NYSGA 1977
GUIDEBOOK to FIELD EXCURSIONS
conducted at the
49th ANNUAL MEETING
of the NEW YORK STATE GEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (September, 1977)
Philo C. Wilson. Editor
Host: Earth Science Department, State University College at Oneonta, N.Y.
Additional copies of this guidebook may be purchased from the secretary of the Nev York State Geological Association:
Dr. Daniel F. Merriam, Department of Geology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210
or from the editor.
DEDICATION
This Field Guidebook is affectionately dedicated to
All Students of Geology: past, present, and future, from pebble pups to polished professionals; for it is their interest, enthusiasm, insights, and progress that make conferences and guidebooks such as this worthwhile.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Without the time, effort, dedication, and professionalism of a number of individuals, neither the meeting nor the Guidebook would have been possible.
The responsibility tor the planning, organization, and arrangements tor both the meeting and the field trips fell on the shoulders of this year's president, Dr. P. Jay Fleisher. To a large extent, any successes enjoyed by either ventures are due to his efforts.
The contributing authors and field trip leaders (in most cases, the same individuals) are owed a huge debt of gratitude by both the current membership of the association and future users of the Guidebook. Without their generous donation of time and expertise, the heart of the meeting and this lasting record of its more important proceedings would be missing.
Behind the scenes, others have made significant contributions. We are indebted to the college tor providing its facilities for the smoker and banquet. The editor is especially grateful to Ron Embling in the college's IRC department tor extensive expert advice on the illustrations and for careful preparation of the quality metal plates used to print some of them; to Charles Winters for much of the photographic work; and to Joanne Ruteshouser for some of the redrafting required. Our heartfelt thanks go also to Moira Greiner who really put this finished product together by typing the introductory portions; snipping, pasting, composing, and retyping portions of the text; and providing the pagination as the final touch to each manuscript. Finally, we are all gratefUl to Jim Sheff in the College Print Shop who ran off the Guidebook copies, to the college, again, for allowing us to use their printing facilities - thereby greatly reducing the Guidebook costs, and to the student help who will be returning from summer vacations to assist in the arduous collating and binding processes ... even though they don't know it as of this writing.

A1: CARBONATE AND TERRIGENOUS SEDIMENTARY FACIES OF TIDAL ORIGIN, EASTERN NEW YORK
Gerald M. Friedman
Department of Geology
R. P. I.
INTRODUCTION
This is a field trip to study sedimentary facies of tidal origin. At each exposure we shall study the rocks in terms of lithology, geometry, sedimentary structures, and fossils and concentrate on the pattern of deposition which created the facies. In this kind of approach the name and age of the formation becomes secondary; hence this field trip has been designed irreverently; it pays no heed to formation boundaries. Facies analysis will proceed within the boundary conditions of each single exposure.
During Cambrian to Lower Ordovician time, most of the North American continent was a shallow epeiric carbonate shelf, like the present-day Bahama Bank. At the eastern margin of this shelf, i.e. at the eastern margin of this continent, a relatively steep slope existed down which carbonate sediment moved by slides, slumps, turbidity current, mud flows, and sand falls to oceanic depths (Sanders and Friedman, 1967, p. 240-248; Friedman, 1972). We shall visit shallow-water carbonates shelf deposits which accumulated 30 to 40 miles west of the steep paleoslope which existed during Cambrian to Lower Ordovician times. These shallow-water epeiric carbonate sediments, located in such close proximity to a major ocean, were under the effects of tidal currents. On this field trip we shall examine products of tidal sedimentation on this Cambrian to Lower Ordovician carbonate shelf. For details on the stratigraphy of these carbonate deposits reference should be made to Fisher (1954, 1965) and Braun and Friedman (1969), and on the depositional environments to Braun and Friedman (1969), Friedman (1972), Buyce and Friedman (1975), and Friedman and Braun (1975), and Mazzullo and Friedman (1975. 1977).
Coincident with and after the Acadian orogeny during Middle and Late Devonian times huge river systems of a "tectonic delta complex" (Friedman and Johnson, 1966) drained the area which is now the site of the Catskill Mountains. Devonian rocks, of braided and meandering stream origin, inter-finger with those of tidal, nearshore and offshore origin. We shall examine the tidal deposits, all of which are terrigenous. For details on the stratigraphy and depositional environments of the rocks of the tectonic delta complex reference should be to Johnson and Friedman (1969); some reinterpretations have been offered by Friedman (1972).
ITINERARY
Each stop describes and interprets the sedimentary facies; hence each stop should be regarded as self contained. Figure 1 is the road log and shows the location of all the six stops visited

STOP 1. FORT HUNTER QUARRY. Products of Tidal Environment: Flat Algal Mats
STOP 1. FORT HUNTER QUARRY. Products of Tidal Environment: Flat Algal Mats Alight at slight bend in road and walk to Fort Hunter Quarry which is across railroad track close to Mohawk River. (Fort Hunter Quarry cannot be seen from road; another small quarry visible from road is approximately 0.1 mile farther east, but will not be visited on this trip).
Stromatolites in the Fort Hunter Quarry consist almost entirely of dolomite and feldspar in the form of irregularly bedded, finely-laminated, undulating structures. The rocks in this quarry are part of the Tribes Hill Formation of earliest Ordovician age (Fisher, 1954). The lithofacies of the Tribes Hill Formation have been studied in detail by Braun and Friedman (1969) within the stratigraphic framework established by Fisher (1954). Figure 2 is a columnar section showing the relationship of ten lithofacies to four members of the Tribes Hill formation. At Fort Hunter we will study the lowermost two lithofacies of the Fort Johnson Member (see column at right [east] end of section, in fig. 2).
Two lithofacies are observed: (1) lithofacies 1, mottled feldspathic dolomite, and (2) lithofacies 2, laminated feldspathic dolomite. Lithofacies 1 is at the bottom of the quarry, and lithofacies 2 is approximately half way up.
Lithofacies 1. This facies occurs as thin dolostone beds, 2 cm to 25 cm but locally more than 50 cm thick, with a few thin interbeds of black argillaceous dolostone which are up to 5 cm thick. In the field, the dolomite shows gray-black mottling and in places birdseye structures. In one sample, the infilling of the birdseyes shows a black bituminous rim which may be anthraxolite. In the field, trace fossils are abundant, but fossils were not noted. Authigenic alkali feldspar (microline) is ubiquitous throughout this lithofacies; its identity as alkali feldspar was determined by x-ray analysis and staining of a thin section with sodium cobaltinitrite. The insoluble residue makes up 22 to 54% by weight of the sediment in samples studied with most of the residue composed of authigenic feldspar.
Lithofacies 2. This lithofacies is mineralogically identical to the previous facies but differs from it texturally and structurally in being irregularly bedded and in containing abundant undulating stromatolitic structures ("pseudo_ripples") as well as disturbed and discontinuous laminations. In places there are a few thin interbeds of black argillaceous dolostone. The thickness of the laminites of this facies ranges from 1/2 mm to 2 or 3 mm; on freshly broken surfaces the color of the thinner laminae is black and that of the thicker ones is gray. The insoluble residue, for the most part composed of authigenic feldspar, constitutes between 35% and 67% by weight in samples studied.
These two lithofacies which form the basal unit of the Ordovician, were formed on a broad shallow shelf. Stromatolites, birdseye structures, scarcity of fossils, bituminous material, syngenetic dolomite, authigenic feldspar, and mottling suggest that these rocks were deposited in a tidal environment (Friedman, 1969). Based on analogy with the carbonate sediments in the modern Bahamas, Braun and Friedman (1969) concluded that these two lithofacies formed under supratidal conditions. However in the Persian Gulf flat algal mats prefer the uppermost intertidal environment, and along the Red Sea coast they flourish where entirely immersed in seawater, provided hypersaline conditions keep away burrowers and grazers (Friedman and others, 1973). Hence on this field trip we may conclude that the stromatolites indicate tidal conditions without distinguishing between intertidal and supratidal. For more details on these lithofacies refer to Braun and Friedman (1969).

Cross original Erie Canal, built in 1822.
Cross original Erie Canal, built in 1822. Amos Eaton surveyed this route at the request of Stephen Van Rensselaer; after this survey Amos Eaton and Van Rensselaer decided to found a school for surveying, geological and agricultural training which became Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

STOP 2. NORTH TRIBES HILL QUARRY Products of Tidal Channels
Route of Walk. Take the trail towards old abandoned crusher, but instead of heading towards the quarry move uphill to the first rock exposures. The rocks to be examined are near the edge of steep cliff.
Description and discussion. In the rocks at this exposure the field relationships show typical channels truncated at their bases. Lodged within the channels are limestone blocks of variable shape ranging in diameter from about one to three feet (fig. 3). These blocks resemble similar blocks in tidal channels of the Bahamas which are derived by undercutting of the banks of the tidal channels. The blocks at this exposure are rounded, suggesting that they have undergone some transport.
The rocks composing the channel (i.e. the channel fill) and the blocks of rock within the channels have been described as lithofacies 8 (channel fill) and lithofacies 7 (blocks) of the Wolf Hollow Member of the Tribes Hill Formation (lowermost Ordovician) (see columnar section of fig. 2; column at the right end of the section) (Braun and Friedman, 1969). The channel fill (lithofacies 8) consists of intrasparite and biointrasparite with sporadic ooids, a high-energy facies, whereas the blocks (lithofacies 7) consist of mottled dolomitic micrite and biomicrite, a low-energy facies of the undercut bank. The micrite blocks which foundered in the channels must have been indurated penecontemporaneously.
Hence during earliest Ordovician time high-energy tidal channels crisscrossed tidal flats at this site. In them water coming from the deep ocean to the east rose and fell with the changing tides.

STOP 3. Lester Park
PRODUCTS OF INTERTIDAL ENVIRONMENT: DOMED ALGAL MATS (CABBAGE HEADS)
This locality is the site of one of the finest domed algal mats to be seen anywhere preserved in ancient rocks. On the east side of the road in Lester Park a glaciated surface exposes horizontal sections of the cabbage-shaped heads composed of vertically stacked, hemispherical algal layers. These structures, known as Cryptozoons, have been classically described by James Hall (1847,1883), Cushing and Ruedemann (1914), and Goldring (1938); an even earlier study drew attention to the presence of ooids as the first reported ooid occurrence in North America (Steele, 1825). Interest in these rocks has been revived as they are useful environmental indicators (Logan, 1961; Fisher, 1965; Halley, 1971; Owen, 1973). The algal heads are composed of discrete club-shaped or columnar structures built of hemispheroidal algal mats expanding upward from a base, although continued expansion may result in the fusion of neighboring colonies into a Collenia-type structure (Logan, Rezak and Ginsburg, 1964) . The algal mats are part of the Hoyt Limestone of Late Cambrian (Trempealeauan) age. Their intertidal origin has been inferred by (1) observations in the rocks, and (2) by analogy with similar modern algal heads.
The evidence for deposition under tidal conditions for the Hoyt Limestone at Lester Park includes: (1) mud cracks, (2) flat pebble conglomerate, (3) small channels, (4) cross-beds, (5) birdseye structures, (6) syngenetic dolomite, and (7) stromatolites (for criteria on recognition of tidal limestones, see Friedman, 1969). The analogy with modern environments relates to the occurrence of cabbage-shaped algal heads in the intertidal zone of Shark Bay, western Australia, in which the height of the domes is controlled by the degree of turbulence (Logan, Rezak and Ginsburg, 1964; Hoffman, Logan and Gebelein, 1969). With increasing wave and current energy the height of the domes increases; the relief of the domes decreases landward towards quieter water conditions.
At Lester Park the heads which are circular in horizontal section range in diameter from one inch to three feet, many are compound heads. The size of the larger heads suggests that they formed in highly turbulent waters.
The line of depositional strike along which the domed algal mats occur was probably where the waves were breaking as they came across the deeper ocean from the east and impinged on the shallow shelf.
Several petrographic observations in these rocks permit an analogy with modern algal mats in hypersaline pools of the Red Sea Coast (Friedman and others, 1973). Mat-forming algae precipitate radial ooids, oncolites, and grapestones which occur in these rocks; interlaminated calcite and dolomite which in part compose the stromatolites of the Hoyt Limestone correspond to alternating aragonite and high-magnesian calcite laminites which modern blue-green algae precipitate. In modern algal mats the high-magnesium calcite laminites contain abundant organic matter in which magnesium has been concentrated to form a magnesium-organic complex. Between the magnesium concentration of the high-magnesium calcite and that of the organic matter sufficient magnesium exists in modern algal laminites to form dolomite. Hence the observation in ancient algal mats, such as observed in the Hoyt Limestone, that calcite and dolomite are inter-laminated, with calcite probably forming at the expense of aragonite and dolomite forming from high-magnesium calcite.

STOP 4. GILBOA FOREST Tidal Marsh Facies
No examples of this tidal marsh facies have been found in situ. However giant seed ferns of the Gilboa Forest (Goldring, 1924, 1927), which grew in a marsh environment, were discovered in the now inactive Riverside Quarry near here (Fig. 4). More than 200 stumps were taken from this single quarry; some of these have been placed at this site, others are now preserved in museums (New York State Museum, Albany; Geological Museum, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). The "trees" of Gilboa Forest are among the world's oldest; they grew in a tidal marsh environment of the Catskill Deltaic Complex. The bulbous bases of these fossils were found in place in dark-colored shale; the upright trunks were encased in olive-gray, cross-bedded sandstone of probably tidal origin. The age of the "trees" is latest Middle Devonian.

STOP 5. GRAND GORGE SECTION Intertidal Facies: Tidal Flats and Tidal Channels Channels
The rocks at this exposure are medium gray, fine-grained graywackes; tabular cross-beds are ubiquitous; parting lineations are common. The most interesting single feature at this exposure are the tidal channels (Fig. 5). These channels are small, about 2 to 10 feet in cross section; they truncate the underlying strata. The channel fill consists mostly of a lag concentrate of transported spiriferid brachiopod shells. Usually the shell material is abundant enough to rate for the channel the name "coquinite." Holes in the coquinites are molds of brachiopods. Interestingly, brachiopod shells are confined only to the coquinite lenses; they are not found in the surrounding rock. Hence the brachiopods were treated by the channels as pebbles that were washed in from the open marine environment. In analogous modern tidal channels typical open sea species are washed into the channels by flood tides (Van Straaten, 1956).
Note that the next exposure south (uphill) is composed of red fluvial rocks.
This exposure has been described by Johnson and Friedman as part of their section 43 (1969. p. 471-415, especially figs. 22 and 23). These rocks are the clastic correlatives of the Tully Limestone (early Late Devonian or latest Middle Devonian).

STOP 6. EXPOSURE ON EAST SIDE OF ROAD Deposits of Tidal Deltas and Lagoons
At this exposure lenticular sandstone bodies inter-finger with dark-gray siltstones and shales (Fig. 6). The sandstones have a vertically shingled, or en echelon, configuration relative to one another. Even the thickest sandstone, approximately 6 feet thick, thins and pinches out laterally (see fig. 25, p. 478 in Johnson and Friedman, 1969). The sandstones contain marine fossils and wood fragments. In places they are crossbedded; ripple marks are locally present. In the siltstones and shales wood fragments are abundant. The presence of marine fossils, the absence of channels, and the lenticular geometric configuration of the sandstones within inter-fingering siltstones or shales suggests that the sandstones are probably the products of tidal deltas. If so, the siltstones or shales are of lagoonal origin.
The rocks at this exposure belong to the Hamilton Group (Middle Devonian) and are about 600 feet below the stratigraphic level of the Tully clastic correlatives.

A2: ICHNOFOSSILS OF THE TULLY CLASTIC CORRELATIVES IN EASTERN NEW YORK STATE
by
Molly Fritz Miller
Pomona College
&
Kenneth G. Johnson
Skidmore College
INTRODUCTION
Within the clastic correlatives of the Tully Limestone in eastern New York State there occurs a remarkably complete spectrum of ancient sedimentary facies (Johnson and Friedman, 1969; Johnson, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976). These beds, which evolved during a transgressive pulse in the building of the great Catskill deltaic system, are part of a 3000 meter (10,900') sequence that constitutes the standard for the Devonian System of North America (Figs. 1 and 2). They are exposed at the northeastern end of the Allegheny Synclinorium, are essentially undisturbed and, for the most part, very fossiliferous. Laterally transitional between those beds that are clearly of marine origin and those that are clearly non-marine are sandstones and shales that have sedimentary structures, lithology, geometric relationships with adjacent units and biogenic structures that indicate that they evolved in tidal and shallow sub-tidal environments.
The purpose of this field trip is to focus on one aspect of the evidence used to develop environmental assignments for the Tully clastic correlatives; namely, biogenic structures

ON LEFT Notice flat-topped crest of hills.
Streams are eroding into horizontally bedded rocks of Catskill lithofacies.

ON RIGHT Kame and kettle topography.

ON RIGHT Top of Grand Gorge
(Section 43 of Johnson, 1968). Exposure consists of alluvial channel sandstone resting on red overbank shale.

Top of tidal channel facies.

STOP 1. Cross-bedded sandstone of tidal channel facies
PARK on right side of road. Walk back to tidal channel outcrops. BE VERY CAREFUL. THIS IS A NARROW SPEEDWAY WITH POOR VISIBILITY.
Outcrop is cross-bedded sandstone of tidal channel facies with lag-concentrates of shallow marine spiriferid brachiopods.
Ichnofossils:
2nd exposure above base (begins approximately 50 feet above base of section): intermediate-sized (3-5 mm) specimens of Skolithos, large vertical cylindrical structures (rare, near top) molds of surface trails on undersides of beds.
3rd exposure above base: same Skolithos; also nondescript bioturbation, but this difficult to determine because of poor definition of lamination.
Upper section: abundant medium and small sized specimens Skolithos in siltstone float; Planolites also common. Well preserved specimens of Spirophyton are rare, but incomplete specimens are fairly common. Much of rock is highly bioturbated,

ON RIGHT, in distance - Large quarry
ON RIGHT, in distance - Large quarry from which much of stone for Gilboa Dam was taken. Completion of dam impounded waters of Schoharie Creek, forming Schoharie Reservoir; a part of New York City water supply system.

Gilboa Seed Ferns
On right - display of seed-fern stumps taken from quarry just to southwest. Some 200 specimens were found during the quarrying operation. These seed-ferns are thought to have grown to heights of some 60 feet in swamps along the seaward margin of the Catskill deltaic plain during late Medial Devonian time. They were buried during a minor oscillation of the marine shoreline in tidal channel or bar sand deposits.
2013: This display was moved across the river as excavation took place in 2010 -- OHM

STOP 2. Ledges on west bank of Schoharie Creek
Burrowed Hamilton Group sandstones.
Ichnofossils:
Lower part of section: Underneath re-entrant are specimens of Planolites, Isopodichnus; small paired burrows of Arenicolites can also be seen. Larger U-shaped burrows (Arenicolites) and Skolithos occur in overlying bed. Under a re-entrant on the upstream side of the outcrop is ? Teichichnus; other specimens occur at about this layer.
Upper bedding surfaces: 2 sizes Skolithos; sediment scoured from around larger burrows. Larger vertical burrows are corcmon; horizontal burrows (Planolites) less so. Specimens of Arenicolites and Isopodichnus are rare.

ON RIGHT - Gilboa Dam.

ON LEFT - Gilboa Central School

STOP 3. Section 46 of Johnson, 1968
PARK ON RIGHT (at South end of bridge). Walk down path to mouth of Manor Kill
The beds exposed in the Manor Kill Gorge are within the upper part of the Hamilton Group. Those in the lower part of the section, adjacent to the Schoharie Reservoir, are trough cross-bedded, burrowed, medium-grained sandstone of the Chemung lithofacies assigned to the tidal channel facies. Some of these sandstones are rich in plant material and in a few places, during low water stages of the reservoir fossil seed-fern stumps, in growth position, may be seen. The remainder of the section upstream consists of interbedded red and green shales, dark gray shales and medium gray, shallowly cross-bedded, fine-grained sandstone; interpreted, respectively, as distal alluvial plain, tidal flat and tidal channel facies.
Ichnofossils:
Base (below spring water level): Ripple marked bed covered with small specimens of Skolithos, abundant Planolites and Skolithos in float .
(just above spring water level): Arenicolites, Skolithos, Planolites, Bifungites (rare) and Cruziana in blocks of float at water level.

STOP 4. Intake Building of Schoharie Reservoir
(Section 47 of Johnson, 1968).
PARK ON RIGHT. WALK DOWN ROAD to Intake Building
The lower 17' of section consists of dark gray siltstone and shale; above this is 114' of lighter gray, in part shallowly cross-bedded, fine-grained sandstone of tidal or very shallow sub-tidal origin.
Base: Abundant specimens of Spirophyton in ditch outcrop behind Intake Building; also some fine sandstone above this is highly bioturbated.
About 50' above base (at level of birch post): Cruziana (?) on underside of sandstone bed.
Middle: few layers with molds of surface trails exposed on undersides of beds up hill from road.

