IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 ^^ §22 iM 12.0 m m m I Hiotograi^c Sciences Corporation 23WiSTMAINS11HT WIBSTIt.N.Y. MSM (716) t72-4S03 ► ..*!« ** ,V^^. CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/iCIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Instituta for Historical IVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductions historiquas Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquaa Tha instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction. or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. D Colourad covers/ Couvartura da couiaur I I Covers damaged/ D Couverture endommag^e Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ et/ou pellicuMe I — I Cover title missing/ D Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiquas en coulbur □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couieur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or Illustrations/ D Planches et/ou illustrations en couieur Bound with other material/ Ralii avec d'autres documents [~7| Tight binding may cause shadov«'S or distortion D D along interior margin/ La re liure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intArieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans la texte. mais, iorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mentaires; This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ L'Instltut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont paut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographiqua, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthode normale de filmage sont indiqute ci-dessous. r~n Coloured pages/ D Pages de couieur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagias □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurias et/ou peilicul^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxer!/ Pages dicolor^es, tachetdes ou piqudes I I Pages detached/ Pages d6tach6es Showthroughy Transparence Quality of prir Qualit^ inigala de I'impression Includes supplementary materii Comprend du material suppl^mentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible r~l Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M film6es d nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. ue dc 10X icum ant e St til me a 14X u tau X de redu ction 18X indK |ue c i-des sous 22X 26X 30X "7 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Th« copy film«d here has bMii r«produc«d thanks to tha ganarosity of: Scott Library, York University Toronto Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality possibia considaring tha condition and lagibiiity of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacificationa. Original copias in printad papar covan ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grica i la g^nArositA da: Scott Library, York University Toronto Las imagas suivantas ont 4ti raproduitas avac la plua grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da l'axamplaira film«, at an conformit* avac las conditions du contrat da fllmaga. Laa axamplairas originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ast ImprimAa sont filmte an commandant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration, soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Toua laa autras axamplairas originaux sont filmis an commandant par la pramiira paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol ^h^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol y (moaning "END"), whichavar appiias. Un das symbolas suivants apparattra sur la darniira imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la cas: la symbola — ► signifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols ▼ signifia "FIN". Maps, platas, charts, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axposura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, as many framas as raquirad. Tha following diagrams iilustrata tha mathod: Las cartas, planchas, tablaaux, ate, pauvant Atra filmfe A daa taux da rMuction diff6rants. Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un saul ciichA, il ast film* A partir da I'angia sup^riaur gaucha, da gaucha h droita, at da haut an bas, en pranant la nombra d'imagas nteassaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mAthoda. ;: .«:;■; 2 » 1 2 3 4 5 6 GL^ NORTI Bx I ?>om /vav / / r-^ /vt/^u "H^ C^-^-^^rnln t CLn^,^c^C-xx^.. C ON SOME OF THE GLACIAL PHJINOMENA OF CANADA AND THE NORTH-EASTERN PROVINCES OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE DBIFT-PERIOD. By PROFESSOR ANDREW C. RAMSAY, F.R.S., F.G.S., Local Director of tlie Q«ological Survey of Great Britain. \From the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for May 1859.] fi I If.- Contents. Gludalized condition of tlic Laurentine Mountains; and the drift-deposits of Montreal. Glacial drift of the plains ; striae ; and roches moutonnees. Drift and striee in the Valley of the Hudson, including the Canaan Hills and the C'atakill Mountains. Probable equivalency of the upper clay drift of the Hudson Valley with that of Lake Chaniplain and of Montreal. Probable date of the Niagara Falls. Drift and other late Tertiary deposits at Niigara. Glaclalized condition of the Laurentine Mountains ; and the Di'ifl- dcposits of Montreal. — In the Straits of Bellisle, the barren coast of Labrador consists partly of low patches of rod sandstones, »fec. lying almost horizontftllyon the Laurentian series — that most ancientsystem of gneiss and granite which forms the eastern extremity of the great Laurentine chain. These gneissic rocks are rounded and largely mam- millatcd, as if by the action of ice ; and all the distant hills, qnite bare of trees, possess the same sweeping contours. The gnarled strata of the lofty liellisle itself, to the very summit, show unequivocal signs of the same abrasion, their well-worn outcrops presenting none of those jagged outlines that all highly-disturbed beds arc apt to assume when exclu.sively weathered by air, rain, and open fro.st. Similar forms pre- vail far up the St. Lawrence, on its north shore, easily distinguishable in spite of the forests which, before we reach the Saguenay, rise to the to])s of tlie mountains, leaving here and there unwooded mcky patches. Further up the river, by the Isle aux Coudi-es (about SO miles below (iuebec), I became more and more impressed by similar ap])earaiues. Xot a peak is to be seen ; and to the top every hill seemed moufonnee. Like much of Wales, Ireland, and the Highlands of Scotland, the country appeared moulded by ice. I r/o V RAMSAV — DUIFT-l'KKIOI) OK CANADA. 