Glacial Geomorphology and Bedrock Geology in Altamont, NY Nick Pattison

Altamont, NY: Schoharie to the west, Albany to the east Figure 1a: after NYS Department of Health, Figure 1b: from Wikipedia, Figure 1c: from Greene, Altamont

Stratigraphy of Altamont Region Karst features Helderberg Escarpment, Limestone with interbedded shale from Weremeichik, 2013.

Karst Features: Caves of the Helderberg Plateau Question: Using U/Th dating in Speleothems, how long have the caves in the Helderberg Plateau been developing? Figure from Lauritzen and Mylroie, 2000

Glacial History: Glacial Lake Schoharie Question: What do the varved clays (tan and grey) tell about the glacial history of the Cobleskill Plateau? Figure From Weremeichik, 2014.

Caves Features: Trunk Passage Between Howe Caverns and McFails Cave Question: Where and how did the abandoned trunk passage develop? Methods: Dye testing, GPR (Ground- Penetrating Radar) surveying Results: nothing conclusive: Lots of karst features, a few “voids” (underground open karst-created spaces), lots of till Figure From Weremeichik, 2015.

Geomorphological Features: Helderberg Escarpment Albany county: “The Great Plains” Altamont New Salem Figure From New York State Archives,

Geomorphological Features: Thompson’s lake and Onesquethaw river Highly soluble bedrock (limestone) Jointed bedrock Figure from Mike Nardacci, 2015

Caves Features: Clarksville cave and Onesquethaw cave Question: How can we tell if a cave is post-glacial or pre-glacial? Drainage patterns into caveSpeleothem dating Floodwater (Phreatic) channels Positioning among the bedrock/sediments Figure from Cooper and Mylroie, 2015.

Glacial History: Glacial Lake Albany’s Sand Dunes and Lagoon What is important about this area, presently and in geologic history? Aquifer for nearby towns Rare kind of pitch pines Western edge of Lake Albany, deposits and present terrain tell story of lake lowering and sediment infilling Figure from Dineen, 1982

Glacial History: Drainage of Lake Albany Dam? – Highlands Gorge Terminal Moraine: The Ronkonkoma Moraine - from Staten Island across Long Island (the Narrows) Not one event, but a process Sparkill Gap into lake Hackensack Final Drainage: Flood from Lake Iroquois and Vermont: Lake Albany floods, breaks moraine and Sparkill, water levels drop Figure from Uchupi et al., 2001

My Own Observations: Glacial Sediments and Present-day Aquifers Drawing of the early waterline of Glacial Lake Schoharie + section of map of unconfined aquifers in NYS Why? Glacial till + Lake Silts and Clays Left: from Weremeichik, 2014 Right: from Bugliosi et al., 1988.

References Bugliosi, E.F, R.A. Trudell, and G.D. Casey, Potential Yields of Wells in Unconsolidated Aquifers in Upstate New York -- Hudson-Mohawk Sheet. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report Dineen, R.J., The Geology of the Pine Bush Aquifer, North-Central Albany County, New York. New York State Museum, Bulletin Number 449. Greene, N., History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Vol. 2, pp Lauritzen, Stein-Erik and J.E. Mylroie, Results of a Speleothem U/Th Dating Reconnaissance from the Helderberg Plateau, New York. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. New York State Archives, New York State Department of Health, at (Accessed 9 April, 2016). Mike Nardacci, onesquethaw-valley-bit-classic-chinesehttps://altamontenterprise.com/opinion/columns/back-roads-geology/ /tower-karst- onesquethaw-valley-bit-classic-chinese Uchupi, E. Driscoll, N., Ballard, R.D., Bolmer, S.T., Drainage of late Wisconsin glacial lakes and the morphology and late Quaternary stratigraphy of the New Jersey-southern New England continental shelf and slope. Elsevier Scienve and Marine Geology, v. 172, p Weremeichik, J.M., Paleoenvironmental reconstruction by identification of glacial cave deposits, Helderberg Plateau, Schoharie County. Masters thesis. Mississippi State University. Weremeichik, J.M. and J.E. Mylroie, Glacial Lake Schoharie: an Investigative Study of Glaciolacustrine Lithofacies in Caves, Helderberg Plateau, Central New York. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, v. 76, no. 2, 127–138. Weremeichik, J.M., An Obstructed Cave Passage in the Cobleskill Plateau: A Gravimetric Study. AIMS Geosciences, 1 : Wikipedia, At (Accessed 9 April, 2016).