Gravels Of The Glacial Age

Some 10,000 or inore years ago the conditions which had brought about the great ice age were beginning to change Thö elevated land began to sink, and a higher teruperature slowly followed. The long winter was gradually drawing to a close, and the great springtime of the vvorld was beginning to basten its influence upon an ice covered land. Tons, rather monntains, of ice began to inelt, and the water filled the river valleys to ovsrflowing. Gravel, saud and mud were borne along by these raging waters and deposited wherever the conditions were favorable. Ice raf ts covered the snrfact; of the flood, bearing rocks and bowlders from more northern kinds. All rivers which had glacial sources were greatly influenced by the final melting. As the southeru part of the ice sheet rested over northern Pennsylvania, the Delawareand the Susquehanna were typical rivers of the age. Therocks and gravéis which line their banks show how woll they have kept the record. In the Delaware valley brick clay and gravel are laid ont in beautiful terraces, especial ly at Stroudsburg and the Water Gap. Here the waters rose some 300 í'eet, aml an artificial dam is supposed to have formed the river into a broad lake. The Indiana, it is said, have a curious legend about this flood. They teil us that the "Minsies" were the first raue which dwelt here, and the región round about they cali "Minisink, " meaning that the "waters are eone"' - a vaaue remenibrance nerlinnij of the postglacial floods.