Nature
Goffle Hill, a ridge of First Watchung Mountain in northern New Jersey, rises from the Great Falls of the Passaic and stretches north through suburban communities while retaining patches of woodland, wetlands, and trap rock glades. Formed about 185 million years ago in an early Jurassic rift valley, it stands above surrounding land because its basalt resisted erosion better than nearby sandstone and shale. Its older names reflect Lenape and Dutch history, and the hill later served Lenape camps, mill sites, farming settlements, and a Revolutionary War lookout, including Lafayette’s 1780 position. Quarrying, blight, and development have greatly reduced its natural landscape, prompting local conservation efforts.
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Hawthorne, New Jersey · United States
