The New York – New Jersey Highlands is a

geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

composed primarily of Precambrian

igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or ...

and

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock ( protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, caus ...

running from the Delaware River near

Musconetcong Mountain Musconetcong Mountain is a ridge in the Highlands region of New Jersey running south of and parallel to the Musconetcong River. The ridge travels through Alexandria, Holland, Bethlehem and Lebanon Township. Prominent Features *Point Mountain, 935 ...

, northeast through the Skylands Region of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

along the

Bearfort Ridge Bearfort Mountain, historically known as Bear Ford Mountain, is a mountain ridge located near Wawayanda State Park in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey. It is a continuation of Bellvale Mountain in New York. The Appalachian Trail crosses a ...

and the

Ramapo Mountains The Ramapo Mountains are a forested chain of the Appalachian Mountains in northeastern New Jersey and southeastern New York, in the United States. They range in height from in New Jersey, and in New York. Several parks and forest preserves en ...

, Sterling Forest, Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks in New York, to the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

at Storm King Mountain. The northern region is also known as the

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York state lying primarily in Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County on its west. They continue somewhat to the south in Westchester County and Rockland Count ...

and the southern as the New Jersey Highlands. A broader definition would extend the region west to Reading, Pennsylvania, and east to the Housatonic River in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, encompassing the

Reading Prong The Reading Prong is a physiographic subprovince of the New England Uplands section of the New England province of the Appalachian Highlands. The prong consists of mountains made up of crystalline metamorphic rock. Location The Reading Prong st ...

. In New Jersey, the region's watershed is protected by the state's own Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act. In addition to preserving water resources, the act supports open space preservation and the creation of new recreational parks and hiking trails in America's most densely populated state. These include the Highlands Trail, designated as a Millennium Trail by the

White House Millennium Council The White House Millennium Council was an American organization established by Executive Order 13072 in 1998 by President Bill Clinton as part of the then-upcoming celebrations of the start of the year 2000. The council's theme was "Honor the Pa ...

and maintained by the

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. The

New Jersey Highlands Coalition The New Jersey Highlands Coalition is a New Jersey 501c3 non-profit organization that aims to protect the water and the ecological and cultural resources of the New Jersey Highlands, an 860,000 acre rural and agricultural area in the northern and ...

was formed in 1988 to protect the resources of the region. In November 2004, the federal Highlands Conservation Acthttps://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ421/PLAW-108publ421.pdf was passed. The Highlands Conservation Act “recognizes the importance of the water, forest, agricultural, wildlife, recreational, and cultural resources of the Highlands region, and the national significance of the Highlands region to the United States.”

References

External links

USGS - The Highlands Province

New Jersey Highlands Coalition

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference - Highlands Trail Guide

Geologic formations of New Jersey Geologic formations of New York (state) Palisades Interstate Park system Ramapos Regions of New Jersey {{NewYork-geologic-formation-stub

See also

References

External links