In a general way the surface of New Jersey may be described as
mountainous in the northern part, undulating in the middle part, and
low and sandy in the southern part. The state is divided into four
provinces or zones; namely, the Appalachian zone, the Highlands, the
Piedmont Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. These zones extend from
southwest to northeast.
[Illustration: Tri-States Rock in the Delaware River. The rock on which
the man stands is at the intersection of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
New York boundaries]
[Illustration: Topographic provinces of New Jersey]
The Appalachian zone, which consists of Kittatinny Mountain and
Kittatinny Valley, extends across the northwestern part of the state
from the Delaware River in the vicinity of the Delaware Water Gap to
the New York state line. The width of this belt varies from twelve to
fourteen miles. The Kittatinny Mountain extends along the Delaware
River for thirty miles in the northwestern corner of the state. It
extends into Pennsylvania, where it is known as Blue Mountain. The
height of this range varies from 1500 feet to 1800 feet. Its highest
point and the highest in the state is High Point, which has an
elevation of 1804 feet. The Kittatinny Valley is on the southeast side
of Kittatinny Mountain and runs parallel with it.
[Illustration: Relief map of New Jersey]
The Appalachian zone, with its rugged surface, extensive forests, and
many lakes, is noted for its beautiful scenery, which attracts many
summer visitors. The Delaware Water Gap is particularly noted on this
account. This is a break in the Kittatinny Mountain through which the
Delaware River flows. Because of the rough surface this section of
the state is not adapted to agriculture, although on the bottom lands
bordering on the streams and in the Kittatinny Valley there are many
farms devoted to the raising of crops and to grazing.
The second zone, The Highlands, immediately southeast of the
Appalachian zone, extends from the Delaware River into New York. Its
southeastern boundary passes near Morristown and Boonton. This zone
is from ten to twenty miles wide. Its height generally varies from
900 feet to 1400 feet. Hamburg Mountain and Wawayanda Mountain reach
an altitude of 1469 feet. The Highlands, as well as the Appalachian
zone, belong to the Appalachian region, but in New Jersey the term
"Appalachian" is applied only to the region consisting of Kittatinny
Mountain and Valley.
The Highlands contain many irregular mountain masses, interspersed with
fertile valleys, and much forest land. The zone contains, besides, many
lakes, most of which are of glacial origin. The section is consequently
one of great natural beauty, and is a popular resort for many who
desire out-door recreation. There is much fertile farm land and land
suitable for grazing. Parts of it are specially suitable for the
raising of peaches and other fruits. It contains many valuable mineral
deposits, including gravel, cement rock, zinc, and iron.
Next to the Highlands and parallel with it is the Piedmont Plateau.
This extends from the Delaware River to the northeast corner of the
state and is about thirty miles wide. Its southeastern boundary is a
line running from Trenton to Woodbridge in Middlesex County, which
represents in this state the Fall Line (Sec. 47). It comprises about
one fifth of the area of the state. Its elevation varies from sea level
to about 900 feet.
The Piedmont Plateau is characterized by the presence of red sandstone
and shale. Its surface is very irregular. In its eastern part it is
undulating or rolling. In the western, it contains higher lands which
may be called plateaus. It contains also irregular ridges such as
the Watchung Mountains, the Palisades, and the mountains in Hunterdon
County. The Watchung Mountains and the Palisades are composed of trap
rock, which in a molten condition was forced up through overlying rock
strata. The eastern sides of these trap ridges are steep slopes. The
underlying sandstone has been worn away while the harder trap rock has
resisted erosion.
[Illustration: The Palisades of the Hudson]
The Falls of the Passaic River at Paterson are located in this section.
These falls, which are seventy feet high, were formed by the water
passing over the hard trap rock and wearing away the softer rock below.
Because of the nearness of the Piedmont Plateau to the great commercial
centers of the country and the excellent facilities for transportation,
most of the larger cities of the state are located in this zone.
[Illustration: Barnegat lighthouse]
The fourth zone, the Coastal Plain, includes the remainder of the state
south and east of the Fall Line. The land of this zone is highest
in the interior along a range of elevations extending from Atlantic
Highlands in the northeast to Mount Holly in the southwest, and slopes
outward from these elevations towards the margins of the zone. The
greatest elevation is 390 feet, which is found in Monmouth County.
About three fourths of this portion of the state has an elevation of
less than 100 feet and about one third has an elevation of less than 50
feet. The Coastal Plain is bordered along Delaware Bay and the Atlantic
Coast by salt marshes, or tidal marshes, often called salt meadows,
whose elevation above sea level is rarely as much as four feet. The
total area of these marshes, including those of the valley of the
Hackensack River, is almost 660 square miles. Along the Atlantic coast
the marshes are separated from the ocean by beaches. These are low
ridges of sand, constructed in the shallow water by the action of the
waves and wind. These beaches are absent along the shore of Delaware
Bay and along the coast from Manasquan to Monmouth Beach. The water
between the beaches and the mainland is shallow and is becoming more
shallow because of the deposit of sediment which is washed down from
the land by streams.
Although the coast line of the state along the Atlantic is 120 miles
long, there are no good harbors on this line, because of the barrier
beaches and the shallowness of the water between the beaches and the
mainland.
The northern fourth of New Jersey was covered by ice during the Glacial
Period (Sec. 32). It therefore contains many moraines, or deposits of
material carried along by the glacier. These deposits consist of clay,
sand, gravel, and bowlders. In some places they take the form of hills
or ridges, in others they are spread out as level sheets. Some valleys
are partly filled by them. Many lakes in the northern part of the state
occupy basins which were scooped out by the glacier, or were formed
from river valleys whose outlets were blocked by glacial deposits. The
terminal moraine which marks the southern limit of the glacier extends
from Belvidere, through Morristown, to Perth Amboy. As the ice passed
over the hard rocks of the mountains it polished their surfaces, and
left in them scratches, which indicate the general southward movement
of the glacier.
The Coastal Plain was once beneath the ocean and was part of the
continental shelf which extends along the Atlantic. The ancient shore
is now the Fall Line.