STOP 5 (Section 48 of Johnson, 1968)
At this point Bear Kill drops over Hardenburg Falls and flows into Schoharie Reservoir. Beds here are assigned to the tidal channel and tidal flat facies. The tidal channel facies is represented by gray, cross-bedded, fossiliferous sandstones and the tidal flat facies by very dark gray, very thin-bedded, in part conglomeratic, shales. Lag-concentrates in both facies are rich in shallow marine brachiopod shells.
Base: Rare Skolithos and Planolites; very rare large cylindrical burrows.
About 8' above base: Skolithos
Above falls: thin bedded siltstone with rare Planolites.

DEC Regional Headquarters.

ON LEFT - Outcrop of Catskill lithofacies

STOP 6. (Section 36 of Johnson, 1968)
Small house on left just below prominent sandstone ledge.
In roadside quarry, about 0.2 mile east of house, shales of offshore facies. Behind house are sandstones of probable bar origin.
Lower quarry: Several layers with interference ripple marks cut by Skolithos and Planolites with coarser burrow fill.
Section behind house: Abundant large Skolithos. Note that a few burrows intersect. Some of the burrow walls are clearly defined, others not. A few layers contain small sinuous specimens of Planolites as well. A poorly preserved specimen of Cruziana has also been found here. Burrows formed in the relatively coarse sand would have been more likely to collapse than those formed in more fine grained sediments.

Cross SUSQUEHANNA RIVER.

STOP 7. (Section 22 of Johnson. 1968)
Flow-rolls of Chemung lithofacies
This outcrop contains an example of the flow-rolls which are locally common in the Chemung lithofacies. These occur as beds of internally disturbed structure underlain and overlain by horizontal, well-bedded strata. Within the flow-roll beds are nodule-shaped, concentrically laminated masses of medium gray, very fine-grained sandstone enclosed in slightly darker colored siltstone. The laminar structure is due to concentric, extremely thin, dark laminae composed largely of very fine plant fragments. The enclosing siltstone commonly has a diapiric relationship to adjacent pillows. This outcrop is at the distal edge of the near-shore facies.
Base: Specimens of Skolithos and Planolites are present, but not common. They are most easily seen on shale partings. Note the absence of trace fossils near the flow structures.
About 10 feet above flow structures: Specimens of Skolithos and Planolites and molds of surface trails rare to common on shale partings.

STOP 8. Gilbert Lake State Park.
(Section 9094 of Thayer, 1972)
PARK ON RIGHT. WALK UP SERVICE ROAD TO ROCK QUARRY.
Although well above the Tully clastic correlatives, these fossiliferous, interbedded gray sandstones and shales exhibit typical characteristics of the eastern New York Chemung lithofacies.
Near base: Abundant spectmens Zoophycos with diverse forms. It is recognizable in vertical section as a series of horizontally oriented chevrons. Specimens of Planolites and Skolithos are abundant; Cruziana, Bifungites, large horizontal burrows and Arenicolites are rare, but present. Note specimen of Arenicolites on vertical surface of piece of float about seven feet above quarry base.
Upper portion of quarry: Abundant specimens of Planolites, Skolithos and some of Zoophycos. Highly bioturbated sandstone is interbedded with laminated sandstone, implying influxes of sediment.

STOP 9. Roadside quarry
(Section 15 of Johnson, 1968) PARK ON SHOULDER AND WALK UP unsurfaced road to roadside quarry.
Beds exposed in this unnamed tributary of Stony Creek and adjacent abandoned quarry are assigned to the off-shore facies of the Tully clastic correlatives.
Base: Planolites - rare to common; Skolithos common to abundant in siltstone; Bifungites rare. Zoophycos absent.
In stream bed: Abundant float (fine to very fine sandstone) with abundant Zoophycos. Note diversity of shapes - from nearly elliptical to strongly lobate. Specimens Planolites and Skolithos are also common, as large horizontal burrows. Zoophycos rarely occurs on same slab with other trace fossils.

Chemung lithofacies flagstone.
Bank on left and Morris Inn on right constructed of Chemung lithofacies flagstone.

ON LEFT - quarry in Chemung lithofacies.

STOP 10. Offshore facies
(Section 9063 of Thayer, 1972).
Small quarry directly adjacent to highway. PARK ON RIGHT.
The shale beds in this quarry and in one directly above it are representative of the offshore facies.
Base: In lower quarry thinly bedded siltstone has abundant specimens of Skolithos and Planolites. Isopodichnus is present, but rare. Sandstone in float is packed with specimens of Zoophycos. Note that central tube extends upward (or downward) from bedding plane and that spreiten extend laterally from this tube. This layer is exposed at the intersection of the quarry road and main road.
Upper quarry: Abundant Skolithos, Planolites; rare Bifungites, Arenicolites and possibly ? Teichichnus. Zoophycos common on some surfaces. Note abundant ripple marks.

A3: PALEOENVIRONMENTS OF THE MARCELLUS AND LOWER SKANEATELES FORMATIONS OF THE OTSEGO COUNTY REGION
Thomas X. Grasso
Prof. Geoscience Dept.
Monroe Community College
Rochester, New York 14623
Manfred P. Wolff
Prof. Geology Dept.
Hofstra University
Hempstead, Long Island, New York 11550
INTRODUCTION
The Devonian System in New York State varies from carbonates below (Helderbergian, Ulsterian and lowest Erian Series) to coarse continental clastics at the top (Chautauquan Series). And represents a westward migrating deltaic complex built during Middle and Late Devonian time.
This deltaic complex, the Catskill Delta, is today represented by a wedge of sedimentary rock that thickens and coarsens eastward. The clastic wedge is pierced at several horizons by relatively thin, but geographically widespread, lithologically distinct units that do not change facies as rapidly as the rocks above or below. Serving as time planes, these key beds subdivide the clastic wedge into a number of major time-stratigraphic units.
Three carbonate keybeds in the lover portion of the wedge serve to subdivide the lowest time stratigraphic unit, the Hamilton Group (Middle Devonian), into four formations, which are from oldest to youngest, the Marcellus, Skaneateles, Ludlowville and Moscow Formations.
The Middle Devonian Hamilton Group of New York State is structurally simple and highly fossiliferous, thereby lending itself to detailed stratigraphic, paleontologic, and paleoecologic studies. In eastern New York it consists of approximately 1,650 feet of shale, siltstones, and sandstones in the Unadilla Valley, 1950 feet in the Susquehanna Valley and 2,285 feet near Richmondville (Cooper 1933).
The Marcellus Formation in the Otsego County region thickens eastward from about 600 feet in the Unadilla Valley, to nearly 820 feet in the Richmondville area in western Schoharie County. The base of the Mottville member is generally taken to be the top of the Marcellus Formation east of the Cayuga Lake meridian. However, east of the Unadilla Valley, the Mottville loses its identity, thereby making the boundary between the Upper Marcellus and Lower Skaneateles almost impossible to delineate with precison. Therefore criteria to determine the exact thickness of the Marcellus Formation across most of Otsego County is lacking.
The senior author, using the Mottville Member as a datum, obtained a dip of approximately 85 feet per mile to the southwest for the Lower Hamilton in the Unadilla Valley. Cooper (1933) indicates steeper dips of 90-100 feet to the southwest in the Susquehanna Valley and 100-137 feet per mile to the southwest in the Schoharie Valley.

STOP 1. road cut on west side Beaver Creek Road
Units Exposed: Mottville (1' Elev. top 1500'), Delphi Station Mbr. (45')
Here the Mottville represents the Camarotoechia-Mucrospirifer Community and delta front sand environment .
The overlying Delphi Station indicates a median delta platform environment. The Limoptera Community is well represented here. Fossils are extremely abundant.

STOP 2. Button Falls
Falls on Button Creek down from Button Falls Road on the West side of the Unadilla Valley about 1 1/2 mi. SW of Leonardsville
Units Exposed: Solsville (8' -Elev. top 1200'), Pecksport (90'), Mottville (l0' -Elev. top - 1300'), Delphi Station (7').
The lithology, sedimentary structures and fauna of the Upper Pecksport assign it to the distal (outer) platform. The slightly sorted sands, sinuous and linguoid ripples, and lag concentrate conquinites of the Mottville probably represent a period of reworking or transgression forming the delta front sands. Camarotoechia and Mucrospirifer also occur in the upper Pecksport and probably represents the same community as the Mottville.

Solsville SS. on left and in abandoned quarry

STOP 3. Plainfield Center Quarry
Just West of Otsego Co. Rd. 21; .3 mi. N of Plainfield Center
Units Exposed: Solsville (10' -Elev. top 1620'), Pecksport (80'), Mottville (5' -Elev. top 1700') .
The Pecksport is here a horizontal to irregular bedded siltstone exhibiting some ripples, burrowing, and cross laminations of the distal (outer) delta platform or in part delta front sands. The Mottville caps the quarry and contains a 5 inch basal conquinite horizon. Large scale, low angle, crossbeds and ripples 1-2 inches thick and trending N 40° E as well as SW are present. Dipolar crossbeds suggest a series of migrating ripples deposited during a period of winnowing and reworking of the delta front sands on the distal (outer) delta platform.

Pecksport in abandoned quarry

Solsville top on left

Village water supply reservoirs on right

Allen Lake on right

Solsville Member on right in pasture

STOP 4. Twelve Thousand Rd. Quarry
1.5 mi. NE of Twelve Thousand
Units Exposed: Panther Mountain (22') or Delphi Station - Mottville interval.
About 22' of dark gray shales and siltstones are exposed here. The lithology and fauna are very similar to the Delphi Station at STOP 1. The assemblage is interpreted as being representative of the Limoptera Community with abundant sessile epifaunal and infaunal filter feeders, mobile infaunal types, non-sessile epifaunal filter feeders and vagrant benthonics.
The top of the quarry is approximately 40' above the Solsville exposed in the pasture .2 mi. to the east. If this exposure is equivalent to the lower Delphi Station, then the Mottville must lie below the floor of the quarry and very near the top of the Solsville. The top of the Solsville must therefore be getting younger eastward from the Brookfield Valley (STOP 1). A high diversity assemblage everywhere occurs above the Mottville from Central New York to Otsego County near below. Therefore, it would seem that the assemblage exposed here is indeed the lower Delphi Station. However, one cannot discount the possibility that a community similar to the Limoptera of the lower Delphi occurs somewhat earlier in time to the east. If we accept this interpretation, the Mottville would be at the top or just above the top of the quarry at this stop. The former interpretation is illustrated below.

Five Mile Point

Exposures of Otsego Shale along Road

Solsville Sandstone on right

STOP 5. Road cut about 1 mi. South of Pierstown
Units Exposed: Panther Mountain (15')
This exposure lies approximately 45' above the top of the Solsville. The fauna contains Paraspirifer, large Tropidoleptus, and Camarotoechia in coquinite lenses. This may be the Mottville equivalent. The environment is delta platform.

STOP 6. Leatherstocking Falls
On Leatherstocking Creek up from NY 80 about 2 mi. North of Cooperstown
Units Exposed: Solsville (100')
The upper portion of the transitioual Solsville occurs in the lower part of the falls, while the true Solsville forms the lip. Fossils are rare. A marine delta platform environment is represented by the upper Solsville. Some massive, horizontal bedded and low angle crossbedded sands at the very top of the exposure may represent the Mottville horizon, although this conclusion is very tenuous at best.

Three Mile Point - LUNCH STOP

The Clinton-Sullivan Campaign (1779)
The Clinton-Sullivan Campaign (1779) embarked from this point down the Susquehanna. General Clinton's troops built a dam at the mouth of Otsego Lake, which when broken cleared out the upper portion of the Susquehanna, thereby allowing easier passage of his army on rafts. Clinton's army joined Sullivan's near Elmira to begin a retaliatory campaign against the western Iroquois (Seneca's) in the Finger Lakes - Genesee Region as a reprisal for the Iroquois-Tory attacks on settlements in and near the Mohawk Valley. (Cherry Valley Massacre)

STOP 7. Road cut on Dugway
About 4 mi. North of Cooperstown.
Units Exposed: Otsego 20'
This outcrop contains the massive to thin bedded dark gray shales and arenaceous shales typical of the Otsego. The fauna is of moderate to low diversity of attached and free epifaunal filter feeders. These are the rocks that yield the definite fauna of Cooper (1933). The environment represented is outermost delta platform on upper prodelta slope. Mucrospirifer and Chonetes, unattached epifaunal filter feeders, are very abundant and were adapted to the soft substrates of this environment.

Glimmerglass State Park on left

STOP 8. Cox's Ravine
.5 mi . West of Cherry Valley on County Rd. #54.
Units Exposed: Union Spring (21'), Cherry Valley (5'), Chittenango (7')
The Cherry Valley Limestone forms the lip of the falls and is divisible into a lower and upper division. The Agoniatites nodiferus and Werneroceras plebeiforme Zone occur in the upper Union Springs about 2 feet below the Cherry Valley.
The Cherry Valley Limestone may not always represent a euxinic basin deposit but may represent oscillations of the O-Eh surface sometimes above the sediment - water interface and sometimes below or coincident with that interface. If below the sediment water interface, benthonic forms could become established. (Cottrell 1972, personal communication).

Cherry Valley
This was the site of the Cherry Valley Massacre. On the morning of November 11, 1778 a band of Tories and Indians under the infamous Mohawk chieftain Joseph Brant and the Tory Captain Walter Butler attacked the villages resulting in the deaths of 48 or more residents, mostly women and children. This and other attacks on frontier outposts precipitated the Clinton-Sullivan campaign of 1779.

STOP 9. Road cut on NY 165
Up Weaver Hill 2 mi. East of South Valley
Units Exposed: Solsville (250'), Otsego (50')
A nearly complete section of Solsville is exposed here. The lower portions of the section represent prodelta slope and outer (distal) delta platform deposits. The upper part of the exposure represents the middle or inner (proximal) delta platform environment.

STOP 10. Railroad cut
On Delaware and Hudson Railroad at old depot station.
Unit Exposed: Solsville (6')
This outcrop consists of 1-3 inch horizontal and planar cross-bedded and laminated subgrackes contained within a set of large (1-2 ft.) ripples. The sandstones are not as sorted as those of other stops. Brachiopod coquinites occur in lenses near the base and at the top of the section. The Solsville here probably represents a nearshore zone of the inner (proximal) delta platform.

A4: GEOLOGIC SETTING OF UPPER SUSQUEHANNA AND ADJACENT MOHAWK REGION OF NEW YORK STATE
by
David M. Hutchison
Hartwick College
The outcrops and surficial features observed on this trip have been selected (1) to show students the change in lower Paleozoic stratigraphy through time (2) to illustrate several sedimentary and topographic features (3) to help students gain a better understanding of the geologic framework of this area.
The trip starts at the large Upper Devonian flood plain channel behind the F.W.Miller Science Building on the Hartwick College campus in Oneonta and ends in Precambrian garnet gneiss six miles east of Canajoharie. Progressively older beds are exposed to the north because of three factors: the gentle southerly dip of the beds, the erosion by the Mohawk River and the uplift, tilting and erosion of large fault blocks associated with normal faults in the Mohawk River Valley.
The clastic sediments are the result of the Middle Ordovician Taconian Orogeny (470-435 m.y. ago) and the Middle and Late Devonian Acadian Orogeny (J85-355 m.y. ago) (Fisher. 1965). Both of these times of crustal unrest and uplift east of the Hudson River and in New England provided an influx of clays, silts and sands into the Ordovician and Devonian seas which occupied the area of this field trip. The carbonate rocks were deposited by these seas during periods of quiescence between orogenies.

STOP 1. Upper Devonian Oneonta Formation
This outcrop consists of dark grey shales, thinly bedded siltstones and sandstones. A massive sandstone which fills in part of a Devonian stream channel is well exposed for about 150 feet at the left end of the outcrop. There is an erosion surface between the underlying shale and the overlying massive sandstone. This surface which marks the bottom of the channel rises stratigraphically to the right. Interference ripple marks are exposed just below the road level. Plant materials are abundant in some layers and a possible log cast was found at the far right end of the outcrop under the overhanging ledge, but much of this has weathered away. A few galena crystals about 1 cm across have been found in the thinly bedded sandstone.
Trilobites, marine pelecypods and brachiopods of the Gilboa Formation have been found in beds stratigraphically 75 feet below this outcrop.
A clean sandstone which shows extensive through-type cross bedding overlies this outcrop. Red mudstones and shales with root casts, worm burrows and ripple marks are exposed at the top of the hill in new exposures that have been uncovered by recent excavations for a new soccer field.
The view down the valley is looking southeast to Mt. Utsayantha in Stamford (about 30 miles map distance). The broad U-shaped valley is the result of Pleistocene glaciation. The Susquehanna River flows in from the north (out of your view) and through the city of Oneonta. The terraces on either side of the valley are kame terraces. Red beds are exposed near the top of the hills across the valley.

Small kettle hole on right.
This has been partially filled in to make a parking lot for Pyramid Mall.

View to right showing kame terraces across valley.

On right across valley gravel pit in delta kame.

STOP 2. Stop directly across from dam at Goodyear Lake.
The Upper Devonian Gilboa Formation with horizontal sandstones and siltstones is exposed here. The well developed flow-rolls are of interest. It is apparent that these are primary structures (formed while the sediment was still "soft") rather than secondary structures (formed after lithification), but there is some question as to their origin. There are brachiopods, bryozoans, crinoids and pelecypods.

Outcrop of Middle Devonian Cooperstown Shale
Outcrop of Middle Devonian Cooperstown Shale at curve in road. Good view ahead of broad U-shaped valley. The Susquehanna River flows south from its headwaters in Otsego Lake (Cooperstown) in this valley.

Cross Susquehanna River.
Clays indicate a glacial lake occupied this area.

Meander scar of Cherry Valley Creek is visible to left.

Hummocky morainic deposits
After crossing the creek NOTE THE EXCELLENT hummocky morainic deposits showing numerous kettle holes and knob and kettle topography.

Cherry Valley.
The town was settled about 1740. On November 11, 1778 over 40 people were killed by Tories and Indians in the infamous Cherry Valley Massacre.

STOP 3. Highway Department gravel and salt storage area.
Topographically this spot is a break in the Helderberg escarpment. Fairchild interpreted this as a glacial spillway formed at a time when ice filled most of the Mohawk Valley. Meltwater was blocked from draining north and "spilled over" the escarpment eroding the valley (Fairchild, 1925). Fleischer (personal communication and elsewhere in this Guidebook) feels that the valley is the result of glacial scouring of a through valley.
Three formations are exposed here. The lowest formation (exposed about .1 mile down the road) is the Esopus Shale. This is overlain by the Carlisle Center calcareous siltstone which contains numerous worm burrows Toanurus cauda-galli (Rickard and Zenger, 1964). About .l mile south along the road the Carlisle Center siltstone is overlain by the Middle Devonian Onondaga Limestone which contains abundant crinoids, corals and brachiopods.
The upper part of the Onondaga contains abundant chert. Jointing is very obvious at this outcrop.

STOP 4. The Lower Devonian Manlius Fm
The Lower Devonian Manlius Formation (lower Thacher Member) crops out on the right.
This laminated micrite contains some ostracods, tentaculitids and stromatoporids. Some mud crack marks are present. This is the intertidal facies of LaPorte, 1967. The Coeymans Formation rests on top of the Manlius Formation.

STOP 5. Three Middle Devonian formations exposed here.
The lower most formation is the Union Springs Shale which is a black fissile shale containing calcareous concretions. There is a thin limestone near the top of the shale. This is overlain by the Cherry Valley Limestone which is about 7 feet thick and contains a cephalopod fauna. More than 100 feet of the jet-black Fissile Chittenango Shale rests on top of the Cherry Valley Limestone. At the east end (left) of the outcrop the Union Springs Shale has been broken up and sheared indicating some minor faulting.

STOP 6. Lower Devonian Kalkberg Limestone
The Lower Devonian Kalkberg Limestone is exposed in a fresh outcrop. This is a medium grained, thin to medium bedded limestone with abundant chert. There are numerous brachiopods, bryozoans, some corals and trilobite fragments. A 2" thick layer of bentonite is exposed near the eastern end of the outcrop.

STOP 7. (in old quarry) Lower Devonian Coeymans Fm
The Lower Devonian Coeymans Formation consists of a coarse grained thickly bedded limestone with abundant brachiopods, crinoids and corals.

STOP 8 (STOP AT PARK NEXT TO OLD BATHS)
Stop to look at springs and tufa deposits in the city park at the north end of the village of Sharon Springs. There is a strong odor of H2S from the spring water. This is probably caused by the water passing through the underlying thick black shales.

Upper Middle Ord Shales and Sandstones in cliff at left.

