Morristown National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report
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National Park Service US Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Morristown National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/841 ON THE COVER Cannon at Fort Nonsense overlooking Morristown. Photograph by Jared Kofsky (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported [CC BY-SA 3.0] license) available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_Nonsense_of_Morristown.JPG (accessed 12 August 2014) THIS PAGE Split-rail fence at Jockey Hollow in the winter. Photograph by Daniel Beards, available at: http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/CUUsqZbg/1/6144461_7039483 (accessed 12 August 2014) Morristown National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/841 Trista L. Thornberry-Ehrlich Colorado State University Research Associate National Park Service Geologic Resources Division Geologic Resources Inventory PO Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 August 2014 US Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the US Government. Printed copies of this report are produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is available from the Geologic Resources Inventory website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/ gre_publications.cfm) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Thornberry-Ehrlich, T. L. 2014. Morristown National Historical Park: Geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR— 2014/841. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 337/125984, August 2014 ii NPS Geologic Resources Division Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................. iv Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... v Products and Acknowledgments ................................................................................ vii GRI Products ............................................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................................................... vii Geologic Setting and Significance ................................................................................ 1 Geologic Setting .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Geologic Significance and Connections ........................................................................................................................ 2 Geologic Features and Processes .................................................................................. 9 Glacial Features ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Periglacial Bedrock Weathering and Thermokarst Topography .................................................................................... 11 Postglacial Deposits ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Gaps in the Watchung Mountains .............................................................................................................................. 14 Ramapo Fault and Other Structures ............................................................................................................................ 14 Bedrock Features ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Paleontological Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Geologic Resource Management Issues ..................................................................... 19 Erosion ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Slope Movement Hazards and Risks ........................................................................................................................... 20 Disturbed Lands ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Flooding .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Seismic Activity .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Geologic History .......................................................................................................... 25 Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic Eras (1.6 Billion–542 Million Years Ago): Grenville Orogeny and the Supercontinent Rodinia .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Paleozoic Era (542 Million-251 Million Years Ago): Continued Opening of the Iapetus Ocean and Transition to a Passive Margin; Longstanding Marine Margin; Appalachian Mountain Building ...................................................................... 25 Mesozoic Era (251 Million–65.5 Million Years Ago): Breakup of Pangaea, Crustal Extension, and Volcanism ............... 30 Cenozoic Era (the Past 65.5 Million Years): Continual Weathering and Erosion; Pleistocene Ice Ages; Postglacial Modification of the Landscape and Modern Geomorphological Development ............................................................. 31 Geologic Map Data ...................................................................................................... 35 Geologic Maps .......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Source Maps .............................................................................................................................................................. 35 GRI GIS Data .............................................................................................................................................................. 36 Geologic Map Posters ................................................................................................................................................ 37 Map Unit Properties Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Use Constraints .......................................................................................................................................................... 37 Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 39 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 45 Additional References ................................................................................................. 49 Geology of National Park Service Areas ...................................................................................................................... 49 NPS Resource Management