TECTONICS AND SEDIMENTATION ASSOCIATED WITH MESOZOIC SEQUENCES IN NEW JERSEY AND CONNECTICUT

Jura-Triassic rocks are present at the ancient continental margin of North America along its Eastern area. There are sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The sedimentary rocks at the bottom of the Newark Supergroup are described by Olsen and other scientists who have identified characteristics of the eight formations such as red and gray color for siltstones. In addition, the sandstones are greenish and grayish. Also, these scientists described composition, tectonics, deformation, and special studies based on Paleontology in order to support theories regarding the breakup of Pangea. The purpose of this study is to continue investigations based on a comparison of biological, chemical, physical, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and tectonic distinctiveness of the red siltstones, sandstones, and also, volcanic rocks extruded in the same Synrift Basin. The author has been analyzing geological maps from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire where the Mesozoic volcanic and sedimentary intercalated rocks are well represented. The Eastern area shows some aspects of these rocks exposed between New Haven, CT (South) to Keene, NH (North). The eastern margin of the Hartford basin was formed by a large fault the ‘Eastern Border Fault’ while in the west the contact in an unconformity in places, such as the outlier at Roxbury, and a fault contact in others. The west margin of the Newark basin was formed by a large Early Jurassic fault called Ramapo Fault. The New Jersey geological map shows strong folding for the Jura Triassic both sedimentary and volcanic rocks along the Piedmont Province. Regionally, the strata dipping toward eastward at the Hartford basin in contrast with regional westward dip in the Newark basin. Of course, all the strata were initially deposited in near horizontal attitudes, their modern-day dips, west in the Newark basin and east in the Hartford basin, must be ascribed to the effects of post-Early Jurassic to Cretaceous tectonic uplift.