Two drumlins are in view to the left.

STOP 9. Canajoharie gorge
Four Lower and Middle Ordovician formations are exposed in Canajoharie gorge.
The lower most formation is the Chuctanunda Creek Dolostone. This is unfossiliferous except for the "hippopotami backs" which are dolomitized hemispherical stromatolites (algal mounds) (Park and Fisher. 1969). Large potholes have formed in the dolostone (Canajoharie is the Iroquois name for the "Pot that washes itself") (Park and Fisher, 1969).
The Middle Ordovician Kings Falls and Sugar River black limestones overlay the dolostone forming a disconformity. These limestones and the thin black shales in them contain abundant trilobite fragments, bryozoans, brachiopods and crinoids.
The limestones are overlain by more than 100 feet of Middle Ordovician Canajoharie Shale.

Cliffs of Upper Cambrian Little Falls Dolostone.
En route to the next stop note the cliffs of Upper Cambrian Little Falls Dolostone.

STOP 10. Precambrian garnet gneiss
Follow the foot path at the east end of the outcrop to the railroad cut. Beware of Poison Ivy along the path and at the Railroad cut.
Rusty weathering Precambrian garnet gneiss exposed along the south side of the road and in railroad cut.
The folded Precambrian gneiss is overlain by the Upper Cambrian Little Falls Dolostone. The dolostone is brecciated for several feet above the contact with the gneiss. Apparently there was movement along the unconformity during Ordovician time when the normal faults in the Adirondack Mountains and the Mohawk Hiver Valley were formed.

Observe the fault-line scarp of the Noses Fault
Observe the fault-line scarp of the Noses Fault from the vehicles. There is a good view of the fault-line scarp on the overpass of Route 55 over the railroad tracks. Note that west of the Noses fault-line scarp the Mohawk River Valley has steep cliffs of Little Falls Dolostone. These are caused by the down cutting of the Mohawk River on the upthrown western side of the fault. East of the fault-line scarp on the downthrown side of the fault-line scarp there are no cliffs.

A5: GLACIAL MORPHOLOGY OF UPPER SUSQUEHANNA DRAINAGE
P. Jay Fleisher
SUNY, College at Oneonta
The purpose of this field trip is primarily to examine the evidence for the glaciolacustrine environment at several different places along the upper Susquehanna drainage. The main stops will emphasize the landforms that characterize the salient aspects of a moraine impounded, ice-contact lake. Included will be various types of moraines and associated outwash, lacustrine plains, hanging deltas and delta-terraces, and strandlines.
The field trip will begin in Oneonta and cover the main Susquehanna Valley between Wells Bridge to the west and Oneonta to the east. The lower reaches of the Charlotte Creek Valley will also be considered. From there the route will mainly follow the Susquehanna north to its headwaters at Cooperstown, with a short diversion into Cherry Valley along the way. From Cooperstown the route will cross a short divide to the west and enter the drainage or Oaks Creek, and continue west and south to traverse the complete Otego Creek Valley. The road log index map shows the general location of each stop.

I-88 parallels the Susquehanna River
I-88 parallels the Susquehanna River for the next 2.4 miles. Much of the area adjacent to the highway on the right (north) was under water during the spring flood of 1977 (probably a 25 year flood).

Flooding from 1977
The valley floor to the north and south of the interstate was flooded to within three feet of covering the highway here during the flood.

Good view of the modern flood plain
The highway rises above the valley floor and provides a good view of the modern flood plain and the abrupt change in valley trend that is a remnant of a preglacial engrown meander. The ridge on the horizon to the right (north) protrudes into the valley along the inside of the meander bend.

The location of STOP 2 is on the left
The location of STOP 2 is on the left, but we won't stop now. Access to this area is possible from County Rd. 48 (locally referred to as the Otego-Wells Bridge Rd.), which we will take on our return to the Oneonta area from Wells Bridge.

Valley plug formed by the Wells Bridge moraine.
Good view to the west of the valley plug formed by the Wells Bridge moraine.

Back of the Wells Bridge moraine
View to the right (north) across the valley includes the back of the Wells Bridge moraine and associated outwash head terrace. The next 1.2 miles provides an excellent overview of the moraine and the breach carved by the Susquehanna River.

STOP 1 Down valley side of the moraine
The eastern end of the parking lot looks over the hummocky relief on the down valley side of the moraine. The common border of the Franklin and Unadilla Quadrangles passes directly through the moraine.
This moraine completely blocked the valley following glacier retreat permitting the damming of a continuous body of water, referred to as Lake Otego, from Wells Bridge to Oneonta. Figure 3 of accompanying paper illustrates the topographic and subsurface aspects of the valley in this area. The moraine is assumed to have been implaced about 16,000 years BP and breached about 14,000 years BP. We will consider the field evidence for an 1140 feet lake level at the next two stops.
Field work in the Unadilla and Sidney areas indicates that the Upper Susquehanna Lake Chain has greater down valley extent than will be covered in this road log.

Cross Ouleout Creek.

Highway parallels the river for one mile.

Highway climbs onto outwash terrace near mouth of Sand Hill Creek.

Highway follows the Wells Bridge moraine - outwash contact.
Highway drops into Sand Hill Creek incision of outwash and immediately climbs to follow the Wells Bridge moraine - outwash contact.

Crest of moraine on the left, breach on the right.

Charcoal date of 13,000 to 14,500 years BP.
It was within the breach of this moraine that Bob Funk uncovered charcoal while excavating an archeological site in point bar silts that yielded a date of 13,000 to 14,500 years BP. This provides the younger limiting age of Lake Otego.
Road parallels river for 0.6 miles before rising onto outwash head terrace. A correlative terrace can be seen across the valley to the north at an elevation of about 1140 feet.

Fine sand a few tens of feet below the terrace surface.
Excavation for house on the right exposed fine sand under gravel with the contact at the base of the building, a few tens of feet below the terrace surface.

Terrace at about 1120 feet.
White house across the valley to the north is situated on a terrace at about 1120 feet. Other planar landforms can be found along the valley that suggest a second level for Lake Otego below 1140 feet. This may be an interesting prospect to consider as a group.

Deltaic foreset and topset beds
Gravel excavation on right contains deltaic foreset and topset beds indicating current direction to the west down valley.

Deltaic foreset and topset beds
Gravel excavation on left contains deltaic foreset and topset beds indicating current direction to the west down valley.

Road drops to modern flood plain
Road drops to modern flood plain, which is superimposed on Lake Otego lacustrine plain. Lacustrine plain to the left and right for about a mile.

Kame on the right.
Kame on the right. Prior to construction of I-88 a similar but smaller feature could also be seen to the northeast.

Stop 2 is situated to the right, across 1-88,
Stop 2 is situated to the right, across 1-88, on the lower valley wall slope marked by gullies and below "tree line".

STOP 2. Strand line of Lake Otego
Park on the right beyod the overpass and walk south between 1-88 and the forested slope of the valley wall. (Access permission may be requested at the farm directly across 1-88 to the west.) Walk beyond the truncated spur to a gullied area on the left, about 300 yards south of overpass and upslope from the fence.
At an elevation of approximately 1120-1140 feet (2/3 the way up the forest-free slope) pebbly coarse sand, fine sand, silt and a few clay seams were exposed along a gully wall in June 1977. Fluvial channel structures with small scale foreset beds inclined into the slope and down valley rest upon finely laminated, rippled and cross bedded silt and fine sand.
A distinct topographic break in slope can be seen up slope producing a clearly defined bench along the valley wall. A test pit to a depth of 2 to 3 feet revealed well sorted sand lacking stratification and containing occasional pebbles. This was noted repeatedly along this bench at an elevation of about 1140 feet. Another test pit upslope a few tens of feet and farther onto the bench revealed similar sand, lacking stratification as before, but no pebbles.
These sands are interpreted to have formed along the strandline of Lake Otego by wave generated currents that moved into this valley wall alcove. The sand above 1140 feet lacks pebbles and is considered to be of eolian origin, blown up slope from the beach.

Road drops back down to the lacustrine plain at an elevation of 1060 feet.

Outwash/alluvial bench between 1100 and 1120 feet
The highway traverses an outwash/alluvial bench between 1100 and 1120 feet at the confluence of Otego Creek and the Susquehanna River.

STOP 3. West Oneonta delta moraine
Turn right into gravel quarry just short of Otego Creek bridge in West Oneonta. The material exposed here bas been consistently similar to what can be seen here now. Massive foreset beds of coarse pebbly sand and washed gravel are inclined down valley and define to topographic slope to the south. Above are more poorly sorted topset gravels that vary in thickness between 5 and 10 feet. The upper surface is planar and can be traced to the east, where it becomes irregular across Rt . 205.
The northern side of the feature drops in elevation to join a terrace and eventually the flat, poorly drained valley floor. Interbedded and laminated silt and clay dominate this slope and show collapse structures. Occasional rafted clasts can be found within these deposits.
By the nature of the material, its internal structure and topographic expression, this feature is referred to as the West Oneonta delta moraine. The topset-foreset contact is placed at about 1140 feet.

A large kame delta complex
A large kame delta complex begins here on the right and continues for one mile. This may be part of a once larger delta moraine that extended farther into the valley.

A partially dissected left lateral moraine
To the right beyond the Holiday Inn and at the base of the valley wall can be seen the broad crest of a partially dissected left lateral moraine at an elevation of 1340 feet. Its up valley extent can be traced for about a mile, where it is in association with an outwash terrace (probably outwash head) at 1200 feet.

Moraine and terrace
Both the moraine and the terrace can be clearly seen on the right (south). Coe Hill Rd. (dirt) crosses both of them and offers access. On the left (north) side of Rt. 23 is a lacustrine plain at 1100 to 1120 feet.

Highway climbs the kettled margin of the 1200 feet terrace.
Highway climbs the kettled margin of the 1200 feet terrace. Kettles suggest an ice-contact origin. Within the next mile the highway will rise again on the down valley portion of the West Davenport moraine.

Hummocky surface of moraine
Intersection with road on the left that traverses the moraine across the valley and through the Charlotte Creek breach. The hummocky surface of the moraine can be seen along Rt. 23 as you proceed east.

STOP 4. Gravel quarry within a hanging delta.
This excavation provides a look into a large hanging delta that was graded to Lake Davenport at 1260 feet. The lake was dammed behind the dual crested West Davenport moraine and flooded the Charlotte Valley for a number of miles to the east.
The difference between the internal sedimentary structures of this delta and those in a delta moraine reflects the contrasting sedimentary environments of the two. Here discharge is less variable, less sporadic and less energetic. Well sorted topset sand displays a variety of delicate cross bedding, ripples and draped laminations reflecting the progressive decrease in current velocity and increase in water depth.
The best exposures can be found along the northern portion of the excavation. Watch your step when climbing on the exposure and try to keep the dust down.

Back side of the dual-crested West Davenport moraine.
Road climbs off the lacustrine plain and onto the back side of the dual-crested West Davenport moraine. Pine Lake is a kettle hole pond in the moraine.

The road traverses the moraine for the next 3.2 miles.
The road traverses the moraine, and part of the lacustrine plain for the next 3.2 miles.

Dissected and pitted outwash
The road traverses part of the dissected and pitted outwash associated with the West Davenport moraine. The outwash surface blends with the 1180 feet terrace at the Susquehanna-Charlotte Creek confluence.

Deltaic foreset beds are inclined to the southeast.
Morningside Drive on the left leads to the Oneonta Land Fill, where deltaic foreset beds within the 1180 feet terrace are inclined to the southeast indicating a current direction up the Charlotte Creek Valley. This is interpreted to mean the Charlotte was free of ice before the Susquehanna.

Three large gravel excavations
There are three large gravel excavations equally spaced north of Hemlock Rd. over a distance of two miles. Each reveals deltaic internal structure indicating current flow down valley and toward the valley center. Three distinct lobate aspects of the terrace here suggest coalesced lateral deltas that have formed a delta terrace at 1180 feet.

Lobate nature of the terrace margins
View across the valley to the south shows that the 1180 feet terrace position is nearly continuous across the valley floor. This illustrates the lobate nature of the terrace margins in this area and provides a view of the delta-terrace.

Goodyear Lake on the right.

Bedrock floor lies more than 336 feet below the present lake level
Entering Milford Center, where well data from points across the valley indicate the bedrock floor lies more than 336 feet below the present lake level, and is predominantly occupied by quicksand.

Poorly drained, pitted outwash
Proceed across the poorly drained, pitted outwash for 0.2 mile and cross railroad tracks.

Outwash and ablation moraine
For the next 2.4 miles we will be traversing the outwash and ablation moraine (Portlandville moraine) that dammed the Susquehanna to form Lake Milford at 1230 feet. This lake extended up valley to Hyde Park and into the mouth of the Cherry Creek Valley.

Leads to the Crumhorn Mt. wedge locality
Wrightman Rd. intersects County Rd. 35 at white farm house and leads to the Crumhorn Mt. wedge locality discussed in this field guide under the title Wedge-Shaped Structures in Bedrock and Drift.

Good view of the Lake Milford lacustrine plain to the left.

Lacustrine plain
For the past couple of miles the road has primarily been on the lacustrine plain.

STOP 5. Lake Milford strand line
Exposed here on the west side of the highway is 33 feet of interbedded gray and tan clay under 14 feet of interbedded sand and coarse pebbly sand. The sand forms a discontinuous bench at 1230 feet and is interpreted as a Lake Milford strand line.

Surface of hanging delta at 1230 feet
Surface of hanging delta at 1230 feet formed by tributary to Lake Milford. False gain by alluvial fan deposition gives delta a gently inclined up surface.

From here north for about 2 miles the highway is on pitted outwash.

Note morainic topography beginning to develop on the right.

Southeastern extension of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine
Turn right onto Norton Cross Rd. (unmarked) that crosses Cherry Valley and traverses the hummocky surface of a moraine near Westville. This is the southeastern extension of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine which is in the Susquehanna Valley to the west.

STOP 6. Cross Cherry Valley Creek where it breaches the moraine.
Pull off to the right just beyond the bridge near the top of the hill.
At the time of emplacement this moraine blocked the valley to an elevation of about 1170 feet forming a dam for Lake Middlefield, a body of water that drowned Cherry Valley for nearly its entire course. The field evidence for Lake Middlefield is in hanging deltas at the mouths of tributary streams, a delta moraine at Middlefield and associated kame delta, and the large lacustrine plain across which the drainage presently meanders. In addition, well data indicate lacustrine sedimentation and the accumulation of thick clay deposits.
The hummocky topography yields down valley to a pitted outwash that was incised by the drainage of Lake Middlefield to form valley train terraces. Up valley the moraine loses relief and joins the lacustrine plain.
Clean exposures in this road cut have revealed the moraine to consist of stratified sand and gravel and not unsorted drift.

Up valley extent of moraine
Up valley extent of moraine can be seen on the left for the next 0.4 miles to where it finally joins the lacustrine plain.

Dissected hanging delta
Road crosses a dissected hanging delta at the mouth of a tributary. Barn on the left is situated on the delta surface at about 1270 feet.

Good view of poorly drained lacustrine plain.

Cross Cherry Valley Creek and lacustrine plain.

Proceed north onto the front of a delta moraine.

Stratified sand and gravel with fluvial cross bedding
Inactive quarry on right at one time revealed stratified sand and gravel with fluvial cross bedding. The road traverses the kettled back portion of the moraine for the next 0.5 miles.

Extension of the delta moraine
The hummocky slope on the right suggests the extension of the delta moraine at the base of the valley wall.

Delta kame to the left.
Dirt road on the left leads to a delta kame that can be seen standing above the lacustrine plain to an elevation of slightly above 1280 feet. Present excavation reveals distinct gravel foreset beds inclined down valley.

Hanging delta/alluvial fan at a B.M. elevation of 1275 feet.
Road crosses a dissected hanging delta/alluvial fan at a B.M. elevation of 1275 feet.

Good view of morainic topography
Road descends valley wall and provides a good view of morainic topography downslope. This may be the upland facies of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine.

Morainic topography over much of the last mile.

Upland facies of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine.
Once again the road crosses what appears to be the upland facies of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine. Note the morainic topography for the next 0.4 mile and discontinuously for the next 2 miles.

This is the outwash portion of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine.

STOP 7. Cassville-Cooperstown moraine.
To the northwest (across the highway) is the characteristic topographic expressive for the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine. It can be traced in that direction for 5 miles up Oaks Creek to Oaksville. However, from here eastward across the Susquehanna Valley the moraine shows less relief, yet maintains an elevation of about 1250 feet. As the ice retreated from this position a lake remained impounded behind the moraine and grew in size. It is referred to as Lake Cooperstown and reached an upper limit of about 1250 feet. At this elevation it would have been somewhat larger than Lake Otego, which maintains an elevation of 1195 feet at present.
Well data from the vicinity of Hyde Park indicate the bedrock valley floor is in excess of 265 feet below the modern flood plain. The fill is almost entirely quicksand. This depth is consistant with gravity surveys run across the valley between the moraine and the Village of Cooperstown.

Moraine yields to outwash head and tributary deposits.

Baseball Hall of Fame is two blocks to the right.

Farmer's Museum on left, golf course and Otsego Lake on right.
Farmer's Museum on left, golf course and Otsego Lake on right. The golf course is situated on part of a small moraine and outwash surface that bulges slightly into the lake.

Hanging delta at Brookwood Point.
Beginning here and for the next 0.1 miles the road crosses a partially dissected and incised hanging delta at Brookwood Point. The most easily recognized strand line features of Lake Cooperstown are found along the western side of the valley where tributary drainages are larger.

Three Mile Point.
Three Mile Point. Large brown and yellow house on the left occupies the surface of a hanging delta at an elevation of about 1250 feet.

Hanging delta at Five Mile Point
Road climbs onto the hanging delta at Five Mile Point, which also stands at about 1250 feet.

STOP 8. Distal end of delta lobe
Pull into the small parking area on the right 8 next to the sign for the Lakeview Hotel and Cottages. Cross Rt. 60 and walk to the excavation at the back of the Lakeview Hotel.
Distinct foreset-topset structure can be seen in very coarse gravel. The upper surface was measured to be 66 feet above Otsego Lake and determined to have an elevation of about 1255 feet. This being the distal end of the delta lobe there is probably a minimal addition of false gain.
Directly across the lake is Hyde Bay, into which Shadow Brook drains. A gravity survey run across that valley just 0.1 miles from the bay indicates a depth to bedrock of 69 feet. A single water well 0.2 miles up Shadow Brook logged 8 feet of gravel and 62 feet of clay, silt and sand, with the lower contact of the gravel at 1247 feet, indicating that Lake Cooperstown rose to at least that level. Furthermore. Shadow Brook flows across bedrock just 0.5 miles from this well, suggesting a buried channel up valley from Hyde Bay.
Proceed north on Rt. 80 past Six Mile Point, which is also situated on a hanging delta graded to the level of Lake Cooperstown.

Rt. 80 traverses another hanging delta
Rt. 80 traverses another hanging delta at about 1250 feet for 0.4 miles and shows a good example of modern incision. From here north the valley widens and relief diminishes. This is the open end of the Susquehanna through valley.

STOP 9. Lacustrine Clays
Turn right on Otsego County Rd. 53 and park. Walk back to intersection and clean up drainage ditch on southern side. Extremely fine laminated clay in varve-like form was exposed in June 1977. The elevation here is 1220 feet, which would have placed this area under about 30 feet of Lake Cooperstown water.
Since leaving the Otsego Lake trough 2 miles back the terrain has become much more subdued and gentle. The modern sedimentary condition along the northern lake shore is considered to be a good analog of the environment in which these clays accumulated.

Road descends into the valley of Fly Creek.

Cross Fly Creek and lacustrine plain
Cross Fly Creek and the lacustrine plain of a small lake that was ponded behind a moraine at the Village of Fly Creek 3.5 miles down valley (to the left).

Good overview of the lacustrine plain
Road now parallels the valley and provides a good overview of the lacustrine plain on the left.

Road climbs a moraine and follows it for 2 miles
Road climbs a moraine and follows it for 2 miles to Village of Fly Creek. This is part of a large moraine complex that blocked the drainage at Fly Creek and Oaksville.

Proceed west along the continuation of the moraine to Oaksville.
Proceed west along the continuation of the moraine to Oaksville. This is the western extension of the Cassville-Cooperstown moraine that blocked Oaks Creek and dammed Lake Oaksville in the Canadarago Valley.

STOP 10. Cassville-Cooperstown moraine
Pull off to the right and walk into the gravel quarry situated toward the back side of the moraine. Exposed are sorted and stratified sand and gravel, as is typical of moraines in the upper Susquehanna. Although the surface expression is hummocky and irregular, massive foreset beds characterize the internal structure of this part of the moraine. Possibly this accumulated in a delta moraine fashion as the ice retreated from the main moraine position.
The moraine reaches an average elevation of between 1300 and 1320 feet and controlled the water level in Lake Oakeville. Strandline features at this position can be seen in a number of places around Canadarago Lake and at Richfield Springe to the north. Although Canadarago is much smaller and shallower than Otsego Lake (44 feet vs. 166 feet), well information and gravity data indicate it occupies a bedrock basin comparably deep.

