New-York tribune., 1885-03-30
VIEW YORK SALT BEDS.
LETTER FROM PROFESSOR NEwBERRY.

LETTER FROM PROFESSOR NEWBERkf'
TIE REpeRrED DISCOVERY MEAN BUFFALO AND iTs
RELATIONS TO KNOWN DEPosITs.
70 As Edttor Of TAs rrsbwnc
SIR Tn your issue of this morning reference
made to reported discovery rock salt In the Vicinity
OF Bafao with quotations from letter which 10 going
the round Of papers As the subject one Of consder
able scientific interest and economic Importance and as
this letter contains several errors venture to send
few notes which VIII bring this discovery into Its true
relation with others Of similar character made elsewhere
and which promise to add largely to the heretofore
known Of State 1T is said in the letter 70
which have referred that at East Aurora, seventeen
miles southeast from Buffalo, ct the depth OF 1850 feet
body Of rock salt sxtyfve feet In thickness mas peen
penetrated In boring for OIL Also that tho well Is hned
with brine, which about 90 per cent SALT that the
geological formation is there the same as In the OH
region of Pennsylvania and that this discovery ID In
consistent with the conclusions Of geslosists upon
whom IL brings discredt etc.
Now without having any later or more accurate inior
nation In regard this discovery do not hesitate 10
say that author OF the letter wrong as 10 seoos
ca formation the views of seolos'ts and the aens'n
OF the brine.
Fr-The strata underlying East Aurora are not those
penetrated by the oil Of Pennsylvania. but lie many
hundred feet lower the geological scae since they De-
long to TIE Upper siuan system, while tho obearing
rocks are Carboniferous and Upper Devonian.
Ssc0nQ-NO
salt the possible quantity varying from 30 to 40 per
cept according to the temperature of the solution
Tb,rdThough unknown to geolosts as to others, the
discovery sheet of rock sal at East Aurora harmo-
nzes with all facts known in regard to the geology
of Western New-York and unexpected viii not be sur
prising to geoogsts
Many of your readers know that in boring for OIL rock
salt has struck in number of places In the upper
valley of the Genesee and preparations are now making
TO work the salt beds Th limits Of this salt field have
not been determined and it would not be at all surprs
ing the announced discovery at East Aurora should be
confirmed and the salt deposits be found TO extend con-
inuously to and perhaps beyond this point which Is
not more than fifty miles distant from tho Genesee
salt wells 1t will thus be that the discovery at
East Aurora is principally important as indicating
greater extension Of the salt field of Western NewYork
than was before known 1t Is even possible that tho
area of this field really much greater than has been
Imagined for the salt deposits Of the Geneseo Valley
NAV extend east as well west, and they may even
reach to connect with those recently discovered by bor
ing the PeDnsyvans line south OF Syracuse
one FORMATION that which has been called rea
son the onondaga salt Group, or more recently the
This seems be the deposit Of great salt lake which
occupied Central and Western Gew-York. Northern
Pennsylvania Northeastern Ohio and Southern Ontario.
It's outlines yet definitely traced and may have
been quite irregular put probably included an area as
f'a r. ahs as laRs beside @ the Which repre-
about about Syracuse, were deposited great sheets Of
gypsum and rock salt, and when the
which fern the well-known Water Lime Group from
which so much hydraulic cement j. made on the Hudson
Canada the northern margin OF the old salt lake.
rock salt has been found IN number Oh wells forming
beds to sixtydye feet In thickness interstratihed
with gypsum and water lime AT sandusky, ONO, near
the western OF the old Lake. where its sediments
OF gypsum which the basis of important industry
At Syracuse the salt is not obtained directly from the
Salina formation but from brine pumped from wells
which penetrate great mass Of sand, gravel. etc. that
of old buried channels formed when the
tinent stood higher above the ocean than nowbetore
the Ice Period when they were 70 spfe extent eG
the lines OF drainage The OLD channeI at SAUNA cntng
across the strata receives the drainage from deeply
buried beds of salt long suspected to exist which
have lately discovered by borings in the country
face and penetrating the rocks beds salt has
gradually dissolved them to form brine. which nowing
the old channel referred TO, and from this has been
Tue salt deposits Of tAe saina Group exhibit inter
estng diversity of composition some r are almost G1e@ ~
Oh ;, r01ststDte nj tie OF the
OF different conditions under which the precpates were
Yosde st aer contains great variety OF substances
held in solution, among which gypsum, salt
chidridcs mentioned are most obundsnt When
It is evaporated thcse salis are thrown down
In the inverse order OF their souoillues
For example the sulphato OF lime Gypsum being the
least soluble is first deposited then when the solution
is more ooncentrate chloride of sodium and the other
mentioned are left These have such affinity for water
thnt they do not exist except In solution and
sfter being artciay prepared rapidly absorb moisture
from the anOsp phere These facts give expana-
ton of the varying purity OF the salt and the
IN certain places of great sheets OF gypsum
Where a lsnd-lOcked basin receives the drain
age OF the surrounding cOuntry-which. though
apparently pure water always contains
some sas-by evaporation the water becomes salt =
rstic OF all uHdrained lakes, Great Salt Lake
and the Dead being good examples. IL such sOu-
fion should be further concentrated, the least soluble
Ingredient gypsum, would be first thrown down
ana sheet OF this might be precipitaed while yet all
the other saline constituents were held In solution.
With further yaporation belt or margin OF gypsum
would be left around the shaower portions OF the lake
and chemically pure salt would be deposited when the
concentration passed the point OF saurat0n for salt
The diminished retiring TO the deeper parts
OF the would behind them In places sheets Of
pure salt, while the precipitaes subsequently made
W ,uld contain abnormal quantity OF Ditterns.
lust such a record TO have In the sediments
OF the old Sana well IN those OF later date in
other parts world the salt OF certain localities
certain layers being nearly pure. who that OF ether To-
cates layers contains an undue proportion of I'M
puritcs The salt basins OF the Upper Ono and Of
Michigan both distinct aud OF later than that
we have considering show the same pecularities
BY writers the gypsum or the SaIlna Group, as
well OF other formations, Is attributed TO the
ton OF acid waters carbonate of lime, the
tnuous gypsum contained IN the sana Group,
separated by thin bands OF limestone disprove this
theory They evidently chemical procipitates from
saline waters alternating with the limestones, which
were formed from the hard parts of organisms inhsbi
ing the during tho intervals when 10 was pure
enough TO sustain animal life. J. ,. NKWBEhRY.
columbia OOlIe0e, Ne.s York. March "a 1885.
HlPTVE IVpEIJII EVCH