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GCMZ97

Earthcache"Rock In" Down The Highway Earthcache

A cache by chstress53     Hidden: 3/1/2005

Size: Size: Not chosen (Not chosen)     Difficulty: 4.5 out of 5     Terrain: 5 out of 5 (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)


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N/S ? ??.??? W/E ??? ??.??? 
In New Jersey, United States

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This virtual cache is an exploration / driving tour highlighting features of NJ’s Geologic History. There is no specific order that must be followed to complete this cache. The posted coordinates are a suggested place to start. To log a find for this Earthcache you must visit at least 2 of the posted locations within all 5 of NJ’s physiographic regions.

Valley & Ridge, Highlands, Piedmont, Inner Coastal Plain, & Outer Coastal Plain

  To log a find you must post:

The name of each physiographic location visited along with its region.
At least 1 photo from each region. (Minimum of 5 required)
Describe in an email what you the physiographic location i.e.tell about the soils, minerals, rocks, landforms, waterfalls, historic sites or museums etc.
   
Although one of the smallest states, New Jersey has a wealth of geological features--from billion year old rocks formed during continental collision to recent sediments deposited along the modern shorelines. NJ is divided into 5 separate geological provinces or physiographic regions: Valley & Ridge, Highlands, Piedmont, Inner Coastal Plain, & Outer Coastal Plain.
 

All 3 Periods of the Mesozoica Era, Triassic, Jurrassic, & Cretaceaous periods are well represented in NJ within these geological provinces. So how are these regions/provinces broken up? The Ridge & Valley lies in the far northwest corner and is considered part of the Appalacion Mountains. These Mountains slope southwest into the rolling hills of the Piedmont, an area of dozens of small lakes and rolling valleys. All that part of NJ which lies southeast of this area lies in the 2 coastal plains. These regions include portions of Middlesex & Mercer Counties and all of the Counties further south and east. In general the surfaces of the coastal plains are low flat plains that rise gradually from sea level along the coast to the Piedmont plain. Over ½ of this area lies below 100 ‘, except for the Rancocas Creek Drainage which consists of cuestos or ridges of low hills. The slope to the Atlantic Ocean east of the cuestos & ridges make up the Outer Coastal Plain. The slope west of the hills is called the Inner Coastal Plain. About 140 – 100 Million years ago these coastal regions were covered by oceans. As a result; during the Cretaceous & Tertiary Periods of the Mesozic Era the coastal plains became deposits of silts, sands, clays, greensands, & marls. Nearly all of these deposits contain fossils of marine animals.

 
Outer Coastal Plain Province
The most noted area of this region is the Pine Barrens. The highest elevation is at Apple Pie Hill & the next highest is the Forked River Mountain. After the oceans retreated during the Pleistocene Epoch which began 1 million years ago; there were major ice advances. During this time the land was sub-artic tundra and was greatly changed by sands & gravels deposited by streams leading away from the retreating ice in North Jersey. A major effect of this was the deposition of yellow sands and gravels. These soils are sandy, sedimentary deposits. There are 13 major types: Lakewood, Evesboro, Woodmansie, Downer, Sassafras, Aura, Lakehurst, Klej, Hammonton, Atsion, Berryland, Pocomoke & Muck. Look at this map of NJ. Can you guess where you might locate some of these soil types? Nearly all of these sands contain 90% Quartz. Other minerals are the feldspars, oxides, aluminum, & iron.

Outer Coastal Plain Province Locations:
Apple Pie Hill
         N39°48.439 W74°35.377
Forked River Mountain
         N39°50.865 W74°17.336
Island Beach State Park
         N39°47.136 W74°05.688
Cape May Point (Sunset Beach)
         N38°56.666 W74°58.204
Penn State Forest
         N39°43.882 W74°29.316
Oswego River
         N39°42.228 W74°31.630
Cape May Diamonds
The Native peoples were the first to find the fascinating and beautiful stones now known as "Cape May Diamonds." The Native Americans came to believe that these curious stones possessed supernatural power bringing success and good fortune. "Cape May Diamonds" are pure quartz crystals and are found in a variety of sizes and colors. The actual source of these amazing gems is in the faraway upper reaches of the Delaware River. Pieces of quartz crystal are eroded and broken off from veins and pockets by the swift running waters of streams. Then begins the some 200 mile journey that takes thousands of years to complete. The strong tidal flow against the hulk of the sunken concrete ship "Atlantus" is the cause for them to wash ashore in such great abundance.
 
