Geology of New Jersey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since March 2007.

The Geology of New Jersey consists of four distinct physiographic provinces. They are: (listed from the south to the north) the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province, the Piedmont Province, the Highlands Province, and the Ridge and Valley Province.


Contents

[edit] Costal Plain

The largest province in the state, encompasses the southeast part of the state below the fall zone from Trenton to Woodbridge. It contains a large wedge of unconsolidated sediments that have been deposited since the Cretaceous Period. These sediments continue off-shore until the continental shelf edge in the Atlantic Ocean. Topography is realatively flat with a few hills of erosion resistant sediments containing gravel or iron-sedimented sands.[1] The province is divided further into three subprovinces: the Lowland section which are flat, often inundadted areas of tidal marshes, back bays, and barrier islands. This section generally follows the coastline, Delaware Bay, and Delaware River. The intermediate upland section are raised areas inland and are best suited for farming and other agriculture. The sands of the coastal plain have been mined for foundry sand and sand used for glass making. And finally, the upland section; which home to the New Jersey Pine Barrens and Fort Dix. Glauconite is commonly found in this section, especially around Freehold Township, New Jersey.[2]

[edit] Piedmont

A majority of the rocks in this province are a part of the Newark Supergroup. They include the Passaic Formation, the Lockatong Formation, the Stockton Formation, and the igneous rocks basalt and diabase. In New Jersey, more basalt flows are evident with several named formations including the Hook Mountain Basalt, the Preakness Basalt, and the Orange Mountain Basalt. These rocks were deposited during the rifting of Pangea during the Triassic and Jurassic Periods. Much of the northern segment of this region was glaciated and the resultant shaping help to form New York and Newark harbors.

A small portion of the Pennsylvania Peidmont Highlands called the Trenton prong extends into New Jersey through Trenton and are mostly Ediacaran and Cambrian aged rocks, that includes the Wissahickon Formation. The Manhattan Schist exists in New Jersey, largely below New York harbor and in the vacinity of Bayonne and Jersey City. [2]

[edit] Highlands

[edit] Ridge and Valley

[edit] Geologic Features

[edit] Notable Rock Formations

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/freedwn/psnjmap.pdf
  2. ^ a b Orndorff, R.C., et.al, (1998). Bedrock Geologic Map of Central and Southern New Jersey. United States Geolgic Survey, Scale 1:100,000.

[edit] Outside Links


This New Jersey state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
This article is uncategorized.
Please help improve this article by adding it to one or more categories, in addition to a stub category. (how?) Please remove this tag after categorizing, but not before.
This article has been tagged since March 2007.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../g/e/o/Geology_of_New_Jersey_398f.html"