Potsdam Sandstone

Potsdam Sandstone
Stratigraphic range: Latest Guzhangian–Furongian[1][2]
Old Snell Hall at Clarkson University was built with Potsdam Sandstone.[3]
TypeGeological formation
Sub-units
AreaEastern North America
Lithology
PrimaryOrthoquartzite
OtherConglomerates, local siltstone lenses[7]

The Potsdam Sandstone, more formally known as the Potsdam Group, is a geologic unit of mid-to-late Cambrian age found in Northern New York and northern Vermont and Quebec and Ontario. A well-cemented sandstone of nearly pure quartz, in the 19th century it was widely used in construction and in refractory linings for iron furnaces.[8]

  1. ^ Salad Hersi, O. & Lavoie, D. (2000). "Lithostratigraphic revision of the Upper Cambrian Cairnside Formation, upper Potsdam Group, southwestern Quebec. Geol. Surv. Canada, Curr. Res. D4, 1–8" (PDF). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ Derby, James; Fritz, Richard; Longacre, Susan; Morgan, William; Sternbach, Charles (2013-01-20). The Great American Carbonate Bank: The Geology and Economic Resources of the Cambrian-Ordovician Sauk Megasequence of Laurentia, AAPG Memoir 98. ISBN 9780891813804.
  3. ^ A Short History of Potsdam Sandstone, Potsdam Public Museum website, accessed July 29, 2011
  4. ^ Lavoie, D; Hamblin, A P; Thúriault, R; Beaulieu, J; Kirkwood, D. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5900.
  5. ^ "Covey Hill Formation".
  6. ^ "Compendium of Rocks Units in Indiana - A Revision".
  7. ^ Kirwan, J. L. (1963). "The age of the Nepean (Potsdam) sandstone in eastern Ontario". American Journal of Science. 261 (2): 108–110. Bibcode:1963AmJS..261..108K. doi:10.2475/ajs.261.2.108.
  8. ^ James Carl, Potsdam Sandstone: Composition and Qualities, Potsdam Public Museum website, accessed July 29, 2011