2(»1 ) drift-deposits I Canaan Hills un Valley with id the Di-lfl- rren coast of 138, .fee. lying; icient system of the great irgely mam- H, quite bare strata of the signs of the •no of those ssumo when r forms pre- tinguishable nay, rise to )oded rocky s (about oO I by similar ) every hill ! Highlands On the south side of the river the countiy is low, being formed of Sihn'ian strata chiefly covered with drift from the liUurentinc chain ; and the vast quantity of boulders and smaller stones that cover the land help to impress on it a poor agricultural character. Approaching Montreal, the gneissic mountains recede to the north- west ; and both banks of the river are low, except where an occasional boss of greenstone pierces the Silurian strata. Montreal Mountain, about a mile behind the city, is one of these, rising boldly out of the terraced diift of the plain. This drift consists of clay, with Laurentian boulders and boulders of greenstone from the mountain, both mixed with subangular gravels of Utica slate and Trenton limestone, which formations rise on its flanks. Many of the boiddeix and smaller stones are grooved, or more finely scratched, in a manner undistinguishable from the scratched stones of the British and Alpine di'ift or of Alpine glaciers. We are indebted to Dr. Dawson of Montreal for three important subdivisions of the superficial deposits, — namely, 1st, at the base, lower boulder-clay and gi-avel ; Undly, an unctuous clay, with many marine shells, called by him the " Leda-day" {Leila Portland im), on which lie, iJrdly, beds of gravel and sand, with shells, one of the most common of which is Saxkuva rvijom. These subformations occiusionally pass into each other where they join. The Saxicava- sand he considers to have been a shallow and sublittoral deposit ; the Leda-clay to have been accunuilatcd at depths of from 100 to 800 feet or more ; and the tnie boulder-clay to have been formed at an earlier period of subsidence, during which an ocean spread over the greater part of North America. I shall have occasion to show that at one time this sea was, in places, probably over 3000 feet in depth. The section (fig. 1)* across the dnft, which I drew at Montreal, nearly agrees with Dr. Dawson's, with the exception that I show five terraces in the drift, while he gives two. Their number may vaiy in different localities ; but they have certainly been formed during the last emergence of the countrj-, each terrace indicating a pause in elevation ; and in a great degree the shells of the upper strata lie in a debris of remodelled drift. The two upper terraces, to the left of Dorchester Street, correspond to Dr. Dawson's Leda-clay and Saxicava-sand. Between the lowest terrace and the river there is a broad marsh, including patches of recent freshwater shells. It is part of the old course of the St. Lawrence ; and on its surface (the lighter drift having been removed) the boulders that once studded the clay have been concentrated. Similar terraces occur on the banks of the ( )ttawa. The country is strowTi with boulders of gneiss and meta- morphic limestone, from the neighbouring Laurentine chain, mixed with more local debris ; and here also it seemed, in several cases, as if, by removal of the lighter material, the boulders were more conoen- * For the Silurian geology of this diagram, I am indebted to the descriptions of Sir Wm. Logan, i 2t,)2 rilOC'KKDlNfiS OK TIIK r.KOI.OOICAI, SOCIETV, V. e Mr. Btiiffat's {•ardtn. DiirchesterSt. '^ «• Q f k.^^- s o 4j S5 8 •c r> 3 2 a c a !2 -3 1 B O o X . trutod on the lower tlmn on the higher terrucoH. Muny of the blockH -are rounded ; in this roHpoct differing markedly from the miijority of those on glacierH, in moraines, and jjrobably from those transported by i(!obergs, which, derived from glaciers that reach the sea-level, obtain their debris by the fall of rocks and stones on their surfaces from inland cliffs. In the American hills which I saw, there are no signs of true glaciers like those of the Alps having existed ; and the boulders have been transported by floating ice from old sea-shores, where they had lieen long exposed to the washing of the waves. At Hawksbury Mills I crossed the Ottawa with Sir William Logan, and penetrated part of the Laurentine hills Ijing several miles from the north bank of the river. Waterworn gravel here and there rises nearly to their summits, now rarely more than 500 or 600 feet above the river. In the range about eight miles north of the Ottawa, there are well- rounded and occasionally grooved sur- faces of gneiss, greenstone, and quartz- rock, — the striations, where I saw them, nmning 10° and 20° W. of S. In many places, among the hills, numerous half-rounded boulders (of the same substances as those that strew the plains of the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence) cover the ground, and appear as if they had been waiting their turn for glacial trans- portation, ere the country was raised above the sea. These general signs existing in this chain, in latitude 45-^° N., gave me more perfect confidence in the universal glacial abrasion of the hills on the coast of Labrador in a latitude nearly 150 miles further north. Olacial Drift of the Plains ; Since ; and Roches moutonnees. — I need not indulge in repeated descriptions of the fig; t I 1 QucbiH m) mil Moiiti'Ci I Se( vol,. X' ry/nv BAM8AV — DRUT-PKRIOD OP CANADA. 