64 Geology of Hudson (Joioity, New Jersey. 



of the Cretaceous and Tertiary ages, Hudson County stood 

 above the sea and was exposed to sub-aerial denudation, and also 

 felt the full force of the cold and ice of the Glacial epoch. How- 

 ever slowly the wind, rain and frost may act in degrading rocks, 

 yet we know that during the flight of ages they accomplish 

 mighty results ; what these changes were in this region we of 

 course desire to know. The only way to determine the amount 

 of material removed from the general surface of Hudson County, 

 is by studying the character and position of the rocks that remain. 

 As we have already seen, the most remarkable fact in connection 

 with the Triassic rocks in New Jersey is the uniformity of their 

 dip to the northwestward ; from the nature of the excavation 

 tliat produced Newark Bay, leaving a ridge on the western side 

 150 feet high, composed of stratified rocks inclined 15° N. W., 

 it is evident that larger portions of the sandstone and shale have 

 been removed, than are necessary to fill the valley. Considering 

 this county alone, if we carry out the strata to tlie position which 

 their dip and broken edges, indicate that they once occupied, 

 we find that the thickness of sandstone and shale once covering 

 Bergen Hill could not have been less than 7,000 or 8,000 feet. 

 If no faults exist in this region, Ave cannot arrive at any other 

 conclusion than that many thousands of feet of stratified rock 

 have been removed from the general surface of the county. 



Drainage aiid Reclamation of Land. — Geology has but little 

 to do with agriculture in Hudson County ; but on all questions 

 as to tlie reclamation of land, building of piers, construction of 

 railroads, etc., it has a direct and important bearing. 



In other countries, immense areas have been reclaimed from 

 the sea by diking ; this same process has been followed in some 

 portions of New Jersey with marked success. In Hudson 

 County, however, little has been done in this direction ; some 

 portions of the Newark Meadows have been thus reclaimed, but 

 no very promising results have followed. One reason for the 

 lack of success is the nature of the swamp-depo"Sits, which con- 

 sist of undecomposed vegetable matter to so great a depth that 

 they are useless for agricultural purposes. 



The most important reclaimed areas are along the Hudson ; 

 here the plan has been to fill in the swamps up to a level above 



