Final Report of the State Geologist Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 Excerpt: ...miles into Raritan bay; 239 square miles along the south shore of Raritan bay, drains directly into the bay; 2,141 square miles drains directly into the Atlantic ocean by the various streams of the eastern slope of Southern New Jersey; 1,060 square miles drains directly into Delaware bay, and 2,345 square miles of area is drained by the Delaware river. In each case the areas of water of the bays lying within the State, are included in the above figures. Excepting the small area on Wawayanda creek, the water of which flows into New Jersey only to flow out again immediately by the Pochuck, the only areas which discharge their drainage into New Jersey from neighboring States, are 148.6 square miles on the water-shed of the Passaic, in Orange and Rockland counties, and 64.1 square miles on the Hackensack water-shed in Rockland county, New York. The following table shows the area of each water-shed, the percentage of this area which remains in forest, and the population per square mile. Other things being equal, the higher the percentage of forest, the more equable will be the flow, and the clearer and purer the quality of the water. It is, however, also necessary to take into account the soil, in judging as to the amount of solids carried by the streams. Reference to the geological maps of the State will suffice for this. The streams of the Archeean Highlands are perhaps the purest of the State; even after heavy rains they are but little roiled, and during the dry seasons their waters are clear, cool and sparkling. They are flashy because of the steep and rocky character of the surface, although they maintain a fair flow through the driest months. The streams of the Kittatinny valley carry much solid matter, particularly from the limestone but also from the sla...