203 m the higher blockH "are Oct (Uff'ering rity (tf thoHt' iind prohubly by icobcrgM, lliu'iors that n their debriN tones on their iffs. In the law, there arc like those of sd; and the ansported by shores, where posed to the I crossed the n Logan, and mrentino hills m the nortli erworn gravel early to their ore than 500 vor. eight miles lere aro woll- Y grooved sur- ie,andquartz- where I saw 20° W. of S. tng the hills, boulders (of IS those that ) Ottawa and r the ground, ey had been glacial trans - ry was raised general signs latitude 45^° 3ct confidence 1 abrasion of f Labrador in niles further 'ains ; Strice ; — I need not iptions of the (Iril't that covers the plains of Canada and the northern States. It is cnougli to say that the (Icscriptions given l»y previous writers are strictly correct. The whole country is literally ii>vcrc(l with drift, — to such an extent, indeed, that, e.xuept in denuded water-courses and d(!ep gorges, like those of tlie(Jenesce and Niiigara, it is only in rare cases that the rock is (exposed. Even railway-cnittiugs rarely i)cne- trate to the rocks below. It may be compared, in Kurope, to the northern plains of (lerniany. In horizontal extension it is the most widely si)read of all deposits ; and even in thickness it rises to the dignity of a great formation, having by Logan and Hall been esti- mativl in ])liices at .'jOO and SOO feet in thickncssf. In all cases the Laurentian boulders, which have often travelled hundreds of miles, aro mixed with fragments of tlie rocks that crop out northward towards the Laurentine liills, and with stones from the strata of the im- mediate neigliltourhood, — the numl)er of the component materials of the drift thus generally increasing to the south J, marking the fact that the lowlands as well as the mountains have been subject to the denuding and transporting agency of ice. At a distance from tho mountains, the boulders become comparatively few ; and it is this athnixture of calcareous and other material, often lightened with sand, that fertilizes the soil in the great plains that surround tho lakes. Tlio city of Ottawa stands on Trenton limestone ; and I ho surrounding country is strewn with bouldiTs of Laurentian gneiss and Trenton limestone itself, and of Potsdam sandstone, &c. Between Ottawa, and Prescotlon the St. Lawrence, tho basement-rock is rarely seen. Tho country is chiefly covered with gravel eontiiining boulders of gneiss from tho hills, and of Silurian rocks from the ])laius. Here and there aro patclies of sand containing pebbles and small boulders, generally rounded. \n some ])laces it has the ai)pearance of blown sand, —an efleet that may have been produced as tlio land enuTged from the sea. Th(! shores of Lake Onta, and a new drainage was formed, tlio river was turned I 2 aside by this accumidation, finding it easier to form a ' g new channel in the i)ro8t!nt gorge, .'<.")() feet deep. 1 3 At Onondaga the drift is (>4ti feet thick. I 3 Drift is eciually characteristic of Connecticut and Mas- 1^ sachusetts. In the New Red Sandstone Valley of Con - P5 i? nccticut, the drift seemed mixed, but mostly local. ri ^ It is also well known that large far-transported boul- ders occur on the soutli bank of the Oliio, — a circium- stanco loss remarkable than at first sight appears, when wo consider that it is stated that icebergs have been seen as far south as the Azores. Wherever the (h'ift is freshly removed, the 2 rochs are found to bo smoothed, striated, and 2 often rounded. On tlie Isle Perrot, near Mon- J treal, Mr. Hillings observed striic running S.W. ; J- iind near Ottawa, by the river, in several places ■^ they run south-easterly. These instances arc "5 "^ both at low levels ; and during a late period it is (» M easy to understand how, during a former exten- -ci sion of the (Julf of St. Lawrence, icebergs drift- ing up the Gulf, as ' hey do now, would produce scratches nmning S. W. in tho strait between tho Liiureiitine hills and the Mountains of Adirondack, while in the open sea south of Ottawa (now a great jjlain) the drift passed in an opposite direc- tion. About halfway between Ottawa and Pres- cott. on the St. Lawrence, near Kempville, the .striie same /Vf ^ r r t ^ I RAMHAY — DUIFT-PEHIOD OF CANADA. 205 urn round Lon- liioh tlio town ii y or tliirty niilt-g Hiii'iir lluinilton, hy Dr. DawMoii of tliu Nii^nrit (!ovoro(l by hch. uiululiitiiiK 8ur- IIIIIIUTOU)* tM>lll- ({iieiHH, liy|K>r- II about 1( HI inilcit 1(1 well HtriiiUtl. en H'Ofi-ot tbick, loHli. t'p rofky mvino, rock on tlie top wbolo courwi of ;o, the rooks nro ifr Dr. Biffsby ob- in, wliifh lifH 270 K)\iI(lor» nro oom- lio rivi-r, that in )fUMi ungulur and id. ft is said by Mr. » up a volley in • ran previous to nierf,'ea from tho river was turned euHier to form a it deep. lecticut and Mas- 10 Valley of Con- stly local, transported boul- Oliio, — a circum- lit appears, when ^8 have been seen removed, the , striated, and •ot, near Mon- running S.W. ; several places instance.s are lite period it i.s former exten- icebergs drift- voiild produce it between the i)f Adirondack, )ttawa (now a )pposite direc- iwa and Pres- iville, the stritc nin S. from f)" to 10'^ K. on a Hmoothed mirfaco of CalciforotiH Sund- rock ; and iit Niagara, on tlic linieHtone, S. JJO"^ W., witli minor Htri- ation« crossing eucli other at various angles. Near Avon, at I'onesuM Outlet, in the (ienesee Valley, on the ('orniferous Limestonu, the chief striie run S. 10° \V,, crossed liy many minor scratches, having a general soullicrn course. These crossings might he expected, if tho strio) were produced by lloating ivv subject to minor variatiims of tho currents, and to th(» inthicnce of winds. The rock is overlaid by clay containing scratched suhangiilar st(meH. At (ienesee, under n feet of drift-clay full of stratched stones, tho striic run H. 5° W. ; and near I'ortage, on the top of the gorge, !i50 feut deep, tho Htrioo run a little west of south. Tlie rocks (»f the St. Lawrence, where it flows from Ijiko (>iitarij, deserve more sjieciid