Roadside Geology of New Jersey

by David P. Harper

Overview

From the glacially scoured quartzite ridge that hosts the Appalachian Trail to the spectacular columnar basalt of Orange Mountain, New Jersey packs a boatload of geology into a small area. Its nineteenth-century marl pits were the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology, bog iron deposits in the Pinelands were used to produce cannonballs for the Revolutionary War, world-famous fluorescent minerals are found with zinc deposits in the Franklin Marble, and the coastal plain sediments contain convincing evidence of the meteorite impact that killed the dinosaurs. This absorbing book opens with an overview of the state’s geologic history and proceeds with 13 road guides that unearth the stories behind the state’s rocks, sediments, and barrier islands. More than just a guide, Roadside Geology of New Jersey is chock-full of insightful discussions on such timely topics as sea level rise, climate change, and uranium mining. Get the scoop on why so much sand moves during superstorms such as hurricane Sandy, and learn about more than a century of efforts to stabilize the beaches along the Jersey Shore.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878426003
Publisher:	Mountain Press
Publication date:	04/15/2013
Series:	Roadside Geology
Pages:	345
Sales rank:	634,837
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

David P. Harper was with the New Jersey Geological Survey for twenty years and the New Jersey Site Remediation Program for eight years before retiring in 2002 to work as a site remediation consultant. During his long career as an education, he taught geology at Rider University, Mercer County Community College, and New Jersey City University and served as President of the Geological Association of New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Overview of New Jersey Geology 1

Rocks and Sediments 3

New Jersey's Geologic Provinces 8

Proterozoic Eon: 2.5 Billion to 542 Million Years Ago 12

Grenville Province and Ottawan Orogeny 13

Rifting of Rodinia and the Iapetus Ocean 19

Paleozoic Era: 542 To 251 Million Years Ago 21

Carbonate Bank of Cambrian-Ordovician Time 22

Taconic Orogeny and the Assembly of Pangea 23

Acadian and Alleghanian Orogenies 26

Mesozoic Era: 251 To 65 Million Years Ago 28

Newark Rift Basin 28

Atlantic Coastal Plain 31

Cenozoic Era: 65 Million Years Ago to the Present 32

Pleistocene Ice Ages 32

Geology and Humans in New Jersey 40

Oil in New Jersey? 42

The Newark Basin: Basalt, Sedimentary Rock, and Glacial Lakes 46

Flood Basalts 46

Watchung Copper Mines 48

Sedimentation in the Newark Basin 50

Extinctions at the End of Triassic Time 54

Brownstone 56

Wisconsinan Glaciation of the Newark Basin 58

Glacial Lakes Bayonne and Hackensack 61

Glacial Lake Passaic 63

Road Guides in the Newark Basin 67

I-78: Holland Tunnel-Interstate 287 67

I-95/I-80: George Washington Bridge-Interstate 287 77

I-95/I-295: Trenton Beltway 92

I-287: New York Border-Perth Amboy 103

New Jersey Turnpike: Palisades Park-Garden State Turnpike 117

Garden State Parkway: New York Border-New Jersey Turnpike 128

Palisades Interstate Parkway: New York Border-Fort Lee 136

Highlands and Valley and Ridge: Gaps through Hard Rock 147

Mining in the Highlands 147

Uranium and Rare Earths 150

Schooleys Mountain and the Schooley Peneplain 151

Road Guides in the Highlands and Valley and Ridge 154

I-78:I-287-Phillipsburg 154

I-80: Denville-Delaware Water Gap 167

NJ 23: Riverdale-New York Border 197

Old Mine Road 213

Coastal Plain: Pinelands, Beaches, and Marshes 229

Sedimentation on the Coastal Plain 229

Coastal Plain Hills 234

The Jersey Shore 236

Beachcombing 240

Tidal Marshes 242

The Pinelands 246

Cedar and Hardwood Swamps 250

Bog Iron Formation 252

Glassmaking 255

Road Guides to the Coastal Plain 256

New Jersey Turnpike: Garden State Parkway-Delaware River 256

Garden State Parkway: Woodbridge-Cape May 268

Glossary 314

References 326

Index 331