Inner Coastal Plain Province
The Inner Coastal Plain is comprised of several formations that are made up of sands, silts, clays, and marls that were laid down mostly during the Late Cretaceous. During the 40 million years of its formation, the Inner Coastal Plain experienced several oscillations of the rising (transgressions) and falling (regressions) of the sea level. This rising and falling cycle deposited the formations into three different shelf regions. These are the inner, middle, and outer shelf.

Inner Coastal Plain Province Locations:
 Arney’s Mount
         N40°00.586 W74°41.804
Trenton Hamilton Marsh
         N40°11.458 W74°43.679
Haddonfield
         N39°54.577 W75°01.751
Mount Holly Mount
         N40°00.152 W74°47.301
A dinosaur was discovered
It was found in a marl pit in 1858 and was the first complete dinosaur skeleton found in N America or for that matter anywhere in the world. Realizing the significance of his find William Parker Foulke asked Joseph Leidy and Isaac Lea of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia to evaluate it. Leidy's reconstruction of this skeleton revolutionized the understanding of dinosaurs. Today this site has become a National Historic landmark in Haddonfield.
 
Piedmont Province
The Piedmont Province is a result of times of change. Sedimentary and igneous rocks, of the Triassic & the Jurassic accumulated in a large sedimentary basin known as the Newark rift basin. This basin formed during the breakup of the super continent of Pangea. A narrow sliver of Precambrian rocks is exposed in southern Mercer county. The Watchung Mountains are underlain by basalt; the Palisades, and Rocky Hill are underlain by diabase. The Piedmont generally has low relief--rolling hills and the like. The formations are mostly sedimentary rocks like sandstone, siltstone, shale, & conglomerates. Then there are the igneous rocks basalt & diabase that help form the geologic bedrocks. There is an outcrop in Prallsville that is more sandstone.. In contrast are boulders, like several that can be found in the Passic Formation. These boulders are known as erratics a harder resistant rock which transplanted from distant terrains. In some places, such as Milford, along the DSR, the rocks are less red and are called conglomerates. The typical basalt is dark red. This type is called igneous and is actually solidified lava. A similar rock is diabase formed from underground magma. Along the portion of the road north of Milford along the DSR lie walled outcrops of conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones, & shales. Dinosaur fossils of the Piedmont are 150 million yrs older than Hadrosaurus foulkii. Most of these are footprints of Anchisaurripus, Atricipus, Eubrontes, Gallator, & Rhynchosau. There is a footprint of Eubrontes on display at the NJ State Museum.

Piedmont Province Locations:
Eagle Rock Reservation
         N40°48.214 W74°14.372
Prallsville (RT 29)
         N40°24.644 W74°59.199
Watchung Resercvation (Trailside Nature Center)
         N40°40.271 W74°37.218
         N40°41.001 W74°22.415
Sourland Mountain
  (This mountain Range actually extends to the Delaware River)
  A typical Piedmont ridge formed by a very hard igneous rock called diabase or "Trap Rock."
The Sourland Mountain ends at the Delaware River below Goat Hill, looking south from the Lambertville toll bridge. To the south and north, diabase, shale, and argillite occurs, and these rocks form the lower lands we know of as Pleasant Valley.
         N40°22.810 W74°56.968

Sergentsville Covered Bridge
  Wickecheoke Creek is fourteen miles long and drains a 26.57-square-mile watershed into the Delaware River at approximately N40° 24.376 and W74° 59 15.97 The watershed is underlain by poorly drained Lockatong argillite, a lake bottom deposit formed during the Triassic period, while the lower half is underlain by Stockton sandstone.
         N40°26.640 W74°57.964
Buttermilk Falls
         N40°57.069 W74 11.510
NJ State Museum
         N40°13.261 W74°46.323
Rutgers Geology Museum
         N40°29.909 W74°26.797
 