Road descends back of moraine
Road descends back of moraine. Lacustrine plain of Lake Oaksville lies ahead.

Across the divide to the drainage of Otego Creek.
Road climbs off the lacustrine plain and across the divide to the drainage of Otego Creek.

Road descends onto flat floored valley.

Two kames and an area of dead ice topography on the left.

Truncated spur on left as road climbs large hummocky terrace form.
Truncated spur on left as road climbs large hummocky terrace form. This terrace, which continues for about a mile, appears to be a complex of dead ice terrain and tributary fan/delta deposits from adjacent short valleys.

Road drops to valley floor and what appears to be a lacustrine plain.

Road climbs a bedrock controlled terrace
Road climbs a bedrock controlled terrace and continues across a glaciofluvial terrace of uncertain origin. This and other similar features can be seen repeatedly along the valley. They are thought to be associated with static or stagnant ice condition that characterized this drainage.

STOP 11.
2014: The bridge is gone, so we took a bit of a detour to get here, and we'll go back the same way...
Unload at gate and walk in. At various times during excavation a consistently well defined deltaic internal structure has been observed. Massive foreset gravel and sand dip down valley and are covered by more poorly sorted topset beds, which range in thickness up to 30 feet. This deposit is practically at the center of the valley and has lateral extent. The creek cuts through to the east, where it is forced against the base of a truncated spur. A small tributary enters the valley from the vest and joins Otego Creek slightly to the north.
This feature has the topographic expression of a hanging delta at an elevation of about 1200 feet, but may well be part of a delta terrace deposit or kame delta.
Collapsed wedge-shaped structures have been found at various times in the topset beds. Their occurrence and possible origin are discussed in this guidebook under the title Wedge-Shaped Structures in Bedrock and Drift .

Extensive and continuous terrace level from here south
The road crosses an extensive and continuous terrace level from here south to Laurens and beyond. The terrace scarp maintains an irregular trend marked by several undercut banks where the creek has meandered against the base of the terrace. In spite or this the terrace scarp expresses a lobate trend unrelated to meander scars. This feature is interpreted as a delta-terrace formed by terminal discharge in an ice-contact lake and not considered to be a kame terrace.

Small moraine extends into the valley
Highway traverses a small moraine that extends into the valley and deflects Otego Creek westward.

View of lacustrine plain to the right.

Lateral extension of the West Oneonta delta moraine
Highway crosses the lateral extension of the West Oneonta delta moraine, which can be seen to the right.

A6: PRELIMINARY GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF OTSEGO LAKE
Boat Trip so no Road Log
John Sales
Willard Harman
P. Jay Fleisher
Ray Breuninger
Michael Melia
SUNY, College at Oneonta
Oneonta, NY
INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report is a synthesis of the contributions of several workers. All of the ecological aspects, underwater sampling, bathymetry as well as some of the geological interpretation are the result of an impressive ten-year research effort by Bill Harman and his students working at the SUCO Biological Field Station. Use of the field station research vessel as well as the logistics for the lake tour and the lake log are also Harman's contribution. Breuninger contributed the sedimentology and Melia the Paleomalacology in two short studies done in 1974. Fleisher contributed material on the glacial geology and the glacial landforms map and accompanied Sales on an initial reconnaissance of the lake perimeter. Sales pulled together most of the general geology, stratigraphy, physiography and structure and did the actual writing of the shore road log, leaning heavily on the interpretations of Fleisher on the glacial geology. While not contributing specifically to this report, the bedrock mapping done by Rickard and Zenger (1964) provides a firm foundation for many of the interpretations. In pulling the paper together and in fitting other workers' concepts to the local situation, Sales may have distorted some of the concepts of the other workers. Much of this contribution represents preliminary ideas that will require further substantiation and modification. Parts of this paper were updated from Sales, et al., 1972.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE LAKE (LOCATION AND PHYSIOGRAPHY)
Otsego Lake is in northern Otsego County, New York, 57 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Utica and 89 kilometers (55 miles) west of Albany. The village of Cooperstown is at its south end and the smaller towns of Springfield and Springfield Center lie a few miles north of the lake. It is within the northern part of the Appalachian (Allegheny) Plateau physiographic province in the extreme northeastern part of the Susquehanna watershed. It is considered to be the source for the Susquehanna River although the actual drainage divide separating Susquehanna from Mohawk River drainage lies about 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of the lake. The Plateau Province is a maturely dissected upland with local hill elevations from 550-670 m. (1800-2200 ft.). Valley elevations are in the 300-430 m. (100-1400 ft.) range. Bedrock under the major valleys lies below 30-90 m. (100-300 ft.) of glacial fill (Gieshen, 1974). There is a NNE-SSW topographic grain, possibly basement controlled, that may have been enhanced by glacial erosion so that the area is dominated by over-steepened and over-deepened troughs with intervening subparallel ridges. Otsego Lake lies in one of these troughs, as does its slightly smaller sister lake - Canadarago - just to the west.

A7: PHYSICAL STRATIGRAPHY, SEDIMENTOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY OF THE UPPER DEVONIAN STREAM DEPOSITS OF THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN NY
This article was not available at the time of binding.

A8: PALEOECOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE ORDOVICIAN BLACK RIVER GROUP LIMESTONES: CENTRAL MOHAWK VALLEY
by
Barry Cameron
Department of Geology
Boston University
Boston, MA 02215
and
Rami A. Kamal
Geology Department
Texas A & M University
College Station, TX 77843
For over 150 years the Ordovician rocks of the Mohawk Valley have been under study. Some of the leading geologista and paleontologists of the 19th and 20th centuries studied the limestones, shales, and fossils of the Medial Ordovician Black River and Trenton groups in the Black River, West Canada Creek, and Mohawk River valleys (see Kay, 1937. for historical review). As a result, these rocks have become well-known as part of the Medial Ordovician standard reference section of North America.
The purposes of this field trip focusing on the limestones of the Black River Group of southern Herkimer County, New York, are to:
1) Demonstrate the stratigraphic succession and its lateral variations.
2) Discuss and evaluate the age relationships and time correlations of the various formations by
a) Examining the diverse faunas and
b) Demonstrating the lateral continuity of Major lithic and biologic characteristics.
3) Examine and evaluate the criteria for determining the extent and significance of the disconformity along the Black River-Trenton boundary.
4) Examine and evaluate the criteria for determining the environments of deposition and paleogeography.
This field trip guide will summarize some of the previous work on the Black River Group in the Little Falls and Utica 15' quadrangles of Herkimer County and incorporate new data supporting reinterpretationa of the stratigraphy in this area. The order of localities has been chosen as conveniently as possible for economy of travel along a southeast to northwest traverse.
Geologic setting
The Little Falls and Utica quadrangles are located along the southwestern margin of the Adirondack Mountains and include part of southern Herkimer County (Fig . 1). Good exposures of Medial Ordovician limestones are to be found along the Mohawk River, West Canada Creek, and East Canada Creek valleys and those of their tributaries (Fig. 1). Many small abandoned limestone quarries in both quadrangles contain exposures of the Black River-Trenton boundary.
Lower Paleozoic strata dip gently to the southwest from the PreCambrian on the northeastern part of the Little Falls Quadrangle (Cushing, 1905), and Precambrian inliers occur at Middleville and Little Falls (Cushing, 1905; Young, 1943; Kay, 1953). The Late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite underlies the Ordovician rocks and overlies the Precambrian basement complex. A few northeast-southwest trending normal faults cut Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks, e.g., near Little Falls and Dolgeville (Cushing, 1905; Kay, 1937).

STOP 1. Trenton limestones
Small vegetation covered outcrop of Trenton limestones (upper Kings Falls Limestone) on right side of road. Park on the shoulder.
While watching for traffic, cross highway to the small clearing and descend the bank along the small stream at the right (east) end of the clearing. (The stream is not visible until you enter the brush.) Cross stream and walk about 100 feet to the near end of the cliff where 2.5 feet of medium dove gray Lowville Limestone is exposed beneath the coarse, cross-laminated, shelly lower Kings Falls Limestone.

Outcrops of the late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite
Outcrops of the late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite on both sides of Route 167. This unit directly underlies the Black River Group in this area.

More outcrops of the Little Falls Dolomite on the right.

Cliffs of Little Falls Dolomite, a thick formation, on the right.

Precambrian gneiss on both sides of highway.
Precambrian gneiss on both sides of highway. This unit underlies the Late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite in this area.

View of the Mohawk River Valley to the east
North end of parking lot by sign explaining this historic part of New York. A nice view of the Mohawk River Valley to the east can be seen from this upthrown side of the Little Falls Fault (Cushing. 1905, p. 38).

Outcrop of Little Falls Dolomite on left side of road.

Rocklandian and Kirkfieldian (lower Trentonian) limestones
Poor roadside exposures of Rocklandian and Kirkfieldian (lower Trentonian) limestones and shales to the left.
If the power company (Niagara-Mohawk) does not permit trespassing, park and walk across the large bridge. Descend the left (upstream) side to the large limestone exposures at the inside of the meander to see all but the base and top of the Lowville Limestone. The 4 foot thick, burrow-reworked, Watertown-like, sub-tidal facies caps the exposure.

STOP 2. Inghams Mills (locality C99)
Walk to the right, through the grass, and proceed to the right of the tall chain-link fence, walking beneath the powerllne tower. At the stone wall along the edge of the field, bear left and walk along the fence. CAUTION: Poison ivy often grows in abundance along this path. Opposite the brick building, turn right and proceed very carefully over the boulders and across the creek towards the base of the outcrop. The boulders you will have to walk over to get to this exposure are sometimes unstable and move when stepped on. Some are sharp and dangerous.
Four formations of Medial Ordovician age are excellently exposed along with the top of the Late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite{?) below the dam on East Canada Creek. Lithologies, unusual sedimentary structures, fossils, formation boundaries, and disconformities can be carefully examined.
Little Falls Dolomite(?). Only 2 feet of the Late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite are exposed at the base of the exposure. This unit is represented by relatively thick-bedded, light to medium brown weathering, quartz arenitic, pyrite-bearing dolostone with thin interbedded shale layers.
Lowville Limestone. About 29.5 to 30 feet of Lowville Limestone are excellently exposed with a thick dove gray shaly limestone at the base. The lowest 2 to 3 feet exhibit a slump and boulder beachrock (Figs. 5-6) contalning limestone blocks up to 2.5 feet in diameter, that probably formed as a result of instability over the irregular depositional surface of the Little Falls Dolomlte. This might be a channel margin slump, e.g., bank collapse deposit.
The next 16.5 feet contain horizontally laminated (algal?), dove gray calcilutites with abundant vertical burrows (Phytopsis), a few ostracodes. and frequent stylolites. Frequent mudcracks confirm an intertidal origin. A tidal channel (Figs. 5, 7) is wholly exposed on the west side of the outcrop (old stream channel).
Between 16.5 and 21.5 feet an apparently subtidal, irregularly burrowed, essentially non-laminated, massively bedded, dark gray to black calcisiltite zone contains Foerstephyllum halli, Lambeophyllum profundum, Hormotoma, Loxoplocus, Isotelus, cryptostome bryozoa, straight nautiloids and pelmatozoan debris. This resembles the subtidal Watertown Limestone to the northwest.
Immediately above these deeper water sediments, the intertidal facies begins to reappear. This is a vertically burrowed, horizontally laminated (algal?), limestone intraclast-bearing, fossiliferous calcilutite and calcisiltite zone. Fossils from this interval include Tetradium cellulosum, Eoleperditia fabulites, Lambeophyllum profundum, Isotelus, cryptostome bryozoa, and pelmatozoan fragments. Near the base of this zone a sediment-filled tidal meander(?) or channel (Cameron, 1969, see Fig. 7) up to 7 feet wide and 2 feet deep is excellently exposed in 2 faces of the outcrop. Note the structure and composition of the sediments filling it.
At about 27 feet, a 9 inch thick calcilutite bed contains scores of whole Tetradium cellulosum colonies in life position that cover 50% to 90% of the bed which contains a thin veneer of limestone pebble conglomerate. One can readily see how the fine-grained sediment was trapped in and around these delicately branching tabulate corals. This is also equivalent to Walker's (1973) wave-baffle lithology and it resembles his House Creek Member of the Lowville Limestone in northwestern New York (Fig. 8; see Fig. 8 of Cameron, 1969).
The top of the Lowville Limestone is riddled with burrows (dominantly vertical) partially filled with the black lustrous carbonaceous mineral anthraxolite. Several inches of irregular relief over the top of this bed may mark a disconformity between the Black River Group and the Trenton Group.
Trenton Group. The lowest 13 feet of the Trenton(?) limestones can be divided into 7.5 feet of chocolate brown weathering interbedded calcareous shales and argillaceous calcisiltites at the base and 5.5 feet of medium gray weathering interbedded thinner shales and less argillaceous calcisiltites above. The contact between these 2 subdivisions is slightly gradational. The surfaces of the limestone layers exhibit extremely well-developed loading casts. In addition, the lower subdivision contains an unusually well-developed and fully exposed intraformational fold similar to those described by Chenowith (1952) from the Sugar River Limestone in northwestern New York. Fossils are common. The fauna of the lower 7.5 feet is that of the uppermost Black River Group. i.e., the Selby Limestone of northwestern New York (Cameron and Mangion, 1977), while the fauna of the upper 5.5 feet resembles that of the lower Trentonlan Napanee Limestone. Overlying these limestones is the 38 foot thick Kings Falls Limestone with basal conglomerates.

STOP 3. Small quarry (locality C107)
Walk into small old quarry about 100 feet into field from right side of road. The Black River-Trenton boundary is well-exposed along the contact between 8 feet of upper Lowville Limestone and 13 feet of lower Kings Falls Limestone. The very shaly lowest 13 feet of Trenton(?) limestones seen at Stop 2 is absent and pebbles of the Lowville Limestone can be seen in the lowest few inches of the Kings Falls. There is little relief along this contact to suggest a disconformity. The thickest section of the Lowville occurs at the axis of the fold at the far end of the quarry. Shales are rare. Fossils are uncommon but include Isotelus, Eoleperditia fabulites, small ostracodes, Liospira, and cryptostome bryozoa. Tetradiurn cellulosum is absent.
The very fossiliferous Kings Falls Limestone exhibits the somewhat typical cyclic nature of burrowed finer-grained calcarenites and calcisiltites alternating with cross-laminated, coarse-grained calcarenites and coquinites.

STOP 4. Small quarry (locality C168)
Walk along dirt road into small old quarry (now a private dump about 100 feet into woods from right side of road (Route 169)).
At this stop, we shall (1) examine metabentonites at the base of the Kings Falls Limestone and (2) reexamine the Black River-Trenton boundary between the upper Lowville and lower Kings Falls limestones. The top of the Lowville has 1 to 2 inches of relief, possibly due to scouring since bedding laminae are truncated. The shaly and argillaceous limestone interval between 2 and 3 feet appears to form a marker zone that can be traced from here northwestward to Newport. Tetradium is absent. The 4.5 foot sandy lower member can be seen in the lower quarry. The Lowville is about 11.5 feet thick at this locality.
The fossiliferous Kings Falls contains cream-colored, sticky, 2 to 3 inch thick metabentonites at 12 and 29 inches. A similar 2 inch thick clay has been reported at 2 feet from Stony Creek one-half mile to the southeast (Craig, 1941; Kay, 1943, 1953). We shall evaluate the significance of these clays for time-correlation at the next stop.

Quarry on right is in Little Falls Dolomite.

STOP 5. City Brook (locality C1)
Walk onto bridge and look upstream towards the falls. This outcrop hss been CLOSED to trespassers, but we can look and talk here.
The characteristics of the Lowville and lower Trenton limestones will be compared with those at previous stops. The Lowville Limestone lies disconformably on the quartz arenite-rich Late Cambrian Little Falls Dolomite below the bridge. The lower falls is supported by the upper Lowville Limestone, and the upper falls (Craig, 1941, Fig. 5; Kay. 1953, Fig. 11) is supported by the middle Kings Falls Limestone.
Lowville Limestone. The lower 7 feet are tan weathering, gray, quartz arenite-rich, ostracode-bearing, impure, thick-bedded, medium-textured, dolomitic, argillaceous limestones interbedded with a few calcareous shales up to 3 inches thick. Vertical burrows are abundant. A 3 inch thick metabentonite occurs at 6' 9" (Kay, 1943, 1953). Kay (1953) correlated this with a prominant reetrant at the top of this lower member at Newport Quarry (Stop 18. Fig. 5).
The upper 19.5 feet of the Lowville is composed of relatively pure, light gray weathering, dove gray, conchoidally fracturing calcilutite (sublithographic) and some calcisiltites. Stylolites are abundant from 11 to 16 feet. Thin shales are frequent between 13 and 16 feet, at the 18th foot, and especially between 19.5 and 21.5 feet where the limestones are very argillaceous (argillaceous marker horizon). Vertical burrows (Phytopsis) are abundant between 11 and 16 feet and in the top foot. Mud-cracks occur above and below the 25th foot. An intertidal origin seems probable for these limestones. Tetradium is extremely rare in the upper few feet.
Kings Falls Limestone. Sediment from a coquinal calcarenite bed at the base of the Kings Falls fills some of the burrows in the highly burrow-reworked calcilutite bed at the top of the Lowville. The Kings Falls is characterized by coquinal calcarenites, as at previous localities. Cross-laminated and pararippled beds are frequent.
At 7 feet a deep reentrant marks where a metabentonite is weathering out. Less than a mile north, at Buttermilk Creek (Stop 6), this clay is 9 feet above the base of the Kings Falls (Kay, 1953). If this altered volcanic ash near the base of the Kings Falls between Stony Creek and Buttermilk Creek is part of a single bed, then it represents a synchronous time surface indicating that this formation is onlapping the Lowville eastward. Therefore, the base of the Kings Falls becomes progressively younger eastward, increasing the gap in time marked by the Black River-Trenton boundary in that direction (Fig. 3).

Herkimer diamonds are common in the Little Falls Dolomite downhill to the left.

STOP 6. Buttermilk Creek (locality C101)
Descend to the creek from the bridge and walk upstream. The Little Falls Dolomite comprises the stream bed at the bridge. As you walk upstream, you will walk through the Lowville Limestone and eventually reach the Trenton limestones (Kings Falls).
The lower sandy member (11-12 feet) of the Lowville can be seen roughly between 2 broad flat areas in the streambed. The 23-24 foot thick upper Lowville is fully exposed as you walk further upstream. The argillaceous marker horizon (about 2 feet thick) occurs 6 feet below the top. From 2 to 5 inches below the top there are pieces of the colonial tabulate coral Tetradium. Beneath the Tetradium, vertically burrowed calcilutites dominate down to the marker horizon. The uppermost 1 to 2 inches contain a strophomenid-rich layer resembling the top of the Watertown Limestone at the next stop (Stop 7).
The Kings Falls Limestone, disconformably overlying the Lowville, is shelly, shaly, pararipp!ed, cross-laminated, and sheet-laminated. A metabentonite, reviewed at City Brook (Stop 5), occurs at 9 feet above the base. The Trenton Group at this outcrop is described in more detail by Cameron, Mangion and Titus (1972).

STOP 7. Small hillside quarry exposures (locality C112A)
Open gate, go through, CLOSE GATE, and walk uphill to last major exposure in field (about 100 feet from road). Return to cars by way of gate. Be sure it is closed when you leave.
The Watertown burrow-reworked lithology first appears as about a 1 foot thick, but recognizable, lithology at this locality. It can be distinguished from the subjacent vertically burrowed calcilutites of the Lowville and the superjacent calcarenites of the Kings Falls. Large tabulate corals (Poerstephyllum halli) and rugose solitary corals are present, as in some exposures farther northwest, but black chert is absent here. Only the 2 inch thick strophomenid brachiopod-rich bed at this locality is represented at Buttermilk Creek less thon a half mile south.
Whole Tetradium cellulosum colonies can be found in the uppermost five inches of the Lowville whose argillaceous limestone marker bed is exposed 6 feet below the top. Between the Tetradium and the marker zone, vertically burrowed calcilutites predominate, as at Buttermilk Creek (Stop 6). This upper Tetradium horizon resembles the upper Tetradium beds at Inghams Mills (Stop 2) and Walker's (1973) House Creek Member of the Lowville of northwestern New York.

