SITES OF GEOLOGIC INTEREST IN THE MCKAY WILDLIFE PRESERVE AND NATURE TRAIL IN CALEDONIA, NEW YORK

The McKay Wildlife Preserve Nature Trail was laid out by Barry Ganzhorn on land donated to the Village of Caledonia. Ganzhorn contacted the Department of Geological Sciences at State University of New York College at Geneseo to aid in the identification of rocks along the trail as part of an overall public education plan. Eleven sites of geologic interest were identified and later located using a handheld Global Positioning System instrument. Small descriptive placards were produced and mounted along the trail. An introduction to the geology of the park, including the geologic time scale, marks the beginning of the trail near the parking lot.

The Devonian Onondaga Formation is exposed in the park, which contains marine fossils, such as brachiopods, corals, and crinoids. Dark chert from the Onondaga, which was used by Native Americans for implements and projectile points, is also common. Glaciation and karst are the erosional processes that have formed the modern landscape. Glacial erratics exist throughout the park, and originated in the Canadian Shield and western New York State. These erratics are commonly gneiss, granite, and sandstones. Additionally, glacial polishing is evident along the Onondaga bedrock. Several mushroom-shaped boulders and a large sinkhole indicate the presence of karst.