92 National Geographic Magazine. 
new system of consequent streams was born on the revealed sea 
bottom. Since then, time enough may have passed to allow the 
streams to sink their channels through the unconformable cover 
and strip it off, and thus superimpose themselves on the Triassic 
rocks below: we should therefore find them, in so far as they 
have not yet been re-adjusted, following inconsequent, discordant 
courses on the under formation. The existing overlap of the 
Cretaceous beds on the still buried Triassic portion of the old 
Schooley peneplain makes it evident that such an origin for the 
Watchung streams is possible; but it has not yet been indepen- 
dently proved that the Cretaceous cover ever reached so far 
inland as to cross the Watchung ridges. 8 
Want of other explanation for the Watchung streams 1s not 
satisfactory evidence in favor of the explanation here suggested. 
There should be external evidence that the, Triassic area has 
actually been submerged and buried after it was baselevelled to 
the Schooley peneplain and before it was uplifted to its present 
altitude; other streams as well as the ones thus far indicated, 
should bear signs of superimposition; and if adjustment of the 
superimposed courses has begun, it should be systematically car- 
ried farthest near the largest streams. I shall not here state 
more than in brief form, the sufficient evidence that can be 
quoted in favor of the first and second requisites. Suffice it to 
say that the overlap of the Cretaceous beds (which contain 
practically no Triassic fragments) on the bevelled Triassic strata 
at Amboy and elsewhere indicates submergence after base- 
levelling; and that the pebbles, sands and marls of the Cretaceous 
series point clearly to the Highlands as their source. The sub- 
mergence must therefore have reached inland across the Triassic 
formation at least to the margin of the crystalline rocks. Some 
shore-line cutting must have been done at the margin of the 
Highlands during Cretaceous time, but the generally roiling sur- 
face of the old peneplain leads me to ascribe its origin chiefly to 
subaérial wasting. Moreover, the North Branch of the Raritan, 
between Mendham and Peapack (* Fig. 1) and the Lockatong (L), 
a small branch of the Delaware on the West Hunterdon sandstone 
plateau, give striking indications of superimposition in the dis- 
cordance of their courses with the weaker structural lines of their 
basins, so unlike the thoroughly adjusted course of the Musconet- 
cong and its fellows, the Pohatcong, the Lopatcong, and others. 