STOP 8. Northwest Newport Quarry (locality NPQ)
Walk about 150 feet along the gravel road and then descend the grassed slope to the upper quarry where the Watertown Limestone caps the quarry wall which is composed mostly of Lowville Limestone. The top of the quarry here is beginning to collapse, so stay well clear of the edge. Enter at your own risk. After examining the top of the Watertown, continue to descend the grassed slope (overgrown old road) to the quarry floor. Bear left to examine fallen blocks of the Watertown and upper Lowville. Bear right all around a promontory to the southeast part of the quarry where the lower and middle Lowville can be examined safely in the quarry wall. Climb up over the rubble to the gravel road to return to the cars.
The lower dolomitic and sandy member of the Lowville is about 15.5 feet thick. Its contact with the upper 21.5 feet is gradational. The 2 foot thick argillaceous marker horizon occurs about 6 feet below the Watertown Limestone. Tetradium have not been found in the upper Lowville here. The top of the Little Falls Dolomite presumably forms the quarry floor.
The Watertown Limestone is highly burrow-reworked, black chert-bearing and fossiliferous. The fauna is diverse but hard to collect. Corals are common as well as brachiopods and mollusks.
The contact with the Kings Falls Limestone is exposed in a quarry southwest of Newport (Kay, 1953), but not here.

A9: PALEONTOLOGY OF THE LOWER TRENTON GROUP OF CENTRAL NEW YORK STATE
Robert Titus
Hartwick College
The lower Trenton Group contains a broad spectrum of carbonate environments ranging from shallow nearshore to relatively deep offshore facies. Well preserved, diverse and abundant fossil assemblages are found at all stratigraphic levels. Many good, easily accessable outcrops are available for field demonstrations of principles of fossil community analysis and marine paleoecology. These outcrops extend from Canajoharie to Watertown and beyond into Ontario. However most of the major facies can be visited within a short belt extending from Little Falls to Middleville. This field guide will focus on this area.

STOP 1. Exposure of the Dolgeville Facies
Outcrop along the road is an exposure of the Dolgeville Facies and contains remains of the Triarthrus Community. In the summer and early fall this outcrop is likely to be well grown over but in the spring it is an excellent exposure. The best fossil collecting is on thin brown shales where ostracodes are very abundant. Fissile black shales often yield abundant remains of Triarthrus, other trilobites and brachiopods. Also present at this outcrop are folds in the strata produced while the sediment was still soft. Above the thruway overpass is an excellent exposure of the Dolgeville Facies. Unfortunately the State Troopers will throw you off of this outcrop if they see you.

Side trip A: Abandoned Quarry
Side trip A: We will not visit the quarry on this field trip because at this time of the year the quarry is badly overgrown and very difficult to get into. However, in the spring this is a good exposure of the lower Kings Falls Limestone. The quarry contains abundant remains of the Liospira Community.

Side trip B: Denley Limestone and Sugar River Limestone
Side trip B: Upstream are good exposures of the Poland Member of the Denley Limestone which contain very sparce remains of the Geisonoceras Community in generally baren calcisiltites. Downstream are good exposures of the Sugar River Limestone containing abundant remains of the Trematis Community.

STOP 2. Quarry with Lowville Limestone
This is a larger quarry than at first appearance. Around toward the back of it is a good exposure of the Lowville Limestone. About 17 feet of this formation is exposed. Lying unconformably upon this unit is the Kings Falls Limestone. The lower beds are very shelly but overlying strata become finer grained. The lower five feet contain elements of the Triplesia Community (Schizocrinus, Streptolasma and a great abundance of Sowerbyella). Overlying these beds are strata containing typical Liospira Community faunas. A bentonite lies a few feet above the base of the Kings Falls Limestone. Towards the back of the quarry there is the waterfall of an intermittent stream. Following this stream bed one can see discontinuous exposure of nearly the whole Trenton Group. Beds containing assemblages from the Encrinurus, Trematis and Geisonoceras communities are exposed here.

STOP 3. Exposure of the Kings Falls and Sugar River Limestones.
This road outcrop shows an exposure of the Kings Falls and Sugar River Limestones. The lower 10 feet contain remains of the Liospira Community. The next 20 feet contain assemblages from the Encrinurus Community and the uppermost beds contain Trematis Community faunas. Just above the road outcrop Maltanner Creek crosses the road. Stream outcrops expose a complete section of the Trenton Group from its base to the lower most Denley Limestone. This section is of historical interest because it was intensely studied by James Hall in the early 1840's. Probably 50 or more species were originally described from this outcrop. Unfortunately while this land is not posted the owner is apt to throw people off of his property.

STOP 4. Shedd Brook - Kings Falls Limestone to the Denley Limestone.
This is Shedd Brook which shows an exposure ranging from the upper Kings Falls Limestone to the Denley Limestone. Strata containing assemblages from the Encrinurus, Trematis and Geisonoceras communities are exposed. Of greatest interest are the beds just below the parking lot. These contain a great abundance of nautiloids most of which are of the genus Geisonoceras. These beds represent assemblages of the Geisonoceras Community. Also present are Endoceras, and Trocholites in moderate abundances.

A10: THE STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE SOUTHEASTERN ADIRONDACKS
James McLelland
Colgate University
The southeastern Adirondacks are herein defined as the topographic highlands (overwhelmingly Precambrian) that lie within a compartment whose corners are situated at: Speculator, Gloversville, Saratoga Springs, and Glens Falls (see f1g. 3). The southeastern Adirondacks are part of a regional geologic framework that underlies the map area shown in fig. 1. The lithology and structure of this region is shown in figs. 3 and 4. The purpose of this trip is to show as many examples of this area's representative lithology and structure as time permits.

Cross the Sacandaga River.
For the next 3.5 miles all exposures have been within the Sacandaga Fm. The large hills immediately to the south are underlain by vertically dipping paragneisses and metagabbros situated on the hinge line of the Canada Lake Nappe. Note the southerly dips of the Sacandaga Fm.; these define the southern limb of the Piseco Anticline.

Leaving Sacandaga Fm.
Leaving Sacandaga Fm.; enter quartzo-feldspathic gneisses "a" of the Piseco Anticline. For the next 4 miles all exposures lie within these gneisses.

STOP 1. Pumpkin Hollow.
Large road cuts on the east side of Rt. 30 expose excellent examples of the Sacandaga Fm. At the northern end of the outcrop typical two pyroxene-plagioclase granulites can be seen. The central part of the outcrop contains good light colored sillimanite-garnet-microcline-quartz gneisses (leucogneisses). Although the weathered surface of these rocks are often dark due to staining, fresh samples display the typical light color of the Sacandaga Fm. The characteristic excellent layering of the Sacandaga Fn. is clearly developed. Note the strong flattening parallel to layering.
Towards the southern end of the outcrop calc-silicates and marbles make their entrance into the section. At one fresh surface a thin layer of diopsidic marble is exposed. NO HAMMERING, PLEASE. Many "punky" weathering layers in the outcrop contain calc-silicates and carbonates.
At the far southern end of the road cut there exists an exposure. Here there is exposed the contact between the quartzo-feldspathic "a" gneisses of the Piseco Anticline and the overlying Sacandaga Fm. The hills to the south are composed of homogeneous quartzo-feldspathic type "a" gneisses coring the Piseco Anticline (note how ruggedly this massive unit weathers). The Sacandaga Fm. at Stop 1 has a northerly dip off the northern flank of the Piseco Anticline and begins its descent into the southern limb of the Glens Falls Syncline. No angular discordance or metamorphosed soil profile can be discerned at the base of the Sacandaga Fm. However, this does not preclude the prior existence of an angular discordance. Intense deformation often erases all traces of earlier angular discordance (Balk 1936).
Along most of the road cut there can be found excellent examples of faults and associated pegmatite veins. Note that the drag on several of the faults gives conflicting senses of displacement. The cause of this is not known to the author. Also note the drag folds which indicate tectonic transport towards the hinge line of the Piseco Anticline.

Entrance to Sacandaga Public Campsite.
On the north side of the road are quartzo-feldspathic gneisses and calc-silicates. These are probably within the Lower Lake Durant Fm. Anorthositic and gabbroic rocks have intruded here and locally steep dips may be related to this.

Silver Bells Ski are to east.
The slopes of the ski hill are composed of excellent gabbroic anorthosite and anorthositic gabbro. These appear to be intrusive into the Upper Marble Fm. These intrusives may be related to the Speculator Mt. anorthosite sheet and can be traced eastward into anorthositic rocks of the Tenantville Complex which is exposed in the region near Tenantville in the large saddle of the Piseco Anticline several miles to the east.
The town of Wells in underlain by Lower Paleozoic sediments which have been down dropped by a set of steep N20E faults that result in a local dome and graben complex. The mapped offset of PreCambrian stratigraphy across these faults indicates that, if the displacement vectors were vertical, the throw is of the order of 3500 ft.

We are now near the hinge line of the Glens Falls Syncline.

To the west are charnockitic gneisses assigned to the Blue Mt. Fm.
To the west are charnockitic gneisses assigned to the Blue Mt. Fm. Note the southerly dips as we are located here on the north flank of the Glens Falls Syncline.

Garnetiferous leucogneisses of the Upper Marble Fm
Beginning at the intersection are good exposures of garnetiferous leucogneisses of the Upper Marble Fm. Lithologically these are similar to the leucogneisses seen in the Sacandaga Fm. at Stop 1, however, they lack the good layering that characterizes the Sacandaga.
At the junction itself there are good exposures of fault breccia associated with one of the NNE faults responsible for the Paleozoic inlier at Wells.
For the next mile the highway passes just above the contact of the metastratified sequences and anorthositic rocks of the Oregon Dome. These anorthosites form the large hills across the stream valley to the northeast.

Leaving the Upper Marble Fm.
On the north side of the highway are cuts through garnetiferous amphibolite, calc-silicates, marbles, and quartzites of this unit.

Small outcrop of quartzo-feldspathic gneiss in the Lake Durant Formation.

STOP 2. One half mile south of southern intersection of old Rt. 30 with new Rt. 30.
On the west side of the road small road cut exposes a splendid example of Adirondack anorthositic gneisses that are intermediate in character between the so-called Marcy type (uncrushed) and the Whiteface type (crushed). About 50% of the rock consists of partially crushed crystals of andesine plagioclase. Some of these crystals appear to have measured from 6-8" prior to cataclasis. Excellent moonstone sheen can be seen in most crystals. In places ophitic to subophitic texture has been preserved with the mafic phase being represented by orthopyroxene.
In addition to the coarse grained anorthosite there exists a fine grained phase and a clearly crosscutting set of late orthopyroxene rich dikes. The latter may represent a late mafic differentiate related to cotetic liquids responsible for the ophitic intracrystalline rest magma. This would be consistent with the iron enrichment trend characteristic of Adirondack igneous differentiation. The fine grained phase may have intruded early in the sequence, but this is uncertain.
Near road level there can be found several inclusions of calcsilicate within the anorthositic rocks. These are believed to have been derived from the Lower Marble Fm. and are consistent with a non-basement status for the anorthosite.
The upper, weathered surface of the outcrop affords the best vantage point for studying the textures and mineralogy of the anorthositic rocks. In several places there can be seen excellent examples of garnet coronas of the type that are common throughout Adirondack anorthosites. These coronas are characterized by garnet rims developed around iron-titanium oxides and pryoxenes. Recently McLelland Whitney (1977) have succeeded in describing the development of these coronas according to the following generalized reaction:
Orthopyroxene + Plagioclase + Fe-bearing oxide + quartz + garnet + clinopyroxene
This reaction is similar to one proposed by de Waard (1965) but includes Fe-oxide and quartz as necessary reactant phases. The products are typomorphic of the garnet-clinopyroxene subfacies of the granulite facies (de Waard 1965). The application of various geothermometers to the phases present suggests that the P, T conditions of metamorphism were approximately 8 Kb and 650-700° C respectively.

Long road through the lower portion of the Lake Durant Fm.
Long road cuts parallel to strike through the lower portion of the Lake Durant Fm. These are characteristically composed of well layered pink quartzo-feldspathic gneisses, thin amphibolites, and calc-silicates. The quartzo-feldspathic lithologies are dominant and become increasingly so proceeding up from the basal units. At this locality the increase in quartzo-feldspathic material is accompanied by the development of K-feldspar megacrysts.

On west side of road are extensive cuts in the Upper Marble Fm.
On west side of road are extensive cuts in the Upper Marble Fm. Quartzite, calc-silicate, and sillimanite-garnet-quartz-feldspar leucogneisses are especially well developed here. Some marble and charnockite are present. The large hills to the southeast consist of anorthositic gneisses in the Oregon Dome. The rocks exposed along the highway dip off the dome.

STOP 3. 3.3 miles east of Speculator, New York.
The Upper Marble Fm. is exposed in road cuts on both sides of the highway. These exposures show typical examples of the extreme ductility of the carbonate rich units. The south wall of the road cut is particularly striking, for here relatively brittle layers of garnetiferous amphibolite have been intensely boudinaged and broken. The marbles, on the other hand, have yielded plastically and flowed with ease during the deformation. As a result the marble-amphibolite relationships are similar to those that would be expected between magma and country rock. Numerous rotated, angular blocks of amphibolite are scattered throughout the marble in the fashion of xenoliths in igneous intrusions. At the eastern end of the outcrop tight isoclinal folds of amphibolite and metapelitic gneisses have been broken apart and rotated. The isolated fold noses that remain "floating" in the marbles have been aptly termed "tectonic fish." Features such as those seen within this road cut have led this writer to question the appropriateness of assigning an unconformity to the base of the Lower Marble Fm. Tectonic phenomena in rocks of high viscosity contrast can account for the fact that the marbles are able to come into contact with a variety of lithologies. A variety of interesting lithologies are present in this road cut. The marble itself contains diopside (now serpentinized), tourmaline, graphite, chondrodite, phlogopite, and a variety of pyrites. Interesting reaction rims, or selvages, exist between the marbles and quartz rich boudins. Presumably these selvages reflect the influence of compositional gradients during metamorphism.
Most of the amphibolites in the outcrop are highly garnetiferous and some layers appear to contain 60-70% garnet. The garnets are almandine rich and are similar to those at Gore Mt. However, it is not known whether these amphibolites represent metamorphosed sedimentary or igneous rocks. Note that a number of the garnets are separated from surrounding hornblende by narrow light colored rims. These consist of calcic plagioclase and orthopyroxene and represent products of the reaction:
Garnet + Hornblende = Orthopyroxene + Calcic Plagioclase + Water
This reaction is characteristic of the granulite facies wherein the association garnet plus hornblende is unstable (de Waard 1965).
Also present in the outcrop are various layers rich in calcsilicates. One of these contains coarse, pale diopside crystals several inches across. Others consist almost entirely of green diopside. Tremolite has also been found in some layers. Rusty weathering, metapelitic units are rich in graphite, calc-silicates, and pyrite. Grossularite, scapolite, and wollastonite, and sphene have been recognized in thin section.
Near the west end of the outcrop a deformed layer of charnockite is well exposed. In other places the charnockite-marble interlayering occurs on the scale of one to two inches.
Exposed at several places in the road cut are striking, cross-cutting veins of tourmaline and quartz displaying a symplectic type of intergrowth. Other veins include hornblende and sphene bearing pegmatites.
Commonly included in the Upper Marble, but not exposed here, are quartzites, kinzigites; sillimanite rich, garnetiferous, quartz-microcline gneisses; and fine grained garnetiferous leucogneisses identical to those characterizing the Sacandaga Fm. These lithologies may be seen in road cuts .5 mile to the south.
Almost certainly these marbles are of inorganic origin. No calcium carbonate secreting organisms appear to have existed during the time in which these carbonates were deposited (1.1 b.y. ago). Presumably the graphite represents remains of stromatolite-like binding algae that operated in shallow water, intertidal zones. If so, the other road cut lithologies formed in this environment as well. This seems reasonable enough for the clearly metasedimentary units such as the quartzites and kinzigites. The shallow water environment is much more interesting when applied to the charnockitic and amphibolite layers. The fine scale layering, and ubiquitous conformity of these, strongly suggests that they do not have an intrusive origin. Perhaps they represent the metamorphosed products of volcanic material in a shelf like environment. Such intercalation is now occurring in many island arc areas where shallow water sediments cover, and in turn are covered by, ash and lava. Alternatively they may represent metasediments.

For the next 14 miles exposures are limited.
For the most part, however, we shall be passing through the quartzo-feldspathic gneisses "a" that cover the Piseco Anticline.

STOP 4. Hinge line of Piseco Anticline
Hinge line of Piseco Anticline near domical culmination at Piseco Lake. The rocks here are typical quartzo-feldspathic gneisses "a" such as occur in the Piseco Anticline and in other large anticlinal structures, e.g. Snowy Mt. Dome, Oregon Dome.
The pink "granitic" gneisses of the Piseco Anticline do not exhibit marked lithologic variation. Locally grain size is variable and in places megacrysts of K-feldspar may be seen. In the present outcrop these megacrysts appear to have been largely granulated and only a few small remnants of cores are seen. The open folds at this locaity are minor folds of the F2 event. Their axes trend N70W and plunge 10-150 SE parallel to the Piseco Anticline.
The most striking aspect of the gneisses in the Piseco Anticline is their well developed lineation. This is expressed by rod, or pencil-like structures. Often these consist of alternating ribbons of quartzite, quartzo-feldspathic gneiss, and biotite rich layers. In many instances these ribbons represent transposed layering on the highly attenuated limbs of F1 minor folds. Near the northeast end of the road cut such F1 minor folds are highly visible because the presence of quartzites in the stratigraphy enhances their visibility. Slabbed and polished specimens from this and similar outcrops demonstrates that these F1 folds are exceedingly common in the Piseco Anticline. Examination of these F1 folds shows that the dominant foliation in the rock is axial planar to them. Similarly, layer transposition is related to flattening parallel to the axial planes of F1 folds. The intersection of F1 axial plane foliation and earlier compositional surfaces helps to define the strong lineation in the outcrop. In addition to this a number of rod-like lineations are probably the hinge line regions of F1 minor folds which are difficult to recognize because of apparent lithologic homogeneity. Lineation in the outcrop is further intensified by the fact the upright and relatively open F2 folds are coaxial with F1. Thus the intersection of the F1 and F2 axial planar foliations results in a lineation parallel to the two fold axes. Moreover, F2 minor folds are often of the crenulatlon variety and their sharp hinge lines define a marked lineation in the F1 foliation.
As described above, a number of parallel elements combine to produce an extremely strong lineation in the Piseco Anticline. Past observers have sometimes remarked that the lineation appears to be the result of stretching parallel to the long axis of the Piseco Dome. However, the lineation is probably unrelated to "stretching" and is more realistically explained as an intersection lineation of S0, S1, and S2 elements . Moreover, the intensity of the lineation is more the result of the early F1 recumbent folding and flattening than it is of the later, coaxial F2 Piseco Anticline.

Red stained quartzo-feldspathic gneisses
On both sides of Rt. 10 are red stained quartzo-feldspathic gneisses "a" that have been cataclastized by a large N20E fault zone. For the next 5.5 miles we shall pass through a number of road-curves as Rt. 10 makes its way through the core rocks on the south limb of the Piseco Anticline.

Cross into the Sacandaga Fm.

Parking area on east side of highway.
The rocks here are quartzo-feldspathic gneisses believed to be part of the Sacandaga Fm.

STOP 5. Shaker Place.
The northernmost road cut consists of a variety of metasedimentary rocks. These lie directly above the Piseco Anticline and are believed to be stratigraphically equivalent to the Sacandaga Formation. The outcrop displays at least two phases of folding and their related fabric elements. Thsse are believed to be F1 and F2. Both axial plane foliations are well developed here. Several examples of folded F1 closures are present and F1 foliations (parallel to layering) can be seen being folded about upright F2 axial planes.
Further to the south, and overlooking a bend in the west branch of the Sacandaga River, there occurs a long road cut consisting principally of pink and light green quartzo-feldspathic gneisses. About half-way down this road cut there occurs a very large and impressive boudin of amphibolite and diopsidic gneiss. To the north of this boudin the quartzo-feldspathic gneisses are pervasively intruded by anorthositic gabbros, gabbroic anorthosites, and various other related igneous varieties. At the north end of the cut and prior to the metastratified sequences these intrusives can be seen folded by upright F2 axes. They are crosscut by quartzo-feldspathic material.
Three important conclusions emerge from study of this outcrop. The first is that the anorthositic suite is intrusive into rocks at, and above, the stratigraphic level of the Lower Marble or Sacandaga Fm. In the second place, while the anorthosltic rocks are clearly involved in F2 folding, they do not show, and in fact transect, F1 foliation. Thirdly, the quartzo-feldspathic rocks intruded by the anorthosites appear to have undergone substantial anatexis in the vicinity of the intrusion. This is suggested by the cross-cutting quartzo-feldspatbic material and by the overall appearance of the gneisses along the road cut.

