The Glacial Geology of the Hudson River Gorge based on Bridge Crossings between Albany Coveville and Newburgh, NY By ROBERT DINEEN Lamb Cottage Geigertown, PA ERIC HANSON Hanson-Van Vleet Clifton Park, NY

St. Lawrence Lowlands Lowlands Champlain Lowla Lowlands Ontario Lowlands Erie Lowlands Allegheny Plateau Adirondack Mountains New England Uplands Connecticut Lowlands Mohawk Lowlands PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCES Lowlands Hudson Lowlands COVEVILLE NEWBURGH ALBANY

Study Area NEWBURGH COVEVILLE

YOUNGER DRYAS STADE 11,000 13,000 12,000 15,000 14,000 AGE IN C-14 YEARS TWO CREEKS INTERSTADE PORT HURON STADE MACKINAW INTERSTADE PORT BRUCE STADE ERIE INTERSTADE NISSOURI STADE HELL HOLLOW TILL LITTLE FALLS GRAVEL MOHAWK TILL: MIDDLEBURGH-ROSENDALE READVANCE LAKE ALBANY II LAKE QUAKER SPRINGS LAKE COVEVILLE “LAKE” FORT ANN HUDSON RIVER LATE PLEISTOCENE STRATIGRAPHY ?LITTLE FALLS GRAVEL? 16,000 ?HELL HOLLOW TILL? LAKE HUDSON LAKE STAGES EASTERN NYS STRATIGRAPHY Catastrophic floods through Mohawk Valley (3X) Catastrophic floods through Champlain Lowlands (2X+) Tide waters in lower Hudson Valley 11.8k 10.9k 13.2?k 10.5k CHAMPLAIN SEA Outflow from Lake Vermont GLACIAL STRATIGRAPHY LAKE ALBANY I

PREGLACIAL DRAINAGE THREE MAJOR PREGLACIAL CHANNELS Mohawk Colonie Batten Kill-Hudson THREE TRIBUTARIES Alplaus Batten Kill Hoosic COLONIE MOHAWK BATTEN KILL-HUDSON BATTEN KILL HOOSIC ALBANY 010 KM SARATOGA SPRINGS RAVENA COVEVILLE GLENS FALLS FORT ANN

SCHENECTADY ALBANY TROY SARATOGA SPRINGS MOHAWK RIVER HUDSON RIVER SARATOGA LAKE COVEVILLE NORTHERN REACH COLONIE CHANNEL MOHAWK CHANNEL ALPLAUS CHANNEL GLENS FALLS FORT ANN

SCHENECTADY ALBANY TROY SARATOGA SPRINGS COVEVILLE HUDSON RIVER SCHENECTADY DELTA BATTEN KILL DELTA HOOSIC DELTA IRO-MOHAWK NORTHERN REACH FORT ANN

K K’ COVEVILLE S S’S’ C C’ WW’ Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Cross- Section NORTHERN REACH ALBANY FORT ANN

200 ft SL KROMA KILL STILLWATER CAMPBELL ISLAND WATERFORD 02,000 FEET HOLOCENE ALLUVIUM FORT ANN LAKE ALBANY SAND LAKE ALBANY DELTAICS LAKE ALBANY CLAY and SILT ICE-CONTACT STRATIFIED DRIFT TILL LEGEND 10X Vertical Exaggeration View from the South (Upstream) KK’ SS’ CC’ WW’ NORTHERN REACH LITHOLOGY

200 ft SL KROMA KILL STILLWATER CAMPBELL ISLAND WATERFORD 0 2,000 FEET Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Hoosic Delta Coveville gravel NORTHERN REACHSTRATIGRAPHY Preglacial Tributary LA II

200 ft SL KROMA KILL STILLWATER CAMPBELL ISLAND WATERFORD 0 2,000 FEET 230 ft 180 ft 210 ft 250 ft DEPTH of SCOURNORTHERN REACH

Mohawk Channel Colonie Channel Alplaus Channel Colonie Channel Corning Connection Hudson-Batten Kill Channel ALBANY REACH ALBANY SCHENECTADY COHOES Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Cross- Section TT’ I I’ A’ G G’ Cohoes C-14 Site A RENSSELAER

TROY-MENANDS INTERSTATE I-90 ALBANY-RENSSELEAR GLENMONT 200 ft SL 2,000 0 FEET View from the South (Upstream) 10X Vertical Exaggeration ICE-CONTACT STRATIFIED DRIFT LEGEND HOLOCENE ALLUVIUM FORT ANN LAKE ALBANY SAND LAKE ALBANY CLAY and SILT TILL TT’ II’ AA’ GG’ SEISMIC ? ALBANY REACH LITHOLOGY

TROY-MENANDS INTERSTATE I-90 ALBANY-RENSSELEAR GLENMONT 200 ft SL 2,000 0 FEET SEISMIC Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson? Flood-Scoured Bedrock Loudonville Esker Complex ALBANY REACH STRATIGRAPHY LA I & II

TROY-MENANDS INTERSTATE I-90 ALBANY-RENSSELEAR GLENMONT 200 ft SL 2,000 0 FEET SEISMIC DEPTH of SCOUR 270 ft 240 ft 270 ft ALBANY REACH