Ridge & Valley Province
The Valley and Ridge like its name implies, consists of alternating linear or curvilinear valleys and ridges of moderate relief. This is the eroded remnants of the Appalachian mountain system, which, when it formed over 300 million years ago, probably looked very much like the present-day Himalayas This province is characterized by widely varied topography ranging from the towering Kittatinny ridge to the sinkhole ponds and swamps of the limestone region. Within this area, the ridge is primarily composed of a hard quartzite conglomerate and sandstone caprock overlying shale. This shale was laid down during the Ordovician (470 million years ago), and the conglomerate was laid down in the Silurian (about 420 million years ago); both sedimentary rock layers were subsequently folded and uplifted during the Permian (about 270 million years ago) to their present position and angle with a pronounced dip to the northwest, resulting in prominent cliffs on the east side of the ridge and more gentle slopes on the west side. On the Kittatinny Ridge at the southern end, the conglomerate caprock is narrower and confined to the eastern part of the ridge. with increasing amounts of limestone on the western slopes along the Delaware River.

Ridge & Valley Locations:
Worthington State Park
         N40°59.354 W75°05.488
High Point
         N41°19.256 W74°39 690
Buttermilk Falls
         N41°08.237 W74°53.306

 

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Delaware Water Gap is one of the best places to see water at Work. Millions of years ago this was a level plain; erosion and gradual uplift of the land formed the ridges and valleys we see today. What is distinctive about this gap is the beauty of the landscape. Here the river twists in a tight "S" curve through the Kittatinny Ridge.
1. High on top of the Kittatinny Ridge is a blue lake, Sunfish Pond which is a National Landmark, a relic of the Wisconsin Glacier (which gouged out a hollow that later filled with water) around 18,000 years ago. N41°00.482 W75°04.372
2. Sunrise Mtn.N41°13.081 W74°43.223
3. Bushkill Mtn.N41°06.373 W74°59.095
 
Highland Province
This province is similar to the Valley & Ridge in terms of topography and geology. In fact, the only difference is that Precambrian metamorphic rocks are present in the Highlands These rocks are approximately 1 billion years old, they include gneiss and marble, and were deformed in the Grenville orogeny which involved the collision of plates in Precambrian time. These metamorphic rocks were then re-deformed during the same mountain-building phases that affected the Valley & Ridge province. The highlands are higher then the Piedmont and are marked by a fairly abrupt change; an escarpment. It is here that the Ramapo Fault lies. This fault is a zone that is 3 -6 miles wide and began forming around the Precambriam time.

Highland Province Locations:
Ramapo
         N41°04.903 W74°11.886
Ken Lockwood Gorge
         N40°41.822 W74°52 361
Great Falls
         N40°54.950 W74°10.870
Palisades
         N40°59.864 W73°54.249
Highlands - A
         N40°23.153 W73°59.100
Highlands - B
         N40°23.115 W73°59.067
If you have any comments or if this cache need attention, please email us by clicking HERE
While out geocaching, bring a bag with you to pick up trash along the way. Visit the Cache In Trash Out page to learn more about CITO.

 


34 user(s) watching this cache.

No Attributes Present No Attributes Present

Inventory Inventory

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

Rkgen Perqvg nabgure vagrerfgvat cynpr
Gurer vf n pyvss znqr jvgu netvyyvgr A40 25.646 J075 03.623. Gur nern jurer gur pyvssf ner vf ba Fgngr Cebcregl/Ab gerfcnffvat, fb gurl unir gb or ivrjrq sebz gur ebnq. Gurer vf cnexvat sbe gur Q&E pnany gbjcngu gb gur fbhgu ba Eg 29 ng40 25.451 J075 03.604.
(Decrypted Hints)

Find...

Logged Visits (21 total. Visit the Gallery (267 images))

Found it12     Write note9     

Warning. Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
Cache find counts are based on the last time the page generated.

 August 13, 2009 by woolsox (292 found)
I have not visited New Jersey yet, but I have added this site to my personal bucket. Looks like a great site.

Woolsox

View This Log

 July 12, 2009 by mblatch (4757 found)
#3778 Finally!!! Made a trip out to visit the final location today so that I could at least log a find for this outstanding earthcache. Like Coastal Craze (GCMQ8F), I decided that I wasn't going to log the cache until I had visited each of the areas that were mentioned in the cache page. I started this quest back in November 2007 and after 20 months, I can finally say "mission accomplished". From what I can, I am also the first person to accomplish this for this cache as well. This was an outstanding concept for an earthcache, and it brought me to some truly remarkable places...all right here at home in the great state of New Jersey. Since some of the places that I visited were very similar to one another at the posted coordinates, I tried to take some pictures of other features elsewhere in the area. I figured this was my opportunity to practice my photography skills. haha Some pictures turned out better than others, but I hope they will provide a sense of the beautiful and varied terrain that is around this place we call home. Here is synopsis of my journey around the Garden State.

