1 A Geologic Safari of the East African Rift and the Newark Basin: Why these areas are more alike than you know Part 3: Focus on New Jersey Margaret H. Benoit The College of New Jersey

2 USGS “proto” New Jersey

3 Currently, seafloor spreading is occurring at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, USGS Before spreading initiated, central New Jersey was the location of a continental rift

4 Rift basin locations along East Coast associated with the Breakup of Pangaea Modified from Withjack et al., 1988 by Roy W. Schlische, Rutgers University

5 New Jersey Geology Modified from NJ Geological Survey (1994) by Roy W. Schlische, Rutgers University, Intrusive and extrusive basaltic composition igneous rocks Shale and other lacustrine Sedimentary rocks

6 Major fault locations in New Jersey Modified from NJ Geological Survey (1994) by Roy W. Schlische, Rutgers University,

7 Modified from Schlische (1992) and Olsen et al. (1996) Fault cross sections in the Basin ‘Cool’ colors represent Sedimentary shales, Mudstones, and sandstones ‘Pink’ color represents intrusive igneous dikes and sills

8 Cross sections of major faults Schlische (1992) ‘Cool’ colors represent Sedimentary shales, mudstones, and sandstones ‘Pink’ color represents intrusive igneous dikes and sills

9 Idealized Half-Graben Modified from Schlische (1994)

10 Idealized Sediment deposition during rifting Roy W. Schlische, Rutgers Univesity

11 Shale layers in Newark Basin Photo by Bryan Molinaro, The College of New Jersey

12 Igneous contact zone in Flemington, NJ shale basalt hornfels (baked shale from contact metamorphism) Photo by Bryan Molinaro, The College of New Jersey

13 Igneous Rocks from Newark Basin in Piedmont region Highly jointed Orange Mountain basalts at Flemington, NJ Photos by Bryan Molinaro, The College of New Jersey

14 Watchung mountains Formed from basaltic Fissure eruptions during NGDC topo/state2.pl?region=nj.jpg Other topographic highs In Piedmont region also Formed from intrusive Diabase sills and dikes