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The solid bedrock beneath our region consists of sandstones and
shales deposited about 200
million years ago during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic
Periods. At that time, the ancient continent
of Pangaea began to break apart into modern North America and
Africa. A series of basins formed along
eastern North America from New Brunswick, Canada, to Alabama.
The largest of these is the Newark
Basin (Fig. 1). This zone extends from Rockland County, NY,
across NJ into the area around Gettysburg,
PA. Rains eroded the sediments from high peaks to the west,
remnants of which are the Ramapo
Mountains. Hematite is an iron mineral which cemented quartz and
other fragments together and gives
these rocks their reddish-brown color.
Evidence of Life in this region during that time indicate the
sediments were deposited in
shallow, freshwater lakes. Fossilized worm burrows were left
when the soft mud hardened into shale
(Fig. 2). Many fish fossils and a rare reptile (Fig. 3) were
recovered in the Granton Quarry in North
Bergen, not far south of Englewood. In Roseland and elsewhere,
collectors have found footprints of
early dinosaurs (Fig. 4.) The American Museum of Natural History
in NYC displays the bones of one of
these, Rutiodon manhattenesis (Fig. 5), discovered in 1910 at
the base of the Palisades by a geology class
from Columbia University.
In what is now the eastern edge of Englewood and vicinity,
igneous rocks were forced between
layers of these sedimentary rocks during upheavals 200 million
years ago as the ancient continent of
Pangaea broke up. This formed the Palisades Sill (Fig 6). The
“upper contact” between the igneous and
sedimentary rocks is exposed in a road cut on Interstate 80/95
just west of the Jones Road Bridge (Fig.
7). The more resistant igneous rocks form the Palisades cliffs
along the Hudson River and the sloping
surfaces of Englewood’s East Hill section. The less-resistant
sandstones and shales form the bedrock
beneath Englewood west of Grand Ave. and Engle St.
The solid bedrock in much of Englewood is covered by loose soil
materials left by the glaciers
during the last Ice Age and the deposits at the bottom of
Glacial Lake Hackensack. These explain why
people who garden find so many pebbles and other rock
fragments.
“Bedrock of the Newark Basin”
Our region is underlain by reddish sandstones and shales
deposited in shallow freshwater lakes about 200 million years ago
during the Triassic-Jurassic Periods.
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Two excellent descriptions of the geologic history of Englewood
and vicinity are available in:
John K. Lattimer (1990) This Was Early Englewood” Englewood
Historical Society. Chapters 1 – 4.
Palisades Interstate Park Commission NJ “Ice, on the Rocks”
Additional general and technical resources are suggested at the
end.
Fig. 1. Generalized geology of the Newark Basin
Credit:
https://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/mesozoic/newarkbasin.htm
http://www.njpalisades.org/iceRocks.htmlhttps://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/mesozoic/newarkbasin.htm
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Fig. 2 Worm burrows in shale, Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
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Fig. 3A. Fossil fish collected in the Granton Quarry, North
Bergen – same age as Englewood’s rocks
http://earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com/Triassic_Fossil_Fish.html
Fig. 3B “Tany” (nickname for Tanytrachelos) fossil found in
Granton Quarry
http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/7183729/article-NB-fossil-has-NJ-homecoming-Former-
resident-remembers-Granton-Quarry-?instance=lead_story_left_column
http://earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com/Triassic_Fossil_Fish.htmlhttp://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/7183729/article-NB-fossil-has-NJ-homecoming-Former-resident-remembers-Granton-Quarry-?instance=lead_story_left_columnhttp://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/7183729/article-NB-fossil-has-NJ-homecoming-Former-resident-remembers-Granton-Quarry-?instance=lead_story_left_column
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Fig. 4 Early Triassic Dinosaur Footprints
http://www.digsfossils.com/fossils/pics/Grallator_nj_yale_boonton_0002.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riker_Hill_Fossil_SiteFig. 5
http://www.digsfossils.com/fossils/pics/Grallator_nj_yale_boonton_0002.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riker_Hill_Fossil_SiteFig
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Fig. 5. Fossilized bones of Rutiodon manhattenesis discovered in
1910 by a Columbia Geology Class
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsit
e/editors_pick/1922_09-10_pick_b.html
Current sign in the American Museum of Natural History
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/editors_pick/1922_09-10_pick_b.htmlhttp://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/editors_pick/1922_09-10_pick_b.html
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Fig. 6 Cross-section of the Palisades Sill and adjacent
sedimentary rocks.
Credit:
http://stevekluge.com/geoscience/images/palisades/default.html
Fig. 7 The “Upper Contact” between the Palisades Sill and
overlying sedimentary rocks
http://stevekluge.com/geoscience/images/palisades/default.html
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More information
General
Lattimer, J.K. (1990) This Was Early Englewood. Englewood
Historical Society, ch. 1 – 4.
Palisades Interstate Park Commission NJ “Ice, on the Rocks”
“Bedrocks of the Newark Basin--Sediments and Volcanics”
USGS “Geology of the Newark Basin”
Chester A. Reeds “Geology of New York City and Its Vicinity”
Technical
Paul Olsen “Triassic and Jurassic Formations of the Newark
Basin”
Paul Olsen “Fossil Great Lakes of the Newark Supergroup in New
Jersey”
“Newark Basin and Connecticut River Basin”
http://www.digsfossils.com/fossils/footprints_main.html
http://www.njpalisades.org/iceRocks.htmlhttps://earth2class.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/lesson-plan-bedrocks-narrative.pdfhttps://earth2class.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/lesson-plan-bedrocks-narrative.pdfhttps://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/mesozoic/newarkbasin.htmhttp://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/editors_pick/1922_09-10_pick_b.htmlhttps://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~polsen/nbcp/olsen_formations_80_sm.pdfhttp://database.ldeo.columbia.edu/~polsen/nbcp/olsen_gr_80_vsm.pdfhttp://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/bight/newark.htmlhttp://www.digsfossils.com/fossils/footprints_main.html