Outer Coastal Plain Province
Apple Pie Hill - 14 June 2009
Forked River Mountain - 14 June 2009
Island Beach State Park - 09 March 2008
Penn State Forest - 14 June 2009
Oswego River - 14 June 2009

Inner Coastal Plain Province
Arney's Mount - 21 March 2009
Trenton-Hamilton Marsh - 13 June 2009
Haddonfield - 22 November 2008
Mount Holly Mount - 10 May 2009

Piedmont Province
Eagle Rock Reservation - 31 August 2008
Prallsville - 18 January 2009
Watchung Reservation - 19 June 2009
Sourland Mountain - 12 July 2009
Sergeantsville Covered Bridge - 18 January 2009
Buttermilk Falls - 27 July 2008
NJ State Museum - 13 June 2009
Rutgers Geology Museum - 20 November 2007

Ridge and Valley Province
Worthington State Park - 09 May 2009
High Point - 16 March 2008
Buttermilk Falls 2 - 12 October 2008
Kittatinny Ridge - 09 May 2009
Sunrise Mountain - 12 October 2008
Bushkill Mountain - 12 October 2008

Highland Province
Ramapo - 14 September 2008
Ken Lockwood Gorge - 22 March 2009
Great Falls - 17 November 2007
Palisades - 17 November 2007
Highlands - 01 November 2007

Extra Credit
Argillite Cliffs - 18 January 2009

View This Log

Photo Apple Pie Hill
Photo Cape May (Sunset Beach)
Photo Penn State Forest
Photo Oswego River
Photo Arney's Mount
Photo Trenton-Hamilton Marsh
Photo Mt. Holly Mount
Photo Eagle Rock Reservation
Photo Prallsville
Photo Watchung Reservation
Photo Sourland Mountain
Photo Sergeantsville Covered Bridge
Photo Buttermilk Falls 1
Photo NJ State Museum
Photo Rutgers Geology Museum
Photo Worthington State Forest
Photo Forked River Mountain
Photo Sunrise Mountain
Photo Island Beach State Park
Photo Bushkill Mountain
Photo Ramapo
Photo Ken Lockwood Gorge
Photo Haddonfield
Photo Great Falls
Photo Palisades
Photo Highlands Escarpment
Photo High Point
Photo Buttermilk Falls 2
Photo Kittatinny Ridge - Mt. Tammany
Photo Kittatinny Ridge - Sunfish Pond
Photo Argillite Cliffs

 December 6, 2008 by chsmathwisch (3617 found)
Finally got a chance to finish the last one today in Mount Holly! Thanks for the adventures!

I am off from school and have the chance to explore. So, time to put lots of miles on the car!

Outer Coastal
Oswego River 7/11/08
Penn State Forest 7/11/08

Inner Coastal
Haddonfield 7/11/08
Mount Holly 12/6/08


Piedmont
Prallsville 7/13/08
Sergentsville Covered Bridge 7/13/08

Ridge & Valley
Worthington State Park 7/13/08
Bushkill Mtn 7/13/08

Highland
Ramapo 7/13/08
Ken Lockwood 7/13/08

[This entry was edited by chsmathwisch on Monday, July 14, 2008 at 4:43:07 AM.]

[This entry was edited by chsmathwisch on Saturday, December 06, 2008 at 2:09:52 PM.]

View This Log

Photo sergantsville bridge
Photo plaque at bridge
Photo at oswego GZ
Photo looking down at oswego
Photo at penn state
Photo sign at bushkill
Photo one of many at mount holly
Photo at bushkill
Photo at worthington
Photo worthington view
Photo at ramapo
Photo bottom of lockwood
Photo top of lockwood
Photo at prallsville
Photo prallsville sign
Photo chs at mount holly
Photo haddonfield
Photo penn state

