SEDIMENTOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY
relative soil density, field plasticity and estimated hydraulic conductivity.
Global Geologic Setting Deposition of the Raritan Formation took place during the first of two regional transgressions that occurred through- out New Jersey and along much of the east coast of the United States. The transgression began during the Late Cenomanian Stage and ended during the Early Turonian Stage. This event was part of a worldwide transgression that began during Albian time and ended during the Turonian (Olsson et al., 1988).
Local Geologic Setting
The Upper Cretaceous strata lie at the top of the northern limb of the Raritan Embayment where it meets the Long Island Platform and dip to the southeast (Zapecza, 1989). Sugarman (email communication, 2014) stated that the regional dip of the Atlantic Coastal Plain was no more than 0.50° southeast; however, a dip of 0.11-0.65° (1.9-11.4 meters/kilometer or 10-60 feet/mile) for the Atlantic Coastal Plain was deter- mined by Zapecza (1989). Cross sections drawn as part of the study (Figure 5 and Figure 7) indicate that the strata dip from 0.46-0.92°.
The Upper Cretaceous strata under the study area are contiguous with strata of the same age that are pres- ent throughout southern and eastern Staten Island. In the study area, the Upper Cretaceous strata consist of, in ascending order, the Lloyd Sand and the Raritan Clay of the Raritan Formation (table below). Upper Cretaceous sedi-
ments overlie weathered bedrock and residuum of a variety of pre-Cretaceous metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The strata are overlain by Pleistocene glacial sediments which are, overlain by Recent marsh sediments, and municipal solid waste. South of the study area, the Raritan Formation contacts the Upper Cretaceous Magothy Formation (Lyttle and Epstein, 1987).
The northern limit of the Cretaceous sediments is defined by a buried gla- cial erosional feature which the author has named the “Toe of the Buried Escarpment.” The location of the escarp- ment is represented by the thin gray line in Figure 2 that starts above bor- ing IT-001, continues to borings IT-308 and IT-801 and ends above boring D16. Despite glacial erosion, the Upper Cretaceous sediments thicken signifi- cantly to the south and are from 40 meters to more than 50 meters thick.
Stratigraphy
Raritan Formation- Lloyd Sand
In the study area, the Lloyd Sand is 0-18.4 m thick (Figures 3 to 7) and is very light olive gray (5Y7/1) to olive gray (5Y5/1). The sand grains range from very fine to very coarse, with fine to medium sizes being most common. Conglomeratic sand layers with fine pebbles up to 7 mm are present at the base and a little above the base of the formation. Roundness is predominantly angular to subangular. The great majority of the sand grains are clear, however, white, gray, moderate orange pink (10R7/4 and 5YR8/4), and black grains are usually present. Mica
Series Stage Formations
Eastern New Jersey
Magothy Magothy
Woodbridge Clay
Raritan
Raritan Fire Clay
Table 1. Correlative regional Upper Cretaceous strata under the study area, eastern New Jersey and Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, New York (constructed from data in Sirkin, 1974 and 1986; Buxton et al., 1981; Doriski and Wilde-Katz, 1983; Jengo, 1995; Olsson et al., 1988; Soren, 1988; Smolensky et al., 1989; Zapecza, 1989; Sugarman, 1996).
www.aipg.org Apr.May.Jun 2016 TPG 47 Raritan Clay Farrington Sand Lloyd Sand
flakes may be uncommon to common, and plant fragments are uncommon. Bedding is not visible in the sediment samples, and cementation is absent. Field hydraulic conductivity is low to high. Sediment samples demonstrate that the base of the Lloyd Sand is uncon- formable with the weathered bedrock and the bedrock. The fine sand layers at the top of the formation grade quickly into the Raritan Clay.
At the locations of borings XB-2 in Figure 3 and IT-045D (Figure 2), 21m thick distributary channel sands are present which grade upward from a very coarse conglomeratic sand to pre- dominantly very fine to fine sand. At location GW-29, the Lloyd Sand fines upward into a fine to medium sand. The Lloyd Sand in the study area has been interpreted by the author as having been deposited as point bars in distributary channels and meander belts in a del- taic environment. Buxton et al. (1981) and Smolensky et al. (1989) have made similar interpretations for the deposi- tional environment of the Lloyd Sand in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, New York. Owens and Sohl (1969), Olsson et al. (1988), Zapecza (1989), Sugarman (1996) and Jengo (2011) interpreted the environment of deposition for the stratigraphically-equivalent Farrington Sand in New Jersey as being fluvial point bar or channel bar deposits.
Raritan Clay- Lower Unit
In the study area, the typical thickness of the lower unit of the Raritan Clay rang- es from 0-13.8 m (Figures 3 to 7). The for-
Regional Stratigraphy
Study Area Staten Island, New York
Brooklyn to Long Island, New York
Matawan Group- Magothy Formation Undifferentiated
Raritan Clay Lloyd Sand
Upper Cretaceous
Cenomanian
Santonian
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