GEOLOGY

AND

GEOMORPHOLO

GY OF

THE

NEW JE

RSEY COAST

FROM

THE S

ANDY HOOK B

AY T

O

CAPE M

AY

F AB

I O C

AS

TI B

L AN

CO

GE

25

4

NEW JERSEY COAST

• Stretches from Sandy Hook to Cape May• 127 Miles

• Densely populated – Economic Focal Point

• Geologically• Extremely flat (trend that heads inland)• Composed of sediments• Erosional Coast

NEW JERSEY COASTAL PLAIN CREATION

• Pre-Pleistocene Glaciation• Cohansey Formation• Bridgeton Formation

• Pleistocene Glaciation• Pensauken Formation• Cape May Formation• Multiple facies

PRE-PLEISTOCENE ENVIRONMENTS

• Cohansey Formation

Stanford, 2005

PLEISTOCENE GLACIATION

Stanford, 2005

CURRENT SHORELINE

• Different shoreline beach types• Barrier Bar system• Back Bays

• Exposed Beaches

• EROSION• Erosion on beaches• 2.2 meters a year• Sediment transport• Directionality of transport

• Human intervention• Groins

• Sea Level Rise

EROSION- GROINS• Cape May - Groins

DEPOSITION

CURRENT EROSIONAL PATH

• Factors increasing erosion/ worsening the situation• Human intervention• Cutting off supply for replenishment • Pumping from off shore sand

• Global warming• Stronger storms• Hurricane Sandy

• Sea level rise

• Going to get worse!

SANDY AFTERMATH

USGS

SUMMARY

• The New Jersey Coast is not headed in a good direction• Erosional coast, economically developed• Under threat of erosional forces• Increasingly worse

• Can we do anything?• Short-term = Yes• Long-term = No