Sea level stood very high during the Maastrichtian, and most sediments were deposited in middle to outer neritic paleoenvironments. Deeper environments (i.e. bathyal) are not represented in onshore Cretaceous coreholes. Sediments were deposited on a ramp- style margin (Steckler et al., 1999). There was an uninterrupted gradient on the continental shelf from the inner neritic zone to the deep sea with, apparently, no sharp continental shelf break offshore of New Jersey. There are four formations of Maastrichtian age in New Jersey. The Navesink Formation is a glauconite sand and sandy clay. The overlying Red Bank Formation is divided into two members: the lower siltier Shrewsbury and the overlying sandy Sandy Hook Medmber. The Tinton Formation is a glauconite and quartz sand. Down dip, in cores, the sediments grade to a brown clay known as the New Egypt Formation.
Tinton Formation from the Tighe Park 3 core.
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Shrewsbury Member of the Red Bank Formation. |
Sandy Hook Member of the Red Bank Formation. |
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The contact between the Navesink Formation above and the Mount Laurel sand below. |
Glauconite clay from the Navesink Formation in the Millville core. |
