffalo Museum of Natural Sciences

E: HAMILTON FOSSIL LOCALITIES

STOP 1. Oatka Creek shale and Stafford Limestone.

STOP 2. Centerfield Limestone.
This is the most western outcrop of Centerfield.

STOP 3. Wanakah Shale and Ledyard Shale.

STOP 4. Tichenor Limestone and Wanakah Shale.