Nature
The Towaco Formation is an early Jurassic bedrock unit in New Jersey, dating to about 198 to 197 million years ago and lying between the Preakness Mountain Basalt and the Hook Mountain Basalt. Composed mainly of varied sandstone along with black siltstone, calcareous mudstone, and some clastic, conglomeratic, and volcaniclastic layers, it records shifting Newark Basin conditions during the breakup of Pangea. It continues older playa and alluvial-fan environments while preserving deeper lake deposits from wetter periods, with unusually long depositional cycles. Its beds also preserve fish, plant remains, pollen, coprolites, and reptile and dinosaur tracks, making it a significant record of early Jurassic environments and life.
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New Jersey · United States