notice. Above its junction with tho Ottawa, the banks of the St. Lawrence are low and shelving, and the rocks uro in general obscunul by drift ; but between Jhockvillo and Lake ( )n- tario, where the river widens and winds amid tho intricacies of tho Thousand Isles, while the larger islands are partially covercfd with drift, ami well wooded, the lowtir islets are often only scantily clothed with grass and a few stunted tiees and shrubs. Homo of them are formed of Latirentian gneiss, and others of I'cjtsdam sandstone. The Pots- dura sandstone above the river-bank at Urockvillo has been ground smooth, and in waving lines passes under tho river. The islands formed of Laurentian gnei.ss or Potsdam sandstone present tho same largely mammiUated surfaces, rising from the midst of tho river, which between UrockvUlo and the lake gradually increases to i) or 10 miles in width. All of them aro moutoniwes, somewhat like the islands of lioch Lomond ; and tho surfaces of the little islets often slip under the water quite smooth and unbroken. This is one of those cases in which it might be contended that tho glaciution of these rocks may bo due to the floating ice of the river when it breaks up in spring. But though it may produce slight eflects, there are several conclusive reasons why the greater features shoidd not be referred to this cause. The old glaciation has passed np the country quite beyond the reach of the present river, whih^ tho tops of most of the islands rise far above the extreme height of tho water ; and again, some of the islands with well-rounded glaciated surfaces present vertical clift's to the river, sometimes 20 feet in height, where the rocks biue split away at the joints ; and on those clift's I observed no sign of that glaciation which we should expect to find if the river-ice exercised any important influence. Further, it was observed by Sir Wm. Logan, that if the smoothing were pro- duced by river-ice, many of the trees of the islets would be shaved off by the yearly ice, — whereas, when untouched by man, they grow to the water's edge. At the only place I landed (a wooding- station), the rock had been too long exposed to tho weather to retain its striations ; but as we passed the islands, I could see indications of strise ; and it is to be wished that some one would .settle the point by determining their exact bearings, the chief direc- q2 ^00 I'linCKKDlNtlK (IK THK (IKdr.OOIC \I, SOCIKTV. H p I tioTiM of whicli, witliiiiit ])rt>.sun)|)tii)ti, I vi'ntiiic to prcdii I will Im' (icroKti tlic rivt>r, ami a|i])ro.\iMiiitcly IVoni north to Houth. Drift (till I Sfriir in tin I'til/i if nf t/ii /Iii moutli of the river niinuTouM iiioiitounrcH Hurfaccs .strike tiie eye, wliile houldorH Mlrew its Hides and the surface of Stateii Island in the harhoiir of New York, — all attesting, thus far south, the iindinunished cnorny of glacial action. Near Hoston, gnoisHic rocks show tho some signH ; nnd at Rox- burgh, (»n the outskirts of the city, large s\irfaces of perfectly vioti- toinit'r Hed Sandstone conghnncrate were pointed out to me l>_y Dr. Ciould. who informed mo that, when he first took Agassiz to tho sanu! spot, he at once rccogni/.ed their ice-smoothed charact(>r. Tho water-worn i)el»hles ot (piartz have been ground (piite tint on their iippei' surfai es, and staiul sligiitly out from the roc^k, the softer sandy matrix of which has yiehh'd to the iuHuence of the weather. The same kinds of indications are Ntrong in tdl those parts of Massachusetts, Now ITampshire, and Vermont through which I passed. There, as in the other places ju-eviously mentioned, tho coiuitry is much covered with clay, sund, gravel, and hoidders, partly I'ounded and apparently chiefly derived from neighbouring t(U'nuitionH. Far-transported lioidders may bo more scarce among these mountains, their height having jiartly barred tho transport »)f floating material from tho I.aurentino Chain, whereas tho broad plains south of the lakes were more open to the i<;e drifting from the north. In the al)ove-numed States, instances of fresh and of decay- ing ice-worn and striated rocks aro of constant occurrence in the low ground ; and it is truly marvcllovis to see tho sanu; rounded contours rising in the nunmtains to the veiy top, — again reminding tho traveller of tho ice-moulded surfaces of this south-west of Ireland, of the Highlands of Scotland, and of parts of Wales. In none of these American localities aro there, however, any signs of pro-oxisting glaciers, such as arc frecpient in the numntainous parts of tho Uritisli Isles. I am unable to throw any now light on tho perplexing ques- tion of tho glacial phuniomena of tho Canaan Hills. These have been described by Dr. Hitchcock and Sir (Jharles Lyell. Tho range lies on the east side of the Hudscm, about twenty miles south-east of Albany, and forms part of tho Green Mountains, which aro an intermediate part of the long chain that, commimcing on tho south with tho Alleghany Mountains, trends north-easterly to tho Mountains of Notre Dame and (Jaspe, on the south shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrcnci'. In the district of Canaiin and liichmond, their average stiike is nearly north and south, the rocks consisting of that part of the Silurian series which ranges between the Bii'dsoyo and W nrcv H.OINAV — IHtlKT-l'KKIOl) OV r\K\\)\. 207 •••diet will !)