Excellent examples of anorthositic gabbros
Road cut on west side of highway shows excellent examples of anorthositic gabbros intrusive into layered pink and light green quartzo-feldspathic gneisses. The presence of pegmatites and cross-cutting granitic veins is attributed to anatexis of the quartzo-feldspathic gneisses by the anorthositic rocks.

Fine grained metagabbro on west side Rt. 10.

Excellent road cut in coarse anorthositic gabbro.
Excellent road cut in coarse anorthositic gabbro. Ophitic to subophitic texture well preserved. Garnets are sporadically developed and tend to be associated with coarse gabbroic pegmatites showing mineral growth perpendicular to contacts. Compositional layering may be primary.

Small cut in megacrystic granitic gneiss on east side of highway.

Begin half-mile of road cuts
Begin half-mile of road cuts exhibiting intrusion of quartzo-feldspathic gneisses by members of the anorthositic gabbro suite, several phases of which appear to be present and in cross-cutting relationships. Source metasedimentary areas may be xenoliths. Pods of megacrystic gneiss may be anatectic in origin.

Kennels Pond -Avery's Fishing Site

Lake Catherine to east of highway
Lake Catherine to east of highway; metasediments intruded by anorthositic gabbros in road cut on west.

Steeply dipping kinzigites with white, anatectic layers.

Anorthositic gabbros intrusive into kinzigites
On west side of highway at sharp bend are excellent examples of anorthositic gabbros intrusive into kinzigites. The gabbroic rock transect the principal foliation (Fl) and are folded by upright folds of the F2 event.

Extremely garnetiferous kinzigites.
Extremely garnetiferous kinzigites. Here the rocks dip gently to the north due to the presence of a mesoscopic F2 synform.

Kinzigite in Rooster Hill Fm.

STOP 6. North end of Stoner Lake.
Type locality of Rooster Hill Fm. The Rooster Hill Formation is characteristic of a wide spread lithology throughout the Adirondacks. Its most characteristic feature is the presence of striking 1-4" megacrysts of K-feldspar. These are almost always flattened within the plane of foliation. Nonetheless, a number of these megacrysts preserve evidence of approximately euhedral crystal outline.
Compositionally the Rooster Hill megacrystic gneisses consist of orthopyroxene, garnet, hornblende. biotite, perthitic microcline, some plagioclase (oligoclase), and quartz. An igneous analogue would be quartz monzonite.
The parentage of the Rooster Hill megacrystic gneisses is obscure. It is not known Whether the megacrysts are phenocrysts or porphyroblasts. The fact these lithologies are conformable with the enclosing stratigraphy over broad areas is consistent with a metastratified origin but does not rule out intrusion as sills. The lack of substantial banding across units thousands of feet thick is less consistent with a metasedimentary origin than with an igneous one. However, the problem remains unresolved and requires further research.
Regardless of parentage, the Rooster Hill Fm. appears to correlate with the Lake Durant.

Contact of Rooster Hill and Peck Lake Fms.
Crossing contact of Rooster Hill Fm. and kinzigites of the Peck Lake Fm. Near the contact the Rooster Hill megacrystic gneisses become equigranular. This is probably due to cataclasis.

Kinzigites in the Peck Lake Fm.

Small road cut of kinzigite.

Canada Lake Store and Post Office
Canada Lake Store and Post Office. Ledges on north side of highway consist of pyroxene-quartz-plagioclase gneisses (enderbites) assigned to Royal Mt. member of the Green Lake Fm. Scarce amphibolite layers are boudinaged, and near east end of the outcrop amphibolite pods have been broken and rotated by intrusive material. This material is of the same pyroxene-quartz-plagioclase composition as the enderbite and grades into it.

Crossing Green Lake on Rt. 10-29A.
At east end of bridge and in woods are exposures of quartzites and leucogneisses of the Green Lake Fm.

Cross contact into charnockites of the Canada Lake Fm.
Cross contact into charnockites of the Canada Lake Fm. These form large road cuts along the highway.

Stop 7. Irving Pond Fm. in the Core of the Canada Lake Nappe.
The units to be examined occur along the east side of the road.
The Irving Pond Fm. consists of some 2500' of quartzite and less abundant quartzo-feldspathic gneisses and calc-silicates. It has been folded back on itself in the core of the nappe, and its apparent thickness is therefore doubled. At this particular locality we will examine the Irving Pond near its lower contact with the Canada Lake Fm. In the outer 100-200' near this contact the Irving Pond becomes "dirty" and clean massive quartzites give way to garnetiferous biotite-quartz-feldspar gneisses (kinzigites). Both of these lithologies are well developed at this locality. Also present near the contact is an excellent set of F1 minor folds showing axial plane foliation. These folds do not appear to fold an earlier tectonic foliation. Their axes parallel the Canada Lake Nappe.

Royal Mt. Member of the Green Lake Fm.
Enderbites and related gneisses of the Royal Mt. Member of the Green Lake Fm. The repetition of stratigraphy from the Canada Lake Store is due to recumbent, isoclinal folding about the Canada Lake Nappe.

Stop 8 -The Peck Lake Formation.
Road cut of garnetiferous quartz-biotite-oligoclase gneiss with minor amphibolite and calc-silicate bands. These gneisses are the dominant lithology of the Peck Lake formation which is exposed here on the south limb of the F1 fold. Needles of sillimanite can be seen in some specimens. White porphyroblasts are K-feldspars and pods of white quartzo-feldspathic material are probably anatectic .
In a little overhang near ground level there is an F2 minor fold with an axial trend of N50W. plunging 15 SE. Axial plane cleavage and lineation cut across the compositional layering and earlier foliation of this fold. It appears that such folding and cleavage are prevalent throughout outcrops of Peck Lake gneiss. Often these features are obscured by poorly developed compositional banding. Polishing and staining reveal both folds and cleavage in many specimens and. therefore, suggest that their abundance vastly exceeds their recognition.
The entire outcrop is a "large minor" fold. Note the change of dip from one end to the other. The accompanying equal area plot is for poles of foliation in this road cut and in outcrops directly NE of the road.
The lithologies and structures represented in this cut are typical of the Peck Lake formation. It is the structural complexities that make the Peck Lake formation difficult to work with and subdivide. It is, by far, the least competent unit in the sequence.

A11: MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY OF THE NEWCOMB AND SANFORD LAKE AREA
BY
M. Ira Dubins
Department of Earth Science
State University College at Oneonta, New York
For many years the titaniferous magnetite ores of the Lake Sanford District constituted the largest source of titanium in the world. Today these deposits still rank among the world's greatest operative titanium ores. They are located within the Marcy metanorthosite massif. Within the field trip area adjoining metamorphosed rocks, especially the Grenville marble, provide interesting and diversified contrasts in mineral content and pose challenging problems as to formation and origin.

STOP 1. Tahawus NL Industries
The trip from Oneonta will take about 4 hours and 15 minutes. We will meet at the mine at 11:00 a.m. Our leader for this part of the field trip will be Stanford O. Gross of NL Industries, resident Geologist and Mining Engineer. We will be here until 1:00 p.m. You will have an opportunity to collect at the Mineral Collecting Area until about 1:30 p.m.

STOP 2.
Marble outcrops on east side of parking lot; massive, grayish-white calcitic; portions stained a light yellow-brown; Present are, graphite, calcite, and in small grains pyrrhotite, garnet, and sphene.

STOP 3.
Well rounded boulders, cobbles, and pebbles of metanorthosite, gneisses, and other rocks in the area occur in this fiuvioglacial deposit along with sand.

On both sides of the highway are large outcrops or amphibolite weathered a deep brown. A fresh surface is medium-grained grayish-brown with nodules of hornblende scattered throughout the medium-grained material. Some of the amphibolite has a pinkish tint when there is more garnet present. Also present are biotite, garnet, plagioclase feldspar, and quartz. Some of the amphibolite nodules have been elongated producing a gneissic appearance. Some of the amphibolite has been intruded by numerous dolomite veins less than 2mm wide.

STOP 5. Parking area on right.
Sign reads Trail to Irishtown via Minerva Stream and Lester Dam. On both sides of road extensive outcrops of garnetiferous gneiss. Occasional magnetite present with some hornblende and pyroxene. Some gabbro is also present in which magnetite and ilmenite are abundant.

STOP 6. On left is garnetiferous gneiss with some magnetite.

On left gabbro with garnet, pyroxene, very small amounts of magnetite and ilmenite with plagioclase feldspar as metacrysts. Gabbro is lighter than stop 5 occurrence.

Metanorthosite outcrops, weathered and fresh medium-grained; weathered metanorthosite is white and fresh surface is dark gray.

On left outcrop of coarse-grained metanorthosite. Phenocrysts are much larger than in previous outcrop.

B7: KARST GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE COBLESKILL AREA, SCHOHARIE COUNTY, N.Y.
John E. Mylroie
Murray State University
Murray, Ky.
Arthur N. Palmer
State University College
Oneonta, N. Y.
The term "karst" refers to a landscape that has evolved primarily by the solutional weathering of bedrock. Karst landscapes, dominated by features such as sinkholes, caves, and cave springs, are most commonly found where calcareous rocks, particularly limestone, comprise a large percentage of the surface.
The Cobleskill area of east-central New York State (Figure 1) is a portion of the Helderberg Plateau, the very northeastern tip of the Appalachian Plateaus geomorphic province. This area contains limestones of Helderbergian (Lower Devonian) age, dipping 1-2 degrees to the south-southwest. Northeast of the village of Cobleskill (Figure 2). tributaries of the north-flowing Schoharie Creek have entrenched through the limestones, providing paths for ground water flow sufficient for caves and other karst features to have developed to an extent seen nowhere else in the Northeast. Recent works by Kasteing (1975), Baker (1976), M. V. Palmer (1976) and Mylroie (1977) have provided a detailed geomorphic and hydrologic examination of the karst in this area. To the layman, the area is known chiefly as the location of Howe Caverns, which is part of the largest underground drainage system in the state.
The stratigraphy of the region is shown in Table 1. A thick sequence of Ordovician clastic rocks are overlain by a thin Upper Silurian section consisting of the Brayman Shale, Cobleskill Limestone, and the lower beds of the Rondout Dolomite. The Silurian-Devonian boundary is transitional within the Rondout Dolomite in this locality (Rickard, 1915). The Helderberg Group of early Devonian age consists of the upper beds at the Rondout Dolomite and the Manlius, Coeymans, Kalkberg, New Scotland and Becraft Limestones. All the limestones except the New Scotland are rather pure, with the Coeymans, Kalkberg and Becraft being exceptionally good scarp and bench formers. Overlying the Helderberg Group is the Tristates Group, a section of Lower Devonian clastic rocks grading upward to the Middle Devonian Onondaga Limestone. The Onondaga is a cherty, resistant limestone that also forms benches and scarps. It is overlain by the Middle Devonian Hamilton Group, composed primarily of clastic rocks which include the youngest bedrock units of the Cobleskill area.
Karst features are well developed on the Helderberg limestones, particularly the Manlius, Coeymans, and Becraft. Although karst features are common in the Onondaga Limestone farther east, this rock unit is not exposed over a broad enough surface in the field trip area to possess significant karst features.
A variety of Pleistocene glacial sediments overlie the bedrock in discontinuous and irregular patches, primarily in the form of till sheets and drumlins. Glacio-alluvial sands and gravels are common in the valleys, as are lacustrine clays related to glacial Lake Schoharie. (LaFleur, 1969). Holocene sediments consist mostly of reworked glacial
material and colluvial material derived from the Paleozoic rocks .
As with any geologic field trip, many of the features to be viewed are on private lands. It is important, therefore, to follow instructions exactly and to exercise a high degree of consideration and conservation at each locality. Detailed instructions are given here and in the road log as to where to go and where not to go at each stop; please obey them. <

STOP 1. Physiography of the Cobleskill area.
From this location, the general physiography of the Cobleskill Plateau can be seen. Cobleskill Creek. the major surface stream of the area, flows eastward immediately below (north of) Stop 1. Further to the north lies the gently rolling Cobleskill Plateau, comprised mainly of Helderbergian limestones, its landscape morphology controlled both by glacial and by karst processes. The regional dip is 1-2 degrees SSW. South of Stop 1, the limestones disappear beneath Middle Devonian rocks, mainly of clastic lithology. To the northwest is a prominent flat-topped hill, Barrack Zourie, which is an outlier of the Middle Devonian rocks. North of the Cobleskill Plateau lies the Mohawk lowland, developed on pre-Silurian rocks. Looking eastward along Route 7, three major structural benches can be seen on the right (south). These benches are formed on resistant limestones and are not erosional terraces. The lowest one is formed on the Coeymans Limestone, the middle one on the Becraft Limestone, and the upper one on the Onondaga Limestone. The corresponding benches to the north of Route 7, across Cobleskill Creek, are for the most part obscured by thick deposits of glacial drift.

Note drumlins to the west, resistant limestone benches to the east.

STOP 2 --Cobleskill Creek
Cobleskill Creek, seen here, is the master surface stream of the area. Glacial deposits of Wisconsinan (and possibly earlier) age have displaced the creek from its pre-glacially entrenched-valley onto the bedrock benches that form the south bank of the buried bedrock valley. Glacial till now forms the north bank, and attains thicknesses of more than 100 feet in the pre-glacial valley. Looking downstream, the post-glacial superposition of Cobleskill Creek on the Helderbergian limestones can be seen. The south-southwesterly dip of the beds may have counteracted the tendency of the creek to shift back into its original sediment-filled valley. Part of the flow of Cobleskill Creek sinks into solutional openings in the south bank, at the point where the Cobleskill Creek first crosses onto the limestones, just west of the bridge. The water resurges 6000 feet downstream where the creek swings north and leaves the limestones. During low flow, this underground diversion route is capable of accepting the entire flow of the creek, so that the channel is left dry for the next 6000 feet. This subsurface diversion of a surface river is one of the longest in the Northeastern United States.

Notice drumlins ahead and
to left.

STOP 3 --Doc Shaul's Spring
To the south of the intersection is Doc Shaul's Spring, a large artesian karst spring (Figure 5). This spring is located directly above the glacially buried northern bedrock bank of the pre-glacial Cobleskill valley and drains solution conduits in the Rondout, Manlius, and Coeymans Formations. When the bedrock valley was filled with glacial sediment, a resurgence located in the valley wall at this locality was buried. In response, the underground water piped a conduit upward through the glacial sediment to the surface following the retreat of the east glacial ice sheet. This artesian spring, with a peak discharge of more than 40 cfs, is one of the largest karst springs in the Northeast. It drains several square miles of the Cobleskill Plateau to the north, including the areas seen at stops 4 and 5 (see Figure 4). The elongate hill south of the spring is a drumlin lying along the axis of the buried pre-glacial valley of Cobleskill Creek. To the north of the spring is a steep hillside formed by the till-covered Becraft and Onondaga structural benches. No bedrock outcrop is known within a radius of more than 1500 feet in any direction from the spring.

STOP 4. Limestone pavements.
Along the east and west side of the road at this location are exposed bedrock surfaces developed along bedding planes in the Becraft Limestone. Bare surfaces of this type are called limestone pavements. In jointed limestones, such as those seen here, the joints become solutionally enlarged by infiltrating water to form fissures called grikes. Where the grikes intersect to form a checkerboard pattern, the blocks of limestone bounded by the grikes are called clints (Sweeting, 1973). In thick-bedded rocks such as these, the Joints (and therefore the grikes) tend to be widely spaced (about 3 to 30 feet apart) I and the resulting clints are large and are stable with respect to mechanical weathering. In a thin-bedded limestone, such as the Manlius, the joints and grikes are very closely spaced (about 3 inches to 3 feet apart), resulting in small, unstable clints that are easily rotated by mechanical weathering to form a chaotic, unstable surface. Rainfall on a large area of limestone pavement insurges in a diffuse manner along the grikes, so that no surface streams can form. Also note the relative resistance of the Becraft fossils to weathering.

Pass Runkle Cave --its resurgence can be seen across the field to the left (west)

STOP 5 --McFail's Hole area: groundwater insurgences, sinkholes, pits.
Follow the field road from the highway down and around the farmer's field and follow the path into the woodlot below. The features seen here are confluent groundwater insurgences that contribute water to Doc Shaul's Spring (Stop 3). Most of them are vertical shafts formed by the solutional enlargement of joints in the upper formations of the Helderberg Group (Figure 6). They are named for some of the original explorers who descended the pits in search of caves.
A large number of insurgences are closely clustered in this area. This clustering is caused by two phenomena:
a) The area is a window of limestone in the surrounding clastic and glacial cover. Limestone is exposed to solutional processes from water draining off the surrounding impermeable uplands. The streams flow radially into the area and sink in a number of separate insurgences that all unite in the subsurface along a single drainage path.
b) The large amount of recharge available from the impermeable catchment area, plus the large sediment load carried in from that area, has blocked many of the insurgences, causing the formation of overflow routes to secondary insurgences, which further increases the complexity of the insurgence pattern.
Note: Permission to enter this property must be obtained from the National Speleological Society, 1 Cave Avenue, Huntsville, Alabama 35810. Visitors must be accompanied by a local member of the N.S.S.
Referring to Figure 7. locate and examine each of the features discussed below.
1. Wick's Hole - a large, occluded insurgence receiving the combined flow of three intermittent streams that unite here. The bedrock exposed in the walls of the sinkhole is the Kalkberg Limestone. Note the washed-in vegetal matter and sediment, and the overflow route to the south.
2. McFail's Hole - a large pit insurgence formed by solutionally enlarged joints (Figure 6). It overlies directly the cave passage that drains this area. Formerly 90 feet deep, its lower 30 feet has become blocked in recent years by collapse material. The upper lip of the pit is in the Kalkberg Limestone, and the main part of the shaft is in the Coeymans Limestone.
3. Ack's Shaft - a pit insurgence 80 feet deep. It is narrower than nearby McFail's Hole, although it receives about the same flow of water. The water that utilizes this pit enters a small insurgence 200 feet to the northwest and flows to Ack's Shack through a shallow solution conduit about 10 feet below the surface. The water enters the wall of the pit near the top and descends to a narrow cave passage below. The top of the pit is an intersection feature, caused by the collapse of the 10 feet of rock directly over the pit. The upper part of the pit is formed in the Kalkberg Limestone, the lower part in the Coeymans and upper Manlius Limestones.
4. Cave Disappointment - a pit insurgence similar to McFall's Hole, fed by a perennial surface stream. This pit leads to a series of adjacent shafts, fissures, and low cave passages. The pit connects by way of these tributary routes to nearby Hanor's Cave. The pit is formed in the Kalkberg and Coeymans Limestones.
5. Hanor's Cave - an overflow pit insurgence for floodwater overflowing from Wick's Hole. Hanor's Cave transmits this water to Cave Disappointment. The cave, developed in the Kalkberg and Coeymans Limestones, fills to the ceiling with water during floods.
6. Walking north up the stream bed that feeds Hanor's Cave, note the solutional enlargement of joints in the exposed bedrock. Continue north to Wick's Hole, then follow the path around the field to the vehicles.

STOP 6 --Howe Cave Quarry.
Stop along the road at the northeastern edge of the quarry. The Coeymans Limestone is exposed in the ditch on the west side of the road. Glacial striae can be seen on the rock surface, presently undergoing destruction by solution. Solutional denudation rates as much as a foot per 1000 years are common in karst areas (Sweeting, 1973). Cross the ditch (to the west) and climb to the top of the dirt ridge but no farther, and look down into the quarry. The quarry floor is located within the lower Manlius Limestone, and the quarry walls are formed by the middle and upper Manlius Limestone and the Coeymans Limestone. Note the thin bedding of the Manlius, compared to the thick bedding of the overlying Coeymans. On the far west wall of the quarry is a low-angle reverse fault (dipping 14 degrees south, striking N750W) with approximately 1.5 feet of displacement (Figure 8). It is subsidiary to a larger bedding-plane thrust located below the quarry floors, best seen within the natural-cement mine located beneath the quarry, which contains large gash veins of strontium and barium minerals (40 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 8 feet high) associated with the faulting. Many of the joints near the top of the quarry wall are solutionally enlarged but become narrower with depth. The Howe Caverns master cave once crossed the area now occupied by the quarry, from west-northwest to east-southeast, but has been truncated by the quarrying operations. The western section of the cave extends through the salient of limestone that juts into the quarry from the west wall. The actual cave opening, located along the northeast wall of this salient, is obscured by quarry debris, as is the corresponding opening in the eastern wall of the quarry. A drainage tunnel has been dug into the cave from the south side of the salient, draining the cave water across the quarry floor to an artificial shaft in the middle of the quarry, which carries the water into the cement mine below.

