Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-10-07
SEAS COVERED
AD1RONDACkS
Millions Of Years Ago Ocean
Spread Over That Region.
THEN TURNED MOLTEN ROCK
Geolopist Traces History Of Range by
Strata Of Different Formative Perl
ods-The Forms Of Mountains and
Valleys a. They Now Exist Have
Been Largely Carved Out by Erosion
During Last Era Of Geologic Time.

Tens of millions of years ago, In the
Archeozoic era, which is the most re-
mote age known In the history of the
earth, there were no Adirondack
mountains, according to William J.
Miller, professor of geology at Smith
college, in tracing the history of the
mountains. Ocean water spread over
the whole region. as we'll as much OF
Southeastern Canada. On that sea
bottom layers Of sands, muds and
lines were deposited, the strata ac-
cumulating through long ages until
the pile was thousands of feet thick
The sands and muds were formed
by the wearing away of lands which
have left no known records while the
lines represent the remains of shells
of organisms that inhabited that
ancient ocean.
Through the agency of heat and
crystallization." says Prof. Miller,
writing In the ConservatiOnist, ''the
strata became altered into rocks
known as quantities. schists and crys-
talline lime stones or marbles. These
rocks comprise what Is known as the
Greenville series Of strata-the old
est of all Adirondack rocks. These
traces of a forgotten world which
still mostly preserve their" arrange
ment In layers, may be observed IN
numerous areas throughout the Adj
rondack region today, particularly In
the vicinity of Port Henry, Paradox
Lake, Keene and Minerva, In Essex
county; Blue Mountain Lake and
Indian Lake Village, In Hamilton
county; Graphite, North Greek and
Chestertown, in Warren county and
GOuverneur and Edwards In st,
Lawrence county.
'At some later date 1t Is evident
that great masses of molten rock
were forced upward into the Grenville
strata, lifting, fitting, or breaking
them to pieces. There were at least
two such invasions by molten masses
the first of which is represented by a
rock known as anOrthosite. Much OF
this rock Is dark blush gray and
coarse grained. but some of IT Is light
gray and medium grained. 1t Is the
principal rock throughout an area OF
about 1900 square miles, mostly in
Essex and Franklin counties. The
dark variety forms the main bulk of
rock in the Marcy Mcintyre range, the
Sentinel range, and the mountains
just west of Lake Placid. The light
gray anorthosite Is finely exhibited In
the northern half of Mount White
Face. including its summit
Action of Weather and Streams.
1.-The other molten mass, forced up
ward somewhat later than the an
orthOSite, is now represented by gran
lite, varying to a rock called syenite.
On weathered surfaces these rocks
range in color from brown and green
ish gray to pink. Outside Of the an
orthOsite area, the granite and syenite
make up far greatest bulk of the
Adirondack rocks now visible, and
constitute nearly all of the more
prominent ridges and peaks.
For millions of years this first
known land of Northern New York was |
subjected to the action of weather
and streams, until at the beginning |
of the so-called Paleozoic era which
by q most conservative estimate began |
twenty-five million years ago. the
whole Adirondack region was worn /
down to the condition of more or
less perfect plain. Early In the
Paleozoic era, part of this great low
lying district must have become sub
merged under an encrOaching sea, be-
cause very interesting strata carry
ing shells of animals, which are not
GrenviUe strata, can be seen at few
places In the Adirondacks. Some ex-
'cellent example of these strata, which
biologists can readily prove belong to
the early PaleozOic age. occur near
Wells. in Hamilton county.
: Later in the PaleOzoic era, the
Adirondack region, including the large
submerged portion. became appraised
above sea level, and from that time
10 the present no sea water ever again
spread over the district. During the
millions of years of later PaleozOic
time and all of the succeeding Meso-
zOic era, the whole region was again
worn down. by the ceaseless action of
weather and streams, to an area of
relatively low relief.
About the close Of the Mesozoic era
this smooth, worn area gradually be-
came appraised few thousand feet,
thus causing a revival of the, activity
OF the streams. Since early In the
present or Cenezoic era of geologic
time-a few million years ago-the
streams have been at work carving out
a network of channels and valleys in
the plateau. Thus, although the Ad-
irOndack rocks are exceedingly an
cient, II Is nevertheless true that the
forms Of the mountains and valleys,
as we behold them today, have been
largely carved out by erosion during
the last era of geologic time. This 4.
process is still going on.
Geological Faults.
lone feature. of Importance which
must not be overlooked was the de- 4
't'opment Of great series of faults
In the southeastern half of the Adiron- ,
dack region. A fault is a fracture {
along which One~mass of the earth
slips by or is thrust over another.
Some of the Adirondack faults In
voived movements of hundreds or even
thousands of feet, and ranged in
length up to thirty miles. 1t is well
known that many prominent ridges
and valleys In the southeastern Adiron-
Jacks run southeast by northwest, aud