Cheesequake Formation

Clay and clay-silt, micaceous, thin-bedded to laminated, dark-gray; weathers light tan. Contains abundant wood fragments intercalated with light-colored, fine-grained micaceous quartz sand and is rarely crossbedded. Rock fragments and feldspar are minor sand constituents. Small cylindrical burrows occur in the updip area. Abundant, rounded, pale-gray siderite concretions (about 8 cm (3 in) in diameter) occur in thin discontinuous beds. Sand interfingers rapidly within a short distance with extensively bioturbated, dark-gray, very micaceous, somewhat woody clay-silt. The basal clay-silt has extensive cylindrical burrows filled with fine-grained, light- to medium-green botryoidal glauconite. The basal contact with the underlying Magothy Formation is sharp. Reworked siderite concretions and some glauconite and coarse-grained quartz sand are found along the contact within the Cheesequake. Unit exposed only in the South Amboy and Keyport quadrangles. The unit is about 14 m (46 ft) thick. The age of the Cheesequake was determined from pollen (Litwin and others, 1993), which indicates the unit is between the Merchantville Formation microflora (CA2 Zone of Wolfe, 1976, lower Campanian) and the uppermost Magothy microflora (?Pseudoplicapollis cunceata-Semioculopollis verrucosa Zone of Christopher, 1979, upper Santonian). It is probable that the Cheesequake Formation contains the Santonian-Campanian boundary. This unit was not recognized by Petters (1976) who concluded that the Magothy and Merchantville interfingered in the subsurface and the Merchantville was, in part, Santonian.
State New Jersey
Name Cheesequake Formation
Geologic age Upper Cretaceous, lower Campanian and upper Santonian
Lithologic constituents
Major
Unconsolidated > Fine-detrital > Silt (Bed)Clay and clay-silt, micaceous, thin-bedded to laminated, dark-gray; weathers light tan. Contains abundant wood fragments; extensively bioturbated, dark-gray, very micaceous, somewhat woody clay-silt. The basal clay-silt has extensive cylindrical burrows filled with fine-grained, light- to medium-green botryoidal glauconite.
Unconsolidated > Fine-detrital > Clay (Bed)Clay and clay-silt, micaceous, thin-bedded to laminated, dark-gray; weathers light tan. Contains abundant wood fragments; extensively bioturbated, dark-gray, very micaceous, somewhat woody clay-silt. The basal clay-silt has extensive cylindrical burrows filled with fine-grained, light- to medium-green botryoidal glauconite.
Minor
Unconsolidated > Coarse-detrital > Sand (Bed)fine-grained micaceous quartz sand and is rarely crossbedded. Rock fragments and feldspar are minor sand constituents. Small cylindrical burrows occur in the updip area. Abundant, rounded, pale-gray siderite concretions (about 8 cm (3 in) in diameter) occur in thin discontinuous beds. Sand interfingers rapidly within a short distance
References

Dalton, R.F., Herman, G.C., Monteverde, D.H., Pristas, R.S., Sugarman, P.J., and Volkert, R.A., 1999, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bedrock Geology and Topographic Base Maps of New Jersey: New Jersey Geological Survey CD Series CD 00-1; ARC/INFO (v. 7.1), scale 1:100,000.

Owens, James P., Sugarman, Peter J., Sohl, Norman F., Parker, Ronald A., Houghton, Hugh F., Volkert, Richard A., Drake, Avery A., Jr., and Orndorff, Randall C., 1998, Bedrock Geologic Map of Central and Southern New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2540-B, 8 cross sections, 4 sheets, each size 58x41, scale 1:100,000.

https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i2540B

Litwin, R.J., Sohl, N.F., Owens, J.P., and Sugarman, P.J., 1993, Palynological analysis of a new recognized Upper Cretaceous marine unit at Cheesequake, New Jersey: Palynology, v. 17, p. 123-135.

Wolfe, J.A., 1976, Stratigraphic distribution of some pollen types from the Campanian and lower Maestrichtian rocks (Upper Cretaceous) of the Middle Atlantic States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 977, 18 p.

https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp977

Christopher, R.A., 1979, Normapolles and triporate pollen assemblages from the Raritan and Magothy Formations (Upper Cretaceous) of New Jersey: Palynology, v. 3, p. 73-122.

Petters, S.W., 1976, Upper Cretaceous subsurface stratigraphy of Atlantic Coastal Plain of New Jersey: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 60, no. 1, p. 87-107.

NGMDB product
Counties Middlesex