STOP 7 Gravity springs and openings to cement mine.
Park just west of the small bridge over the stream. At the bridge, look upstream at two grated openings, one rectangular and the other rounded in cross section. (Do not attempt to enter any of the features described in this stop; view from shoulder of road only.) This is the resurgence point for the water in Howe Caverns that was seen to flow across the quarry floor at Stop 6. These openings apparently represent the original, natural solutional resurgence for Howe Caverns, now altered by mining. The bedrock ledges exposed are the Rondout Dolomite, which has been mined as a "natural cement" (Cook, 1906). The Rondout contains the Silurian-Devonian boundary in this part of New York State (Rickard, 1975). Proceding downhill (west), two more rectangular openings are seen. These also are openings to a cement mine in the Rondout. Farther downhill, the small ledge of thick-bedded rock is the type section of the Cobleskill Limestone. About 9 feet of Cobleskill Limestone occurs here, overlain by the Rondout Dolomite and underlain by the Brayman Shale.
Farther down the road on the north side is a small resurgence, Nameless Spring, a gravity spring in the Cobleskill Limestone (Figure 9). This spring has been dammed as a water supply. The small erosional re-entrant in the valley wall where the spring emerges is called a spring alcove. Immediately west of Nameless Spring is Nameless Spring Cave, an overflow spring for Nameless Spring. This cave is developed at the Rondout/Cobleskill contact and carries water only in flood times. Because of the larger spring alcove at the cave, it is possible that Nameless Spring is a fairly recent tapoff from Nameless Spring Cave.

STOP 8 --Howe Caverns.
Park at the Hove Caverns parking lot and enter the lodge as a group. If the party is sufficiently large, it is possible to be admitted to the cave at the half-price group rate. (Advance notice must be given in order to receive group rates.)
In the following discussion, refer to Figure 11 for locations and place names in Howe Caverns. The elevators into Howe Caverns occupy an artificial shaft to the cave. The original entrance is located immediately southeast of the quarry seen at Stop 6. The elevators descend roughly 160 feet to the cave. Howe Caverns consists of a large master cave passage flowing southeast nearly parallel to the regional strike, with water contributed by dip-oriented tributary passages that enter from the north. Leaving the elevator, an abandoned passage (the West Passage) is seen to the left through the concrete portal. Although it once drained much of the Cobleskill Plateau farther west, it no longer carries a stream. It is terminated after a few hundred feet by collapse where it approaches the wall of a surface valley. This passage apparently formed prior to the incision of the valley that now truncates it. Straight ahead from the elevators is a natural chamber with an artificial tunnel heading north from it. This tunnel connects to the rear of the Winding Way and was constructed to provide a loop passage for smoother flow of tourist traffic. The tour follows the natural cave passage to a major junction. To the left, in the floor, a stream enters and follows the main cave to the southeast. Ahead and to the left is the entrance to a long tributary passage, the Winding Way, which will be discussed in detail later. The tour follows the main passage to the right. This passage is a large conduit composed of two basic parts: a large oval tube, 20 to 30 feet wide and 15 to 20 feet high, with a deep canyon cut in its floor, 6 to 12 feet wide and 10 to 15 feet deep, formed by entrenchment of the cave stream beneath the tube level (see Figure 10). The solutional ceiling is located at the Coeymans/Manlius contact, and the cave passage is located in the Manlius Limestone. The ceiling rises above the Coeymans/Manlius contact only in areas where ceiling collapse has occurred. Note the difference between the smoothly sculptured solutional ceilings and the rough, planar ceilings produced by collapse. The cave continues downstream over a bridge and past a large collapse area to the largest chamber in the cave, known as Titan's Temple. In this chamber, evidence for each stage of the cave's origin can be seen. The passage originated as a solution conduit along the Coeymans/Manlius contact and was eventually enlarged by solution into the large tube with elliptical cross section now seen as the upper half of the main passage. At some point in the past, probably in response to a drop in the level of Cobleskill Creek, the cave stream cut downward to a lower level, forming a new passage that emerged from the upper tubular level. The upper level is terminated by sediment fill a short distance to the east of Titan's Temple. Upstream from the divergence point, the cave stream entrenched the deep canyon in the floor of the tube. At the point of divergence between the two levels, a reverse fault cuts through the cave having a dip of 14 degrees to the south-southwest. This is the same fault observed in the quarry wall at Stop 6. The cave water followed the dip of the fault plane to the south in its divergence from the upper level. The fault appears to have no further impact on the cave (Gregg, 1974).
Downstream from Titan's Temple in the lower, active level, the cave passage is generally rectangular or arched in cross-section. The rectangular areas occur where the thin-bedded and highly jointed Manlius Limestone has collapsed along bedding planes, destroying the curvilinear shape of the passage. Joints contribute small amounts of infiltrating water through the ceiling in this part of the passage, forming many stalactites aligned in rows along the joints.
A few small side passages enter this section of the cave. They are of two basic types: abandoned upper levels or loops of the main passage, and abandoned or active tributary passages. Nearly all the tributaries enter from the north, feeding water to the master cave from insurgence areas located in the up-dip direction.
The cave stream is ponded midway in the main passage, forming the "Lake of Venus" and causing alluviation of the bedrock floor. The boat ride on the lake demonstrates some of the explorational difficulties found in caves that are partially flooded. The Lake of Venus has been artificially deepened by the construction of a small dam at the end of the tourist route.
Returning along the main passage, the tour then enters the Winding Way. Although it is normally dry, water pours out of this passage into the main stream during floods. The Winding Way is a classic example of what is called a canyon passage, high and narrow with many twists and turns. As the passage is followed up-dip, the ceiling gradually ascends. The upper part meanders back and forth over the lower level of the canyon. The ceiling of the Winding Way cuts discordantly downward across the strata to merge in a graded manner with the solutional ceiling of the master cave. The discordant ceiling results from the transmission of water to the master conduit from stratigraphically higher insurgences.
The artificial tunnel branching from the Winding Way leads the tour back to the elevators. Notice the obvious difference between the solutional walls of the Winding Way and the blasted walls of the tunnel. Near its southern end, the tunnel intersects a large natural chamber. Along the east (left) wall of this room are some interesting calcite deposita (informally called "lilypads"). They mark the former water surface of a stagnant pool of water that was supersaturated with respect to calcite. Several different pool levels can be discerned, and some dogtooth spar is visible in places below the levels of the former water surfaces. Also along the east wall of this room is a solutionally enlarged fissure, 40 feet high, that extends nearly to the surface. This fissure is a source for the mud, water, collapse material, and glacial debris seen at this location. Cross the bridge, enter the elevator, and return to the surface.

B8: SEDIMENTOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF PORTIONS OF THE HAMILTON GROUP IN CENTRAL NEW YORK
Bruce Selleck
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
Richard Hall
Department of Geology
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC
The richly fossiliferous marine sedimentary rocks of the Middle Devonian Hamilton Group of Central and Western New York (fig. 1) have been the object of paleontologic, sedimentologic and stratigraphic studies for nearly 150 years. The purpose of this field trip is to introduce participants to various lithofacies and faunal assemblages which characterize the upper portion of the Hamilton Group in the area of its type section. We further hope that observation and discussion of sedimentary structures, lithologies and fossil occurrences in field exposures will illustrate the excitement and frustration inherent in paleoenvironmental interpretation.

STOP 1. Colgate Quarry
Chenango Sandstone (Upper Skaneateles Formation)
Remarks: Most of the buildings of Colgate University are constructed of the thin-to medium-bedded, fine grained Chenango sandstone (= Colgate sandstone of Cooper, 1930) exposed here. A series of nearly perpendicular vertical joints made quarrying a rather simple process.
Noteworthy feature, here are the large slump structures in the lower portion of the exposure. The fauna is largely dominated by Tropidoleptus, Mucrospirifer and numerous epifaunal and semi-infaunal bivalves. The asterozoan Devonaster has been reported, but is quite rare.

STOP 2. Briggs Road Quarry
Upper portion of Ludlowville Formation.
Height range
Lithology
Fauna
11.7' - 16.1'
Green-gray micaceous laminated siltstone with interbeds of gray calcareous shale.
Epifaunal F.F.
78%
Infaunal F.F.
3%
Infaunal D.F.
15%
Vagrant H.+C.
Turbid Int. F.F.
6.4' - 11.7'
Gray silty shale with 1-3" thick beds of laminated and rippled siltstone.
0 - 6.4'
Gray micaceous siltstone
Dominant Genera
Upper siltstone:
Ambocoelia
Spinocyrtia
Elita
Nuculoidea
|
Middle shale:
Chonetes
Lower siltstone:
Devonochonetes
Tropidoleptus
Mucrospirifer

STOP 3. Geer Road Quarry
Upper portion of Ludlowville Formation.
Remarks: This quarry provides an opportunity to observe and contrast the two types of coquinites which are characteristic of the Hamilton in this region. Approximately 2.1 feet from the base of the section a phosphate nodule-bearing coquinite is exposed. A similar bed is present at 14.2 feet. Other (storm lag ?) coquinites are scattered throughout the section, especially from 15.5 to 20 feet in the section.
Height range
Lithology
Fauna
17.0' - 23.0'
Crumbly to fissile gray shale.
Chonetes and Ambocoelia dominant
Gray silty shale with light brown laminated and rippled thin beds of siltstone
Dark gray fissile silty shale grading upward into crumbly dark gray shale.
0 - 1.9'
Dark brown silty calcareous shale.
Bivalves abundant

STOP 4. Pierceville Quarry
Ludlowville Formation.
Height range
Lithology
Fauna
Dark gray to brown shaley siltstone. Occassional rippled siltstone beds.
Various infaunal and epifaunal bivalves.
15.0'
Gray calcareous shale
<i>Spinocyrtia</i> dominant
0 - 15.0'
Crumbly to fissile dark gray shale
<i>Chonetes</i> dominant.
Remarks: Three major lithofacies/biofacies are exposed at this stop. A Chonetes-bearing dark shale, a Spinocyrtia-bearing grey shale and a bivalve-bearing siltstone. The patchy distribution of the Chonetes in the lower section of the quarry was described by Linsley, et al. (1972). Strips and patches of Chonetes on bedding surfaces were ascribed to areas of grass-covered and grass-free sediment. Coquinites with broken and abraded shells were thought to be storm lag deposits. The uppermost portion of the quarry is a siltstone with abundant bivalves. Apparently higher rates of deposition and shifting substrates precluded the domination of the sessile epifaunal articulate brachiopods.

STOP 5. East Hill Road - Georgetown
Moscow-Tully Contact.
Remarks: The silty shales and siltstones of the uppermost Moscow Formation are seen here overlain by the Upper Devonian Tully Formation. The Moscow here is dominated by large articulate brachiopods and bivalves, with numerous, well-preserved trilobites, particularly Phacops.
The contact is placed at the base of the first thin blue-grey limestone. Several thin (2-6") beds of limestone, separated by calcareous siltstone, characterize the Tully here. The Tully at this location is rather sparsely fossiliferous, with a few solitary argose corals and the colonial Favosites most prevalent. Hypothyridina, the diagnostic Upper Devonian Rhynconellid, has been reported in the Tully here, but is quite uncommon.

STOP 6. Deep Spring Road Quarry
Moscow Formation.
23' - 38'
Fissile dark gray silty shale. Occasional thin siltstone beds. Prominent coquinite at 27'
Epifaunal F.F.
Infaunal F.F.
Infaunal D.F.
Vagrant H.+C.
Turbid Int. F.F.
23'
Brown siltstone with ripple laminations and groove casts.
0 - 23'
Dark gray to light gray fissile slightly silty calcareous shale. Phosphate-bearing coquinite near base.
Dominant Genera
Upper shale:
Chonetes
Spinocyrtia
|
Middle siltstone:
Mucrospirifer
Paleoneilo
Lower shale:
Nuculoidea

B9: PHYSICAL AND BIO-STRATIGRAPHY OF THE ONONDAGA LIMESTONE IN OTSEGO COUNTY, NY
Richard Lindemann
Dept. of Geology
R.P.I. and Skidmore
Robert T. Simmonds
Earth Science Dept.
SUC, Oneonta
PURPOSE
The purpose of this article is to summarize the work which has been done on tbe Onondaga Limestone so as to provide a brief introduction, and a fairly comprehensive set of references for those who are curious about the formation. No startling new discoveries will be revealed. The Onondaga formation has been the subject of study by numerous of the immortals of New York State geology, by three doctoral students and at least five students at the master's level. These studies have provided a wealth of information on the formation which has not previously been compiled into a comprehensive summary other than those which are so concise as to provide nearly no information at all. At present numerous aspects of the formation are being studied at the industrial, governmental, and academic levels. We know of several studies in the academic sector alone which are so near completion as to necessitate the modification of this summary almost before it becomes available. "So it goes." Kurt Vohnegut. Jr. (1970B) INTRODUCTION The Onondaga Limestone has long been recognized in New York and is one of the state's most extensively exposed and prominent formations. Its outcrop and characteristic escarpments extend for over 550 km from Buffalo to the Helderbergs and thence southward through Kingstone to Port Jervis (Fig. 1). This outcrop is dotted with hundreds of active and inactive quarries which have produced vast quantities or building stone and aggregate material. Since 1967, when the first large, subsurface, gas-bearing Onondaga "reef" was located, interest in the formation has waxed somewhat. Despite its prominence and economic import there is yet much to be learned about this formation, particularly in its more academic aspects. The Onondaga Formation is a coarse-to-fine-grained limestone, which ranges in thickness from 21.5 m (70') in central New York to in excess of 49 m (160') in the eastern and western parts of the state (Table 1). A variety of forms and colors of chert are common throughout. The formation was deposited during Eifielian time (lower Middle Devonian) (Rickard, 1975) just prior to and during the first clastic influx from the Acadian Orogeny. The Onondaga represents the last extensive carbonate and reef building phase in the region.

STOP 1.Uppermost Edgecliff - lowermost Nedrow Members
This exposure contains the uppermost Edgecliff and lowermost Nedrow Members. Though the contact cannot be seen, the pronounced differences in fauna and lithology are evident. Note the color and nature of the chert for future reference. The outcrop is typical of hundreds of other Onondaga exposures in extent and weathering characteristics.

STOP 2. Abandoned Quarry
Park in abandoned quarry entrance on left and walk up into quarry. In this quarry 57' of the formation are exposed; 19.5' Edgecliff, 12.5' Nedrow, 25' Moorehouse. The gradational beds between the Schoharie and Edgecliff can be seen in the road as you walk up into the quarry and in the pinnacle of rock to your left just as the road begins to level off on top. These beds grade from dark and glauconitic below into clean, coarse-grained, coraliferous Edgecliff above. The floor of the northern quarry section is in the transitional beds.
The western quarry section which we will visit has exposed the upper Edgecliff, the entire Nedrow, and the lower Moorehouse. The main floor of the quarry lies on the upper Edgecliff which can be recognized by its corals, large crinoid columnals, and pyrite. The water filled pit and ramp are entirely in the Edgecliff. The main quarry walls contain the dark, shaley Nedrow in their lower parts and the cherty Moorehouse above.

STOP 3. Mount Tom Reef No. 1.
The stop is the near (East) face of the knob directly ahead. Mount Tom Reef No. 1. This is the reef shown in Fig. 6 of the text. Study the reef zonation in the text before proceeding onto the reef. Exercise caution as much of the rock wall is unstable and footing can be tricky. The obvious characteristics of this and all other bioherms in the Onondaga, are its massively unbedded nature and lack of chert. With patience and close examination you will be able to spot the different corals which comprise the framework of the reef. Examination reveals that the clear cut zonation shown in Fig. 6 is not nearly so clear cut in the reef itself. The matrix material between the corals consists mostly of lime mud, with the coarse crinoidal material typical of many Onondaga bioherms lacking.

STOP 4. Reef is exposed in the S end of this hill.
Another reef is exposed in the southern end of this hill. The exposure appears to be the "Core Facies" of a reef, but its actual position within the reef is uncertain due to lack of exposure. The reef seems to extend a considerable distance on the basis of the topographic expression.

STOP 5. Mt. Tom Reef No.7.
The hill on the east side of the road is Mt. Tom Reef No.7.
Though it has been referred to as a bioherm. this hill is composed of bedded, cherty limestone: characteristics not found in biohermal structures. The fauna here is not typical of other bioherms or the "normal" Edgecliff. The fauna is dominated by small broken twigs of the branching tabulate Coenites and doesn't contain anything which could be considered a framework. At present the significance of these beds is uncertain.

STOP 6. Onondaga Formation
This exposure and its twin across the valley are two of the most continuous and complete exposures of the Onondaga Formation. Here the formation is exposed from its phosphoritic based transitional beds, through the shaley Nedrow, and into and including most of the cherty Moorehouse. For the thicknesses, fauna, and lithologies of the members refer to Figure and to the text. Figure 7 is provided to show member thicknesses here and at STOP 7 as well as the characteristics and continuity (or lack thereof) of chert bodies within the formation.

In many respects this set of exposures is quite similar to STOP 6. It is however significant in its continuity with STOP 6 and the differences between the two with respect to chert. This stop is further significant because it's the easternmost exposure of the Nedrow Member as defined in central N.Y., the Tioga bentonite, and the Seneca Member. The latter two are exposed a half mile east of the rest area and can be seen to lie on about two meters of nearly chert-free Moorehouse. East of the uppermost member of the Onondaga is the Moorehouse.

B10: THE PANTHER MOUNTAIN CIRCULAR STRUCTURE: A POSSIBLE BURIED METEORITE CRATER
Yngvar W. Isachsen
Stephen F. Wright
Robert J. Dineen
Geologic Survey, NY State Museum
(Published by permission of the Director, State Science Service, New York State Museum, Journal Series No. 236.)
Frank A. Revetta
State University College at Potsdam
We were led to a study of the Panther Mountain circular feature in the central Catskill Mountains, after discovering its striking appearance on satellite imagery. Our subsequent investigation to date does not permit us to explain the feature with any certainty, but it does enable us to narrow the range of possible explanations.
This article is a progress report which describes, in historical sequence, our investigations to date. Our work proceeded in the following, sometimes overlapping, stages: photogeology, gravity and magnetic measurements, conventional field study, and shallow seismic refraction profiling. A study of cuttings from a drill hole located inside the margin of the structure study is just beginning.
The structural geology of the region in which the feature occurs is not weil known; the bedrock geology of the Phoenicia quadrangle, in which the Panther Mountain circular feature is located, has not been mapped in any detail. Chadwick (1936) shows a "preliminary map" of the Phoenicia and Kaaterskill quadrangles at very small scale (1:350,000), and the Geologic Map of New York by Fisher and others (1971) shows the geology only by projection. The formations shown on the State map, all continental clastic rocks of Upper Devonian age, are as follows: Walton Formation (shale, sandstone, conglomerate), which underlies the valley floor and most of Panther Mountain; the Slide Mountain Formation (sandstone, shale, conglomerate) which underlies the summit area, and the Honesdale Formtion (sandstone, shale) which forms the summit itself. The colors of these rocks are red, green, and gray. The glacial geology of the region has been mapped and described by J.L. Rich (1934).

Edge of Gulf Course Road
Edge of Gulf Course Road between Rte. 28 and creek was the site of shallow seismic traverse. The seismic refraction data closest to the creek suggests a possible fracture zone in underlying bedrock. See text.

Large road cut and small quarry
Large road cut and small quarry on south side of road at first R.R. crossing on Rte. 28 since Big Indian. Many examples of joints typical of the Panther Mountain area can be seen.

N-S gravity and magnetic traverse.
Junction Rte. 28 and Rte. 42 at Shandaken, crossing point for N-S gravity and magnetic traverse. Traverse continued north along Rte. 42, and south via Fox Hollow and trail across the Panther Mountain structure and to the south

Shallow seismic refraction survey.
St. Vincent De Sales Cemetery. Gravel pit behind cemetery is site of another shallow seismic refraction survey. This seismic line essentially paralleled the valley. Interpretation showed bedrock to be unfractured.

Access to field trip stop is via a small, steep gravel road seen on the left as the highway takes a sharp left curve around a protruding kame. This rough access road switches back several times and passes a currently open gravel pit before reaching a large abandoned quarry. Total walking distance is slightly over one-fourth mile. This stop is included to display a series of well-developed joint faces in a large, fresh, man-made outcrop. These joints can be seen to be widely spaced, generally pervasive through this thick sandstone bed, and roughly planar in nature. Note the large amount of small-scale irregularities on even the largest and best developed joint faces. This is one of the many flagstone ("bluestone") quarries of the Catskill region which were operated in the early part of this century before being superseded by Portland Cement . It was quarries such as this which provided the old "sidewalks of New York".
"Indian Cave Quarry." Visible high on the slope through opening in trees on north side of road just opposite the junction of Rte. 28 and the Woodland Valley Road. The quarry was named locally for the cave-like nature of the holes created by the removal of red silty shale from beneath the overlying sandstone. We were not able to ascertain why the shale was mined, but its removal has allowed some shifting of the overlying sandstone blocks along joint planes. This allows easy observation of typical regional joint spacing (here about 3 m) in an outcrop near to, but not directly in, the rim valley.

