Gray -shaded areas in Figure 22 mark the approximate limits of disposal material on the 

 sea floor in the inner bight as presented in this report. Detailed discussion is provided in 

 Section II. Cores in the region reveal that much of the disposed fill is indistinguishable from 

 indigenous sea floor sediment. The presence of undesirable detritus (cellar dirt, dredge spoil, 

 etc.), from a beach borrow standpoint, should be anticipated in the eastern parts of borrow 

 Areas B and C and the southwest region of Area A. 

 4. Contemporary Disposal Sites. 



Specific locations are presently designated for the disposal of major types of waste 

 materials. Four of these areas are shown in Figure 22. The areas for dredge spoil and cellar 

 dirt are on line with those originally established in 1888. The disposal area for treated and 

 untreated sewer sludge was established in 1924 and is about 2 miles northeast of the cellar 

 dirt area. The wreck dumping ground is about 13 miles offshore from Sea Girt, New Jersey 

 and is seldom used. The dump zone for toxic chemicals is located outside the study area, 

 about 120 nautical miles southeast of the harbor entrance. Because of excessive 

 transportation costs it is rarely used. The acid waste disposal area was established in 1948 

 and is an area 8 miles southeast of the sewer sludge area. All of these designated disposal 

 zones are outside the indicated borrow areas except for the overlap of the dredge spoil 

 disposal zone with an eastern fringe of Area B. This same area is also within the 2 percent 

 carbon contour defined by Gross (1972) and therefore should be carefully studied before 

 removal of sand for beach fill. 



VI. SUMMARY 



The Inner New York Bight covers about 250 square miles in the northern New Jersey 

 and western Long Island region. The major physiographic features include Sandy Hook and 

 Rockaway Beach, both prograding barrier islands, Shrewsbury Rocks and the Hudson 

 (submarine) Channel. ICONS data consist of about 445 miles of seismic data and 61 

 vibratory cores. 



Two major geomorphic provinces characterize this area. The entire region is underlain by 

 Coastal Plain strata which have been differentially eroded by Pleistocene subaerial and 

 glacial processes. Shrewsbury Rocks mark the demarcation between the deeply eroded 

 Coastal Plain surface, filled by Pleistocene sand and gravel to the north, and the evenly 

 truncated Coastal Plain surface, covered by a relatively thin veneer of residual material 

 mixed with small percentages of glacial outwash to the south. 



Three primary types of sedimentary bedding have been observed on the seismic records. 

 Coastal Plain strata exliibit a monoclinal regional southeast dip. Steeply inclined complex 

 sedimentary crossbeds are restricted to an elongate basin east of Sandy Hook, considered to 

 be of fluvial origin. The third type is Pleistocene-Holocene stratified fluvial sands and gravels 

 which are regionally discontinuous and exhibit gentle seaward dip. 



Cores reveal that fine to medium sand is the most predominate sediment type on the 

 inner shelf. Isolated patches of coarse sand and rounded pea gravels are present in areas 



57 



