Towaco Formation Stratigraphic range: Early Jurassic | |
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Various colors and textures of Towaco Formation seen within Pines Lake area of Wayne, New Jersey. | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Newark Supergroup |
Underlies | Hook Mountain Basalt |
Overlies | Preakness Basalt |
Thickness | maximum of at least 1,115 feet (340 m) [1] |
Lithology | |
Primary | Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone |
Other | Conglomerate |
Location | |
Coordinates | 40°48′N74°18′W / 40.8°N 74.3°W Coordinates: 40°48′N74°18′W / 40.8°N 74.3°W |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 21°24′N20°36′W / 21.4°N 20.6°W |
Region | Newark Basin of Eastern North America Rift Basins |
Extent | nearly continuous for ~35 miles (56 km) in New Jersey |
Type section | |
Named for | Towaco, New Jersey [1] |
Named by | Paul E. Olsen, 1980 [1] |
The Towaco Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in New Jersey. It is named for the unincorporated village of Towaco, which is near the place its type section was described by paleontologist Paul E. Olsen. [1]
The Towaco Formation is composed of reddish brown, reddish purple, gray, grayish-green, and white sandstone of varying grain thickness, as well as black siltstone and calcareous mudstone. Clastic/conglomerate beds are known to exist, including a 1-meter (~3 feet) thick volcaniclastic bed in the upper portion of the formation. [1] [2]
The Towaco Formation can be characterized as a continuation of the Passaic Formation, which is mostly playa and alluvial fan deposits resulting from the rifting of Pangea. The primarily red color of this formation is often evidence that the sediments were deposited in arid conditions. [3] However, the Towaco Formation differs from the Passaic Formation in that it contains a more significant portion of non-red layers, which were laid down by deep lakes present during wetter periods. [4]
One of the key differences between the Towaco Formation and earlier Triassic/Jurassic sedimentary formations of the Newark Basin is that it contains much longer cyclical deposition periods. Cycles in the Towaco Formation are represented by sequences of rock ten times thicker than sequences seen in the Lockatong and Passaic formations. [1]
Additionally, compared to the underlying Feltville Formation, the Towaco Formation contains a much more significant clastic component. [1]
Fish fossils, commonly those of the ray-finned Semionotus , can be found within the formation. [1] In other layers, indeterminate fossil ornithischian tracks have been noted, [5] along with additional reptile and dinosaur prints. Carbonized plant remains and impressions, as well as root structures and pollen, are present. Coprolite can also be found within the formation. [1]
The Towaco Formation rests conformably above the Preakness Mountain Basalt and below the Hook Mountain Basalt, placing its deposition somewhere between approximately 198 and 197 million years ago during the early Jurassic stage known as the Hettangian.
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 and 500 feet high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The Watchung Mountains are known for their numerous scenic vistas overlooking New York City, Newark and New Jersey skylines, as well as their isolated ecosystems containing rare plants, endangered wildlife, rich minerals, and globally imperiled trap rock glade communities. The ridges traditionally contained the westward spread of urbanization, forming a significant geologic barrier beyond the piedmont west of the Hudson River; the town of Newark, for example, once included lands from the Hudson to the base of the mountains. Later treaties moved the boundary to the top of the mountain, to include the springs. The Watchungs are basalt uplifts, geologically similar to the Palisades along the Hudson river. In many places, however, the mountains have become sinuous islands of natural landscape within the suburban sprawl covering much of contemporary northeastern New Jersey. Parks, preserves, and numerous historical sites dot the valleys and slopes of the mountains, providing recreational and cultural activities to one of the most densely populated regions of the nation.
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