(' If Ihe Canttat) ii.V, till' nxkM the NlriiitionN, NOUlll. Tlltl ill the wcll- nioiith of tlu- iiili' hoiilderH ic liuilioiii- of islied energy Cl and at Hox- )ei'ffi!Uy moii- to me by Dr. VpisHJz to tlie aractfr. The I' Hat on their le softer wimdy atlier. :hose parts of *\i^\\ which I nentioned. the and Itonldera, n('i;>;hh()uring scarce among he transport of eas the l>road ifting from the 1 and of decay- 'nce in the low inded con tours reminding the t of Ireland, of none of these )f pro-existing parts of the 'plcxing ques- . These have 11. The range lies south-east IS, which are mcing on the asterly to the ore of the Gulf chmond, their isisting of that Birdseye and Trenton limeMtoncs and the Oneida conglomerate, — highly disturlHid, cleaved, and partly mctamorphoHcd and loliatcd. The corituurs of the liills indicate the moulding efl'ccts of ice. The rounded Hurfaces, wlu'rcvcr they have nut heeri too long expos«'d to the weather, are grooved and scratilied ; and thes*' well-detiiied indications are found alike on the sides and the summits of the hills, hi company with Mr. Hall and Sir \Vm. Logan, I ascended the Canaan Hills from the N.VV^, descended into the opposite valley, ciosscd the Hichmond Hills aiiove the Shakers' Village, and, descending into the lliclimniid Valley, walked to I'ittstleld. It is a reniarkaltle circumstanc*', re- corded l>y Dr. Hitchcock, and partly c(mHrmed l»y Sir (Iharles Lyell, tmd u hicli I also saw, that on iiotli slopes the ohserved striatioiis run, more or h-ss, acrouM the trend of the hills, which at this point strike about N.N.W. The directions of the striiu are between K. lO" H. ami S.K. ; a larger proportion approaching the Hi-st than the second direction. Why they sliouM run (icrosn the hills and vaUeys at all has nut yet beeu explained ; for, while ((uito admitting the value of Mr. Darwin's explanation*, it yet docs not appear to me to meet ti case where the hills are so steep and the valleys so very deep. Tho didlciilty is increased by the fact that the average strike of moun- tain and valley is from N. to H,, which is also the general direction of glacial striatioiis over most of N(»rth America ; and it is difficult to unchTstatid why, if floating ice jjrodmtcd these marks, an excep- tion should liav(< been made in this casts where we might expect the N. and S. run of the submergi'd valleys wouhl have a«!ted as guides to the icebergs, which would then have floated from north to south as they orte(l from low to high levels would nil have l)een swept down again iulo Ihe hollows. 208 PU0CEEDING8 OF THE GEO LOGICAL SOCIETY. tho sea, and nearly that height above the river, which is tidal far above Albany. The strike, both of tho Silurian and Devonian rocks of the lower hills, is nearly north and south ; and, after traversing a broken country for ten or twelve miles, tho Catskill Range itself rises in a long north and south escarpment, nearly 3000 feet above the hilly ground that lies between it and the river. At tho town of Catskill, striations on the smoothed surfaces run nearly north and south, following tho trend of the Hudson Valley between the Catskill and Green Mountains; and at other points between the river and the mountains they run about N.N.E. 1 was anxious to discover if on the Catskill Mountains themselves there were any signs of true gUicier-action, this range being much higher than any other eleva- tions which I had an opportunity of ascending. The low country is as much or even more glaciated than Anglesea ; and the mountains are as high as Snowdon ; and — though in latitude 42° N., whereas North Wales is in latitude 52° to 53° — other conditions seemed very much the same. Observations also in this region were of more importance, since I am not aware that evidences of any kind of glaciation on these heights had previously been definitely recorded. The accompanying sketch-map (fig. 3), constructed on the spot, Avill give an idea of the topography of that part of the range which I examined. I ascended from the mouth of the valley misnamed " Sleepy Hollow," up the stoop and winding road to Mountain House. The mountain is almost everywhere covered by dense wood, so that, except on the roadside, it is comparatively rare to find the rocks uncovered. In " Sleepy Hollow" the road runs nearly east and west. Occasionally local drift lies on its steep northern side ; and on the smoothed surfaces i>f rock I observed a few striations from N. to S., and others from E. to W. The former ran up and down tho hill towards the brook ; and the latter were on the vertical faces of the little cliffs, up and down the valley. Passing the bend where the road crosses the brook, striations became frequent ; and I was surprised to find that all of them ran nearly N. and S. along the flanks of the escarpment, and not from W. to E. down the slope of the hill. For a time I thought that as I ascended higher they would cease altogether ; but, so far from this being the case, I was alike pleased and astonished to find that they continued erpially strong and fre()uent up to tho plateau on which the Hotel stands, 2850 feet above the sea ; and all, hut a feu) of the lust, van not across. Out aloiuj the face of the escarjiment. By twenty compass-observations made on clearly defined stria- tions, the chief grooves run between S. 22° E. and S. 55° W. Among these, one runs S. 22° E., two S. 10'' E., two N. and S., one S. 10° W., six S. 22° W., one S. 30° W., two S. 55° W., and one W. 10° N. The variations seem somewhat connected with bends and other u'regularities in the face of the great escaqimcn.. One of the observations (S. 55° W.) was made on tho well-s(!ratched plateau on which the Hotel stands, about 120 feet above the lower part of a gorge ^ which tht The othe head of t! Fig. 3.- i of the a iittl seen, those the ii aN. found "rate 'r RAMSAY DUIKT-I'KKIOD OK CANADA. 