 November 22, 2008 by m_and_w (4608 found)
This one has been a long time coming! It's been our 1st page of nearest caches many times (taunting us), but currently has fell to our 3rd page. We recently realized we had satisfied most of the requirements so we tried to focus on it more of late and we managed to finish it this weekend with High Point, NJ. We've made several trips around the state of NJ including road trips for the Delorme Counties and again for the Delorme Grids. It's amazing how diverse the state can be! Thanks for the adventure, M & W

Outer Coastal Plain Province
- 4/14/2007 Apple Pie Hill
- 9/8/2008 Cape May Point (Sunset Beach)
Inner Coastal Plain Province
- 10/19/2005 Trenton Hamilton Marsh
- 03/11/2006 Mount Holly Mount
- 03/03/2007 Haddonfield
Piedmont Province
- 02/11/2006 Sergentsville Covered Bridge
- 05/11/2007 Prallsville
Ridge & Valley Province
- 04/28/2007Buttermilk Falls
- 11/22/2008 High Point
Highland Province
- 01/14/2007 Ramapo
- 10/26/2008 Highlands


View This Log

Photo Sergentsville_1
Photo Sergentsville_2
Photo Trenton_Marsh_1
Photo Trenton_Marsh_2
Photo Trenton_Marsh_3
Photo Prallsville_3
Photo Ramapo_1
Photo Ramapo_2
Photo Ramapo_4
Photo Ramapo_3
Photo Apple_Pie_Hill_1
Photo Apple_Pie_Hill_2
Photo Buttermilk_1
Photo Buttermilk_2
Photo Cape_May_Point
Photo Haddonfield_1
Photo Haddonfield_2
Photo Haddonfield_3
Photo High_Point_1
Photo High_Point_2
Photo Prallsville_1
Photo Prallsville_2
Photo Highlands_1
Photo Highlands_2
Photo Highlands_3

 September 14, 2008 by tsemclarney (2863 found)
Well we finally finished this wonderful earthcache. We started this one in April 2007, when we first started caching. It took about one and half years to complete. Our daughter Tinkerbell_4_Life and our dog (Candie) went with us to explore these wonderful areas. Sometimes Candie couldn't go. We enjoyed the vistas and other caches in the area. This was a great adventure that was very fun and educational. We learn so much about the different geological province in N.J. We didn't realize that there are so many beautiful places in N.J to visit and hike. Thanks for all the hard work you did in setting up this cache.


Outer coastal Plain Province:

Island state park- 7/07, 8/08, 8/21/8 and numerous times while on vacation. One of our first caches we did here was the Island Beach cache- which is one of the oldest caches we done.

Cape May Point(Sunset Beach)- 12/28/07 We spent the day here on GDO "Girls Day Out" - a caching event. While there we collected some of the stones (Cape May Diamonds) on the beach. I found one that was shaped like a heart.

Oswego River- 3/22/08 & 7/20/08 with our kayaks.
Forked River Mountain- 4/22/08
Apple Pie Hill- 9/11/08 and will be attending cito 9/27/08.

Inner Coastal Plain Province:

Trenton Hamilton Marsh- we have 1 cache in the area & Tinkerbell_4_Life has 2.

Haddonfield- we have been here last yr. & revisited on 8/18/08 to show my daughters friends where the dinosaur was found.They really enjoyed it.

Mt. Holly Mount- 8/20/08 and last yr.
Arney's Mount

Piedmont Province:

Prallsville
Sourland Mountain
Sergentsville Covered Bridge

Ridge and Valley Province:
High Point- 9/13/08
Buttermilk Falls

Highland Province:
Palisades- 9/5/08
Ken Lockwood Gorge
Highlands A

[This entry was edited by tsemclarney on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 12:48:46 PM.]

[This entry was edited by tsemclarney on Friday, September 26, 2008 at 4:52:44 PM.]

View This Log

Photo Mt. Holly Mount
Photo Pallisades
Photo High Point
Photo High Point
Photo Island Beach SP
Photo Haddonfield
Photo Forked River Mountain
Photo Sergentsville covered bridge
Photo Ken Lockwood Gorge GZ
Photo Ken Lockwood Gorge
Photo Welcome to Prallsville Mills
Photo Prallsville
Photo Mt. Holly Mount
Photo Sergentsville covered bridge inside

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Current Time: 2/10/2010 12:37:24 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (8:37 AM GMT)
Last Updated: 12/15/2009 10:55:49 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (6:55 PM GMT)
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum


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