Bridge over Esopus Creek heading up McKinley Hollow.
Small road to right crossing bridge over the Esopus Creek and heading up McKenley Hollow. The stream channel and broad alluvial flood plain are visible to the right. Downstream from this point, the stream meanders and braids across the valley. Nowhere in this area or further downstream is bedrock exposed in the stream channel.

Slide Mountain Inn
Slide Mountain Inn, located where small road branches west up the Bushkill Creek valley. The stream valley here is still deeply filled with alluvial sediments. Outcrop is limited to the very edge of the valley, where hillsides meet the valley floor. This intersection is also a station point on the E-W gravity and magnetic traverse of the Panther Mountain structure. Gravity stations are often located at road intersections or other well defined and surveyed locations to minimize error when correcting the gravity data.
The Slide Mountain Inn is typical of many Catskill summer resorts in the area, a number of which have catered to the summer tourist for over one hundred years. Access to the area was formerly via the railroad line from Kingston to Oneonta which was abandoned early in 1977. Passengers left the train at Phoenicia or Big Indian and were met by carriages from the particular resorts at which they planned to stay.

Stop at large pull-off on right side of road, often used by the county to store road stone and gravel. Walk .05 mile to small hollow where road crosses tributary of the Esopus Creek. Just beyond the stream, take a small unmarked trail to the right which leads immediately to the tributary.
In this lovely little glen the small feeder stream plunges down to Esopus Creek via a series of cataracts and spill pool. The jointing here is typical of jointing observed at most localities an or near the Panther Mountain structure even though this outcrop is located within 50 m of the Esopus Creek rim valley (which at this point is bottomed in alluvial gravels). Many joint surfaces can be seen, with strikes ranging between N63W and N78-83E. Note the lack of any dominant joint set traceable throughout the outcrop. Most joints are non-through-going, generally abutting other joint surfaces in either horizontal or vertical directions or both. Note also the characteristic lack of any consistent relationship between cross-bedding and the curvature of joint surfaces. The stream has greatly modified joint surfaces in its channel. Note also that this steep-walled stream channel has undergone a considerable amount of erosional unloading without any increase in joint density or other observable brittle deformation in the channel. Similar observations have also been made in the larger non-rim valleys of the area. In short, erosional unloading of valley floors has not, in itself, been found to cause an increase in joint density.

Look for an old brown house close to the left side of the road, and park where possible along the road margin. Exactly opposite this house, bushwhack directly down to the stream (about 50 m) and the outcrop shown in Figure 7B should be visible on the opposite (SSW) stream bank. Here, two sets of very closely spaced joints can be seen at stream level, one striking N2-9E and dipping 63° - 80°W and the other striking N30-34E and dipping 45°-56°SE. Joints in these sets are spaced from 50 cm apart to as little as 2 cm apart in a narrow (50 cm wide) zone in the outcrop. This outcrop of closely spaced jointing is very restricted in space. The jointing is not present in the thicker overlying sandstone nor in outcrops immediately up or down stream. Although joint spacing of about 1 m characterizes exposures present in the center of the rim valley, this outcrop and several others further downstream are the only ones observed in the entire Panther Mountain area which display this extremely dense jointing. Although outcrop control is limited, high-density fracturing appears to be the structural control on the arcuate pattern of Big Indian Hollow.

TURN AROUND HERE.
Bus or car turnaround. Small remnant of logging road on right just. beyond culvert. Turn around and go back down the valley towards Big Indian.

Bridge on Rte. 28 crosses Esopus Creek

A small field opens to the left. Walk down farm path which runs along the far edge of this field until the stream is reached, at about 200 m. The outcrop itself is a broad, flat exposure located on the opposite stream bank. In sone seasons it may be necessary to wade the stream, although a less detailed view can be had from the opposite bank.
Two closely spaced, planar, nearly orthogonal joint sets are exposed here (Fig. 7C, D). The N60-70E set is systematic (generally through-going in a strike direction and trends perpendicular to the stream course. Dips are mainly 68° -80°NW, but several are seen to dip 78°-80°SE. The N10•30W set is non-systematic. It trends parallel to the stream course and displays a range of dips suggestive of conjugate pairs. These dips generally have values of 60°-67° and 52°-76°SW though some are vertical. Joint spacing in both sets is consistently 30-50 cm and locally as little as 2 cm. Although we have found a general inverse relationship between bedding thickness and joint spacing, nowhere, regardless of bed thickness, have we seen such a display of closely spaced joints over this large an area.
This joint zone is limited in both horizontal and vertical extent. In the beds upstream, joint spacing increases to 1 m just above the waterfall. Similarly, joint spacing is 1 m or greater in the outcrop 20 m downstream and also in a large, thick-bedded outcrop located in woods 15 m southwest of the main exposure. At low water, joints in the N60-70E set can be seen to be only variably continuous into the underlying beds. This is another example where high-density joint zones seem to be restricted to certain beds in limited lateral positions along the rim. The significant fact is their restriction to the rim and, thus, their apparent control on stream development.
At the downstream end of this outcrop, jointing is extremely intensified in a narrow zone 40-50 cm wide, where the spacing is only 3-6 cm. This occurs within the N70-60E set. Note the resulting differential erosion between this zone and the remaining outcrop. Perhaps this illustrates, in microcosm, the way in which closely spaced joints control the circular rim valley that defines the Panther Mountain mass.

STOP 5. BEDELL STREET.
Small path crosses perpendicularly nearly the entire width of the valley. At this location and several others like it where the Esopus Valley is deeply filled with alluvial deposits. the shallow seismic refraction technique was used to search for zones of abnormal bedrock velocity. This is the site of our most definitive traverse. The near-level field provided an ideal test site where few corrections were needed, and the ease of access to the entire valley width was excellent. Interpretation of this traverse has identified a bedrock zone of low seismic velocity, which we interpret to be a continuation of the abnormally dense jointing mapped upstream. The seismic refraction method will be demonstrated here.

B11: GEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS OF ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES ON THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER FLOOD PLAIN
Robert E. Funk
Anthropological Survey
New York State Museum
James T. Kirkland
University of Texas at Arlington
Bruce E. Rippeteau
State Historical Society of Colorado
Donald M. Lewis
Biological Survey
Published by permission of the Director, New York State Science Service, Journal Series No. 235. Prior to the present decade, prehistoric archeological research in New York State had a long history going back over 50 years, focussing on major drainage systems (Parker 1922; Ritchie 1938b, 1944, 1951, 1965 , 1969). Yet over this period relatively little attention was paid to the Upper Susquehanna Valley, including its major tributaries in the State. This neglect is surprising in view of the high archeological potential of the region, reflected in numerous recorded sites and surface collections, and a geographic position conducive to the study of many problems in cultural distribution and adaptation. The first major attempt at professional exploration occurred in the 1920's, when a canoe flotilla carrying archeologists and laborers began at Cooperstown and surveyed for archeological sites well down into Pennsylvania (Moorehead 1938). Later, surveys were conducted by William A. Ritchie, who also excavated some sites of the late prehistoric Masco culture (Ritchie 1934, 1938a, 1939, 1944:59-11, 1969:xxiv-xxvi). Sporadic work was carried out in the late 1960's by the New York State Museum and the State University at Binghamton, partly in connection with the State highway salvage archeology program (Wilcox n.d.a, n.d.b: Elliott and Lipe 1970; Funk and Hoagland 1972a, 1972b; Hesse 1968, 1971). A major interdisciplinary program of investigations into regional pre-history was initiated by the writer in 1971. Field work is expected to conclude with the 1977 field season and a final report will eventually be published. The project has involved personnel from several institutions, including the New York State Museum, the State University of New York at Albany, and the State University College at Oneonta. Preliminary reports have appeared (Funk, Rippeteau, and Houck 1973, 1974; Kirkland, et al 1976; Funk and Rippeteau 1977). The fundamental objective of this project is to delineate the history of human adaptations to the postglacial Upper Susquehanna environment. This requires the acquisition of data on the sequence of prehistoric Indian cultures, their distribution in time and space, their subsistence and settlement patterns, and the various components of environmental change. To accomplish these goals, our methodological emphasis has been on stratified flood plain sites, where the discrete occupation surfaces are separated by the accumulation of overbank sediments. In such contexts, the mixture of debris from different periods of habitation is minimal or absent; the patterning of artifacts, hearths, pits, or refuse on each floor is undisturbed; and radiocarbon dates on organic materials from these floors can be attributed to the individual occupations with a great deal of assurance. Thus it is possible to construct a well-dated stratigraphically based regional sequence of artifact styles and cultural complexes, to study within-site patterning, and to make valid between-site comparisons. Palynological data used to sketch a picture of floristic environments are acquired from bogs, occupation zones on archeological sites, or pre-cultural levels in our excavations. Other paleoenvironmental data are contributed through studies of changing postglacial landforms, especially with regard to the flood plain. When all the data are analyzed, we should be able to present a synthesis of prehistoric culture change in relation to environmental change within the Upper Susquehanna drainage. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many persons have contributed to the Upper Susquehanna Project. We are especially indebted to P. Jay Fleischer for his input on the geology of several sites; to Beth Wellman for her assistance in preparing this report and the processing of collections acquired in our excavations; and to Franklin J. Hesse by whose efforts many of the sites were located and tested.

STOP 1. Fortin site, Locus 1 and Locus 2:
Located at the junction of the Susquehanna River and Charlotte Creek near Oneonta, the Fortin site loci yielded one of the most complete cultural sequences of any of the sites examined. At Locus 1 eight occupation zones and a plow zone were contained within 1.83 meters of stratified sands, silts, and small gravels. These deposits rested on compact gravels which appear to be of ice-contact derivation, perhaps reworked by the river. The deepest occupation level (Late Archaic, Lamoka phase) dates to 4185 ±120 years B P. (I-7098) and the youngest level just below plow zone (Early Woodland, Meadowood phase) is dated 3180 B.P. ±95 (I-6740).
At Locus 2, there were five occupation floors in 1.83 meters of unstructured silt, again resting on heavy gravels. In this case however the deepest zone only dates to about A.D. 200. The cultural components range from early Middle Woodland to Late Woodland in affiliation.
At both loci, occupations tended to concentrate on low rises which existed from the beginning (initially point bars?) and maintained themselves as perceptible topographic forms to the present.

STOP 2. Kuhr No.1 site
Located in Otego village at the junction of Flax Island Creek and the river, this site displayed a highly sensitive archeological stratigraphy. At least 11 living floors were present, separated by culturally sterile silt where the overbank deposits were thickest (3-4 m) close to the river. The oldest identified occupation, of the Lamoka culture, was dated at 4520 ±165 years (Dic-116). The field in which the site is located consists of four terrace-like long, low rises sub-parallel to the river. They occur in a south to north succession, with the highest being farthest from the river. The terrace presently adjoining the river is the youngest and presumably they increase in age away from the river, indicating successive positions of the river. The occupation levels occur mostly in the second terrace, and reach an average depth of 1.8 m. They trend upward onto the third terrace where they are compressed into the top .60 m of deposit, eventually feathering into the plow zone (upper 25 cm.).
A backhoe trench excavated to a depth of 4 m in the third terrace exposed 2.5 m of sterile silt below the deepest occupation level. At its base was the water tabIe. In turn this deposit rested on a coarse blue-gray sand at least 30 cm thick containing wood fragments, leaves, acorns, and pine cones. A wood sample yielded dates of 8970 ± 110 and 9020 &plusmin;85 years B.P. (Dic-113, 120). Test pits into sands and gravels 4 m below surface on the fourth terrace failed to yield organic remains.

STOP 3. Russ site
The archeological levels at this site overlie the Wells Bridge moraine on the north side of the river where it swings southward in the first leg of a crescentic bend. Here in some places .7 m of late-glacial lacustrine deposit overlie the moraine; in other parts of the field what appear to be river deposited sands rest atop the moraine. On the northeastern edge of the field 1.3 m of silts overlie the lake sediment and underlie a horizon dated 13,860 ±750-830 B.P. (Dic-7S0). These old silts may represent a very early stage of point-bar deposition, as they slope away to the south and west where younger silts have filled in following a slight southward shift of the river. This shift occurred at least 10,500 y.a. as indicated by a dated humic zone which caps the older sediment.
The more recent silts may be of overbank origin. By at least 8300 B.P. the first Archaic Indians occupied the site; the deepest living floors occurred at ca. 1 m. A terminus ante quem for the sub-plow zone silts is provided by dates on several hearths which extend below plow line from occupation surfaces destroyed by cultivation. These dates average about 4000 B.P. The plow zone itself contains artifact types ranging in age from 6000 y.a. to the present, so the silts immediately underlying the plow zone probably date to at least 6000 y.a.

STOP 4. Gardepe site
This site is located on the south side of the river near the middle of the bend. Since the river has moved slightly southward in postglacial time, it has added to the deposits on the north side, but has cut into the banks on the south side. An undetermined portion of an archeological site has been destroyed in this way.
The major locus of occupation closely parallels the river near its bank. Behind this locus and also paralleling the bank is a low rise. Farther from the river are other features associated with the moraine, including a fair-sized kettle hole bog only 100 m from the river. This bog, 7 m deep, was sampled by Michael Melia and the data incorporated in his Master's thesis.
Occupational remains occurred within six definable strata near the river bank. The upper two zones relate to modern cultivation and contain much mixed Indian material. Zone 3 was partly disturbed by plowing; below it the various levels were undisturbed. The artifacts and radiocarbon dates from Zone 1 through 5 suggest Indian occupations ranging in age from ca. 4000 y.a. to A.D. 1100. The mode of formation of Zones 4 and 5 is a mystery; flood deposition may have played a part but downslope wash from the adjoining rise also seems to be a factor. Zone 6, a firm olive-brown silt, was ca. 3 m thick, resting on bluish clays of possible lacustrine origin, which in turn covered the morainal deposit. Zone 6 seems continuous with old silts which overlie the moraine everywhere on the site, including the edges of the bog. Presumably therefore it is of fluvial origin but the precise mechanism is not fully understood. A bifurcated-base projectile point was recovered, apparently in place, about 40 cm below the top of the zone. Three m from the point a hearth within the zone produced charcoal dated 9380 B.P. ±100 years (Dic-261). The point is of a type dated ca. 8000 years old in the Southeast. Together with the dated hearth it suggests occupation by Early Archaic Indians concurrently with the late stages of formation of Zone 6.

B12: WEDGE-SHAPED STRUCTURES IN BEDROCK AND DRIFT, CENTRAL NEW YORK STATE
P. Jay Fleisher
SUNY, College at Oneonta
Wedge-shaped structures resembling ice-wedge casts and fossil ice veins have been found in both bedrock and drift hosts on the eastern Appalachian Plateau of central New York. These features are exposed in the walls of four separate borrow pits at three different localities within the upper Susquehanna River drainage, south of the Mohawk Valley and northwest of the Catskill Mountains. All three localities are within Otsego County and can be found on the Milford, Richfield Springs and Mt. Vision quadrangles. The index map of figure 1 illustrates the location of each site as well as their general topographic setting. Based on their respective locations they are referred to as the Crumhorn Mountain, Fitch-Metcalf, and Laurens-Mt. Vision sites.
The purpose of this paper is to review the physical characteristics and occurrences of these wedge structures and consider what, if any, paleoclimatic significance they hold. A review of the literature indicates that previous authors have reported many features in various parts of the northeast as being related to periglacial processes. The main question under consideration is whether the structures discussed here are in any way related to permafrost processes.
A variety of permafrost and frost related features have been reported for the New England area by Denny (1951), Kaye (1960), and Keteff (1961). The work of Denny (1936), Smith (1949, 1953), and Wolfe (1953) suggest the significance of periglacial processes that once occurred in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Clark (1968) documented the occurrence of sorted patterned ground associated with quartzite ridges from Pennsylvania to Virginia and West Virginia. Small scale bedrock deformation (up-warps) flanking vertically tapered till wedges in central New York has been reported by Cadwell (1973), and similar features in the same general area were initially interpreted to be of potential periglacial significance by Fleisher and Sales (1971). Late Wisconsin ice-wedge polygons have been reported in south western Ontario by Morgan (1972). More recently, Walters (1975) suggested polygonal patterns associated with vertically tapered ground wedges in outwash of central New Jersey to be possible ice-wedge casts. While the suggested effects of alpine glaciers and associated climatic conditions as far south as western North Carolina have been subject to contested debate since first presented by Berkland and Raymond (1973), it seems clear that a growing body of field evidence from the northeast suggests that this region may have been subjected to periglacial paleoclimate conditions of variable intensity at some time during the late glacial chronology.

Impressive view of the Susquehanna Valley.
As the road climbs it provides an impressive view of the Susquehanna Valley.

STOP 1
Pull off to the right near the top of the hill in a bedrock quarry. The Town of Milford uses this rock for fill.
This is the Crumhorn Mountain Site. The quarry operation was much more active in the early 70's when more than a dozen wedge-shaped structures were exposed. Some have since been consumed by the operation or covered under colluvium, but two were well exposed in June, 1977. These can be found east of Boy Scout Road in the south facing wall of the excavation. They are most easily spotted by looking for the upward deformation of the siltstone bedding. Their deepest penetration has not been excavated, but judging from the amount of downward taper they are probably in excess of 2 m deep. These and all others occur along bedrock joints which seem to control their orientation.
Two sets of wooden pegs were emplaced in each of these wedges in order to determine whether their width varied seasonally due to temperature or moisture changes. The upper and lower portions of each wedge were monitored from April, 1976 to the present. The results are as follows:
Date | dist. between upper pegs | dist. between lower pegs
Wedge A (nearest the road)
Wedge B (farthest from road)
From these data it is concluded that no seasonal variation alters the width significantly.
The short upper segments of four other wedges may be detected through the colluvium along the east side of the road. Unfortunately, the most impressive wedge remains buried by debris along the south facing wall of the operation to the west of the road.
Most wedges are characterized by a highly compact filling that shows collapse foliation. However, a few small bedrock buckles can be found, in which little or no fill exists .
Ice-wedge casts or pop-ups seem to be the main question here.

Upper surface of a hanging delta
The planar surface on your right at the turn is the upper surface of a hanging delta that was built into glacial Lake Cooperstown which stood about 20 m above the modern Otsego Lake level.

STOP 2. Fitch-Metcalf Hill Site
Turn right just beyond large red barn onto Smith Cross Rd. (unmarked). Proceed for 0.2 miles to top of hill.
Pullover to the right, outcrop on the left. This is the Fitch-Metcalf Hill Site. There are two main wedges in this outcrop, but several others within walking distance up the road.
These wedges are similar in many respects to those on Crumhorn Mountain. They are comparable in size and filling, but associated bedrock deformation appears slightly different. Here the rock is somewhat more massive and less fissile, which may account for why the rock appears broken upward here, as opposed to flexed upward at STOP 1. Here too joints define the orientation of the wedges and the bedrock is veneered by a till that collapsed to contribute to the wedge filling.
Other much smaller wedges (or more accurately, buckles) can be seen in another excavation to the right (east). They can be reached by walking along the upper contour of the outcrop, through a raspberry patch and to a shallow excavation about 100 m away, or take the road if you're not a berry fan.
Once again we are left with the question of whether these features are frost related or simply reflect the adjustment that occurred due to glacial unloading.

STOP 3. Otsego County gravel excavation.
2014: The bridge is gone, so we took a bit of a detour to get here, and we'll adjust our route to the next stop...
This is the first of two locations, collectively referred to as the Laurens-Mt. Vision Site. At various times during the excavation of this deltaic feature (hanging delta or delta kame) massive gravel and sand foreset beds and poorly sorted topset gravels have been exposed. It is within the topset gravel that wedge-shaped structures have been observed. The largest reached a depth of 3 m and was 1 m wide at the top before being destroyed. Several smaller wedges have also been noted.
In each case the wedges show a vertical orientation in a general N-S trend. They are characterized by downward collapse that includes the flanking gravels. A pebble count taken here included about 95% local lithologies and less than 1% limestone. However, chert at 1.1% is also present. Since the chert originated in a limestone host, it is assumed that much of the carbonate that was present has been leached.
The lack of a polygonal wedge distribution rules out an ice-wedge mechanism for their formation. The evidence for leaching suggest that a soil-tongue forming process may have been active, but in other reported cases the carbonate content was much higher than would be anticipated here. This leaves the tension crack mechanism, which seems to have merit when one considers the juxtaposed location and trend of Otego Creek.

STOP 4
Pull off to the right and walk in to a shallow gravel operation 0.2 miles off highway. This is the second of two localities described as the Laurens-Mt. Vision Site. Repeatedly during the excavation of this site a variety of small wedges, similar to those at the last stop, and vein-like structure (thin wedges) have been exposed. It is assumed that the similarity of features, topographic setting and host material would dictate a similar origin for both localities.