209 ih is tidal far 'ovonian rockK T traversing a nge itsolf rises |leet above the t the town of rly north and jen the Catskill |e river and the discover if on signs of true ly other eleva- low country is the mountains iJ° N., whereas IS seemed very were of more f any kind of itely recorded, the spot, mil range which I amed " Sleepy 1 House. The wood, so that, find the rocks east and west. le ; and on the from N. to S., down the hill il faces of the •ook, striations t all of them ment, and not me I thought r ; but, so far astonished to nt up to the the sea ; and the face of the defined stria- d H. 55° W. i. and S., one W., and one ith bends and One of the tched plateau lower part of a gorge which here crosses the watershed towards the lakes, in which the stream rises that, further down, forms the Falls of Catskill. The other is at the bend of the road N.E. of the hotel, near the head of the stream. In the lowest part of the gorge, on the summit Fig. ;]. — Hketch-mit]} o/ a jtortloa of the Catskill Mountalm, showing the Directions of the Sfriw near Mountain House. ^ of the watershed, many s(|uare yards of smoothed rock arc exposed a iittle off the road ; and in this plateau numerous main grooves are seen, passing across the hill, and nearly at right angles to most of those observed during the ascent, seemingly pointing to the fact that the i(jebergs, whidi striated the eastern flanks of the mountains in a N. and 8. direction, wlien the whole was nearly submerged here found a ])assage or strait, through which they sometimes Hoated and grated the bottom in a direction (piite across that which they worv n f 210 I'BOCKEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. forced to follow when passing along the great escai-pment that now faces the Hudson. Though the principal grooves nin in the directions stated, many minor striations, such as might he expected from floating ice, cross them at various angles. From this point 1 made two excursions into the higher parts of the range, in the hope of finding similar markings ; but so dense is the forest, that it took two hours to walk a mile ; and though in several places the rocks were exposed, they were too much weather-worn to aftbrd all the usual indications. Nevertheless the rounded contours of all the mountain -tops always impressed me w^th the idea of glacial abrasion ; and if, as I believe, they were contoured and striated by floating ice, then the drift-sea of the Hudson Valley was at least 3000 feet deep, — and probably more, if, as is likely, the higher peaks were also submerged. Judging by the general uniformity that seems to have ])revailed over North America in changes of level, it would probably be safe to infer that this submergence also extended to the Laurentine and other mountain-chains in the eastern part of North America. Allowing that the striations on the eastern flank of the great range were made by floating ice, it still does not follow that in the interior there should be no traces of glaciers in the narrow valleys on the opposite watershed, — such glaciers, if they ever existed, being like some of those in North Wales, of later date than the emergence of the country from the drift sea. I had an opportunity of testing this. In the gorge close to the south shore of the little lakes, the striations still run W. 10° N. ; and below that point the valley, desceTiding westward from 5° to 10°, is covered with boulders of Cutskill sandstone (see fig. 3). About a mile and a half down, at the Falls of Cutskill, the valley suddenly deepens; and about two miles further it curves round to the S.E. and S. ; and finally the sti-eam escapes from the Catskill Range, and flows towards the Hud- son. On either side the valley is bounded by high steep slopes and Fig. 4. — ISiTtInn of the Valhij hehw the Falls of Catskill, shoiciiKj liottlder-cli'ift covcrintt its sides. N. 1. Drift. 2. Red Sandstone and Conglomerate. al)rupt clift's ; and the height and form of the ground is such that, under favourable circumstances, it seemed as well adapted for the fornuition of a glacier as many of the valleys of North Wales, had T. RAMSAY — DKIFT-PEHIOD OF CANADA. 211 ■pment that now ms stated, many loating ice, cross gher parts of tho so dcnso is tho lough in several weather-worn ■oiinded contours le idea of glacial ed and striated Hey was at least kely, the higher icral uniformity changes of level, iibmergence also ns in tho eastern nk of the great jllow that in the e narrow valleys or existed, being n the emergence tunity of testing little lakes, the >oint the valley, vith boulders of a half down, at and about two and finally the •wards the Hud- steep slojjos and i Catshill, N. •Bte. fid is such that, (lupted for tho rth Wales, had the conditions for such a result been alike ''ropitious. But tho evidence is opposed to any such conclusiorip aw no well-marked rochen moutonnees, no traces of moraines; a* -xo forest-clad slopes are mostly covered with deep local gravel and L.-jiilder-drift, many of the stones in which arc sci'atched. Had a glacier existed there since the drift-period, the drift would have been ploughed out of tho valley by the glacier, in the manner that it was removed by the gla- ciers of the Passes of Llanberis and Nant Francon in North Wales ; whereas nothing has been removed, except a portion of the drift by the torrent that now flows in the bottom* (see fig. 4). Probable equivalency of the Drift of the Umlson Valley with that of Lake Chainplain and of Montreal. — I have now a few remarks to oflcsr on a part of tlie drift itself. South of Albany the Hudson flows tlirough a broad valley full of minor undulations, between the Catskill and the Green Mountains. On the banks of the river are extensive beds of sandy clay, from which the bricks are made of which Albany is built. The city stands on this clay, which extends far dowTi the river towards New York, and northward into the Valley of the Mohawk, and as I shall show, probably also into the valley of liake Champlain. Beyond the river-bank it stretches E. and W. on tlic undulating ground towards the mountains, rising, six miles in the direction of the Helderberg, far above the level of the river. At its edge, Mr. Hall pointed out to me that the sands, gravels, and boulder- clay of the ordinary drift pass under it. The superficial deposits of the valley of the Hudson, therefore, consist of two subdivisions: first, the older boulder-beds ; and, second, the laminated clay, which at Albany is a thick formation, finely and evenly bedded in layers of 1 or 2 inches thick, the argillo-arenaceous laminie of which gi-aduato into each other in shades of bluish-gi-ey, brown, and bro\vnish- yellow, producing a beautifully ribanded aspect, and giving the im- pression of a