CHAPTER XIV. 



THE MANASQUAN MARL. 



The Manasquan marl is the youngest Cretaceous formation in 

 New Jersey, and is restricted to the northeastern half of the Cre- 

 taceous belt in the State. The formation is most typically de- 

 veloped in eastern Monmouth County, especially in the vicinity 

 of Farmingdale, and is gradually overlapped by later formations, 

 so that it practically disappears entirely in Camden County a 

 short distance from the boundary between Burlington and Cam- 

 den counties. Lithologically the formation is a nearly pure 

 greensand marl of a dark-green color, with at times a mixture 

 of clayey material. The formation is somewhat sharply differen- 

 tiated from the subjacent Vincentown formation, but it passes 

 almost imperceptably mto the super jacent Shark River marl of 

 Eocene age. This marl bed has a maximum thickness of nearly 

 50 feet in the northeastern portion of its -area, which diminishes 

 to the southwest, being reduced to about 30 feet near the south- 

 western boundary of Burlington County. 



FAUNA OF THE; MANASQUAN MARL. 



The fossils of the Manasquan marl are not abundant and are 

 frequently poorly preserved. During the prosecution of the field 

 work undertaken in connection with the preparation of the present 

 report, collections have been made from but three localities. 



Locality 138. From the heaps of marl at the pits along the 

 Manasquan River, I mile south of Farmingdale, the following 

 fossils have been collected : 



ANTHOZOA. 



Plabellum mortoni Vaughan. 

 Trochocyathns conoides (G. & H.). 

 Balanophyllia inauris Vaughan. 



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