B’ RAVENA HUDSON CATSKILL CONFLUENCE REACH Colonie Channel Batten Kill-Hudson Channel Mohawk Channel SCHENECTADY B C C’ NN’ S S’

COEYMANS STOCKPORT NEW BALTIMORE BERKSHIRE SPUR 200 ft -200 ft SL 0 2,000 SEISMIC HOLOCENE ALLUVIUM FORT ANN LAKE ALBANY SAND LAKE ALBANY DELTAICS LAKE ALBANY CLAY and SILT ICE-CONTACT STRATIFIED DRIFT TILL LEGEND View from the South (Upstream) 10X Vertical Exaggeration CONFLUENCE REACH BB’ CC’ NN’ S S’ SL LITHOLOGY

COEYMANS STOCKPORT NEW BALTIMORE BERKSHIRE SPUR 200 ft -200 ft SL 0 2,000 SEISMIC Preglacial Batten Kill- Hudson Above the Batten Kill- Hudson/Colonie Confluence At the Batten Kill- Hudson/Colonie Confluence Flood-Scoured Bedrock Flood-Scoured Bedrock Flood-Scoured Bedrock Flood-Scoured Bedrock CONFLUENCE REACH STRATIGRAPHY LA I & II

COEYMANS STOCKPORT NEW BALTIMORE BERKSHIRE SPUR 200 ft -200 ft SL 0 2,000 SEISMIC DEPTH of SCOUR >260 ft 260 ft >260 ft CONFLUENCE REACH

HUDSON KINGSTON POUGHKEEPSIE NeEWBURGH RVW KR KR’ RVW’ MHP MHP’ NB NB’ SOUTHERN REACH

Ravena Hudson Catskill SOUTHERN REACH Colonie Channel Batten Kill-Hudson Channel Mohawk Channel Schenectady RVWRVW’

MHP’ Kingston Poughkeepsie Newburgh MHP KR KR’ NB NB’ SOUTHERN REACH

KINGSTON- RHINECLIFF MID-HUDSON - POUGHKEEPSIE NEWBURGH-BEACON RIP VAN WINKLE 200 ft -200 ft 200 ft -200 ft SL 0 2,000 HOLOCENE ALLUVIUM HOLOCENE TIDAL MUDS QUAKER SPRINGS- COVEVILLE-FORT ANN LAKE ALBANY CLAY and SILT MIDDLEBURGH-ROSENDALE OUTWASH TILL LITTLE FALLS GRAVEL(?) View from the South (Upstream) 10X Vertical Exaggeration LEGEND SOUTHERN REACH KR’KR RPWRPW’ MHP’MHP NB’NB LITHOLOGY

KINGSTON- RHINECLIFF MID-HUDSON - POUGHKEEPSIE NEWBURGH-BEACON RIP VAN WINKLE 200 ft -200 ft 200 ft -200 ft SL 0 2,000 Flood-Scoured Bedrock Compact below -200 feet Transition to Organic Silt Boulder Gravel: Head-of-Outwash Boulder Gravel SOUTHERN REACH STRATIGRAPHY Holocene Tidal Delta Till over ICSD QS-CV-FA Marine Sediment Little Falls Gravel

KINGSTON- RHINECLIFF MID-HUDSON - POUGHKEEPSIE NEWBURGH-BEACON RIP VAN WINKLE 200 ft -200 ft 200 ft -200 ft SL 0 2,000 DEPTH of SCOUR 250 ft 310 ft 315 ft 290 ft SOUTHERN REACH

HOW DEM By Janet Manchester NYSGS K-R HOW RED HOOK MORAINE C&S 1986 Well w/ Till over ICSD Dineen exposure C&S exposure Striae HOW Head- Of-Outwash R ML ROSENDALE READVANCE REVISITED

SUMMARY and CONCLUSIONS I The Modern Hudson River’s floodplain deposits grade from alluvial sand and gravel at the Kroma Kill section to sand with gravel at the Albany-Troy section, to tidal delta sand at the Rip Van Winkle section. They grade into Organic-matter rich tidal silts from the Kingston Rhinecliff to the Newburgh-Beacon cross sections. The trough eroded through the Lake Albany deposits is 230 ft deep at the Kroma Kill cross section, deepening to 315 ft deep at the Newburgh-Beacon Cross section. Depth of Scour X-SECT KROMA KILL STILL CAMP WATER TROY I-90 ALBANY GLEN DEPTH in FEET X-SECT BERK COEY NEW BALT STOCK RVWK-RMHPN-B DEPTH in FEET 260???

The Fort Ann catastrophic flood deposits can be traced from the Kroma Kill to the Kingston-Rhinecliff cross sections. The Coveville and Quaker Springs catastrophic flood deposits can be traced from the Coeymans to the Kingston-Rhinecliff cross sections. The Head-of-Outwash for the Middleburgh-Rosendale Readvance is a short distance north of the Mid-Hudson-Poughkeepsie section. The coarse sands and gravels at the base of the Rip Van Winkle and the Kingston-Rhinecliff cross sections are outwash from the retreating Middleburgh-Rosendale readvance. The compact, bouldery sand and gravel at the base of the Newburgh-Beacon cross section is the Little Falls Gravel. SUMMARY and CONCLUSIONS II