succession of repeated alternations of tranquil deposi- tions in still water. Eouldera occur in it rarely ; and the top is covered with sand, which may possibly represent the uppermost sandy beds of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa districts. I searched in vain for fossils, both in the paper-like lamina; of clay, and in the abundant concretions, resembling those of the vaUey of the Ottawa which contain the fossil fish Mallotus villosiis. The Hudson runs nearly straight north and south ; and forty miles above Albany, at Sandy Hill, the Champlain Canal joins the river to Lake Champlain, which also trends north and south, and, separated by a low watershed, lies in wliat must be considered a continuation of the valley of the Hudson. The lake is DO feet above the level of the sea ; and *m the Vermont shore, 150 feet above the sea, there is a section of six feet and a half of regularly stratified clay and sand, ovei'lyiug an older blue clay (tho older chift), in which were foimd, by Professor Zadoc Thompson, Sanyninolaria fiisca, Mya arenaria, * I WHS informed by Professor Agaasiz, that in tho Wliite Mountains, which risto more than (KXM) feet above the sea, there are in the higher regions distinct indications of ancient glaciers ; and if this be the case, the same phenomena may be looked for in the mountains of Gaspe. .1! 212 PROCEEDINGS OF TUE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETT. ii Saximva rugosa, and MytUa$ edulis, and at tlie bottom the bones of a Cetacean aHsociated with IS. rwjosa and a Nucula or, more probably, Leda. The Leda-clay of Dr. Dawson, at Montreal, is also about lid feet above the river, or 140 feet above the level of the sea. If the so-called ^^ Nucula" of Lake Charaplain be Leda Portlandica, the Montreal bods contain the same assemblage of fossils (except San- guinohiria fusca). In the Montreal beds Sir Wm. Logan also found u number of tlio caudal vertebra) of a Cetacean. The beds at Green's Creek, Ottawa, containing the same assemblage of shells, MuUotm villosm, and remains of Seals, are 118 feet above Lake St. Peter, and 140-150 feet above the sea. Marine sheUs (Sa.vicava ruyosa, Mya, Mytilus edulis, and Telllna Gronnlandica) occur at Kingston, at the entrance to Lake Ontario. Dr. Dawson shows good reason why the above-named fossiliferous deposits on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa should be considered eciuivalents. In addition, I am of opinion that this conclusion may be extended to the Kingston beds, and that the beds of Lake Champlain leading down to those of the Hudson are of the same date ; and if so, then I cannot doubt that the laminated clay that overlies the older boulder-drift of the Hudson Valley is a larger development of the same formation, the whole having been deposited at the close of the drift-period. In that case, a long marine strait filled the valley of the Hudson, and communicated wth the sea that, according to Dr. Dawson, then occu- pied the whole of Lower Canada south of the Laurentine Chain, and, stretching westward, covered the area of Lake Ontario, and washed the great Niagara escarpment which fonncd its southern coast. Frohahle date of the origin of Niaijara Falls. — It has been shown by Mr. Hall and Sir Charles Lyell, that when the Niagara escarpment rose above the water, the Falls of Niagara began by the di-ainage of the upper lake-area falling into the sea over the edge of the escarpment above Quecnstown and Lewistown. It is not impro- bable that Lake Erie extended at that period much fui'ther towards the present Falls ; and, agreeing in the general conclusions of these observers and of Dawson, it follows that, if the sea of the Leda-clay washed the base of the escarjiment, the Fulls of Niarfara commenced durimj the deposition of that claj/, or a little hefore the close of the drift-period*. If, with accumulated data, the rate of the past re- cession of the Falls bo actually detenninable, we shall then be in a condition approximately to show the actual number of ycai-s that have elapsed since the close of the North American drift. It may perhaps appear that the approximate period of 35,000 years, given by Sir Charles Lyell for the erosion of the gorge, is below the reality. Drift and other Late Tertiary dejiosits at Niagara. — I have little * It is well known that tlie Niagara escarpment is of older date tlian the drift. Lake Erie is .32".) feet above Lake Ontario ; and the older boulder-drift lies indif- ferently on the lower plain and on the table-land. No one has jet atteinptt-d to show at what period this old coivst-cliiT, about 400 miles in length, was formed. The upper platform, on a grand scale, bears the same physiral relation to the roeks of Lake Ontario that the Oolitic escarpment and table-land in England floes to the Lias and plains of New Red Marl below. It No^ ^ ttom tho boncH of r, more probably, is also about 12(» the sea. If tho PorthmiUca, the isils (except San- Logan also found le beds at Green's sheUs, MuUotm Lake St. Peter, Sa.vicava riujosu, cur at Kingston, ows good reason le St. Lawrence II addition, 1 am to the Kingston ig down to those n I cannot doubt boulder-drift of same formation, drift-period. In tho Hudson, and iwson, then occu- itine Chain, and, ario, and washed them coast. ; lias been shown ugara escarpment by the di-ainage the edge of the [t is not impro- 1 fui'ther towards elusions of those of the Leda-clay //-/rtm commenced ' the close of the of the i)ast re- lall then be in a '1- of years that I drift. It may H)0 years, given 3I0W tho reality. . — I have little lato than tlie drift, ler-drift lies indif- is .yet attoninted to ngtli, was foniu'd. al relation to the -land in Engluud KAMSAY DRIFT- PEUIOD OF CANADA. 213 to add to tho account of the Later Tortiaries of Niagara given by Sir Charles Lyell and Professor Hall. Above the falls a terrace of drift with boulders forms the left or Canadian bank of the river. Just before I'eaching tho Horse-shoo Fall, the terraced bank recedes ; and a plateau of Niagara limestone lies between it and the edge of the gorge. A road, \\ith a deep cutting in the drift, iiscends the slope on the left between Table Hock and Clifton House, at right angles to th«; river. First there is a gentlo slope of 35 feet, then a raj)id scarped rise of 85 feet, and behind tho railway a second low terrace. The first and second slopes, 120 feet high in all, consist of sandy loam (Nos. 3 and 2 in fig. 5), with scratched stones and small boulders; and the upper terrace (No. 1) is fornu'd of 15 feet of red day, thinly stratified, also containing an- gular boulders and scratclied stones of Laurentian gneiss, and of Niagara limestones and other Silurian rocks. The top of the upper Fig. 5. — Section of the Later Tertiary beds near Niagara Falls. 1. Reil clay, with atriuted boulders, IS lent thirk. 2. Sandy loam with scratched stones and small boulders, H'l feet. 3. Sandy loam, 35 feet. 4. Niagara Limestone, 5. Niagara Shale. 6. Talus. Uiver. escarpment of drift fonns the highest part of the whole jjlateau. Being 135 feet above tho edge of the fall, its top is (50 feet above liake Erie, wliich is only 70 feet above that edge. The edge of the great escarpment above Lcwiston is said by Mr. Hall to be 70 feet above the top of the fall ; and therefore the escarpment No. 1 of the accompanying diagram (fig. 5) is also 65 feet, and No. 2, 50 feet higher than tho top of the escarpment above Lcwiston, and 45 feet above T^ake Eric. If this drift once extended across the space now occupied by the gorge, as shown by the dotted lines, Lake Erie may originally have extended thus far, and after a time the river gra- dually cut out a channel in the drift and formed both terraces ; or else an original terraced channel existed, formed during the emergence of the country, the; terraces being formed by marine denudation*. The lower terrace has, in part at least, been excavated by the river, which, before the formation of the gorge, here spread into a * It deserves to bo stated, that half-way u]) tho euttiiig, on the surface, 1 found a Ci/ifun; and another was found by Sir Wni. Logan, with whom I mea- sured the section, on the same ten'ace, behind Clifton House. Some bits of plate of the "willow-pattern," however, lay near my shell; and that found by Sir Win. I;Ogan was on groinid that had been stirred with tho spade; and we came to the conclusion that the cvidenco they afl'orded was of \ct\ doubtful value. 214 PBOCEEDWOS OF THE OEOLOOICAI, SOCIETY. f broud reach, like that above the Falls. It is on a continuation of this platform, about a quarter of a mile below Clifton House, be- tween the drift-terrace and the edge of the gorge, that tlie strata containing existing river-shells occur (fig. 6). Fig. 6. — Section shoiving the position of the Freshwater beds above the Gorge of the Niagara, River. I. Freihwater bedi. 3, Drift, with boulders. 3. Niagara Limestone. 4. Niagara Shale. 5. Talus. This drift-terrace Sir Charles Lyell has shown to bo aa old a« the Mastodon-period. The freshwater beds lie in a shallow hollow on the limestone. They consist of remodelled drift, and some of the stones are scratched ; but whether the scratches made in the older drift-period have not been worn away, or whether the stones were scratched by river-ice is uncertain. The floor of Niagara limestone is here deeply furrowed, the striations and minor scratches crossing each other at various angles ; but the majority nin'H. 30° W. They follow the general direction of the other striations of the country, that underlie the drift. On Goat Island, Sir \Vm. Logan and I obseiTed that the fluviatile strata lie on drift, — a circumstance, I believe, not previously noticed. It consists, at the base, of sand ; and above, of clay horizontally and evenly bedded, containing scratched stones and boulders. As shown in Sir Charles Ly ell's diagram*, at the eastern end of the island the Niagara limestone rises a few feet above the river, in the still re- cesses of which are numerous living shell-fish. Between this point and the summit of the island overlooking the Falls, there is a gradual fall of 15 feet, showing the slope of the river-bed when Goat Island was covered with water. The drift at this point is 29 feet thick, and the freshwater beds above 10 feet, giving 39 foot for the height of the island above the water at the edge of the Falls. Allowing a dip of 25 feet in a mile for the general dip of the limestone. Goat Island was covered with water when the Falls were prol)ably about one mile and a half further down than at present. With regard to the retrocession of the fall, as might be expected, its rate is fastest when the body of falling water is greatest, this cause of waste being far more powerfid than the winter's frost. Towards the baso of the edges of the Horse-shoo Fall, and at the American Fall, blocks of limestone are accumulated in great heaps, while in the middle of the Horse-shoo Fall the turmoil is so great that it scoops * Travels in North America, vol. i. p. 37. out the in tlR' Full, th during /V6' V f r r ^ N V continuation of ["ton Hoiuso, be- that the strata iter beds above (Jr. uldera. Mtone. KAMHAV I)UtlT-l'KKIOI» OF CANAKA. 216 out the shale beneath so de('[)ly that the great fallen blocks are lost in the abyss. Where the body of water is small in the American Fall, the edge has onlv receded a few yards (where most er(jded). during the tirao that the Canadian Fall has receded from tlu» noi-th corner of Goat Island to the innorjnost curve of the Horse-shoe Fall. )o as old 08 the Uow hollow on d some of the do in the older he stones were gara limestone atchea crossing 30° W. They }f the country, it the fluviatile aously noticed, arizontally and irs. As shown the island the 1 the still re- .'cen this point re is a gradual ?n Goat Island 29 feet thick, for the height . Allowing a mestone, Goat irobably about ^'ith regard to rate is iastest itiso of wfiste ^ards the base merican Fall, while in the that it scoops n