Towaco Formation
| Towaco Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Early Jurassic | |
Various colors and textures of Towaco Formation seen within Pines Lake area of Wayne, New Jersey. | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Newark Supergroup |
| Underlies | Hook Mountain Basalt |
| Overlies | Preakness Basalt |
| Thickness | maximum of at least 1,115 feet (340 m) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone |
| Other | Conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 40°48′N 74°18′W / 40.8°N 74.3°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 21°24′N 20°36′W / 21.4°N 20.6°W |
| Region | Newark Basin of Eastern North America Rift Basins |
| Extent | nearly continuous for ~35 miles (56 km) in New Jersey |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Towaco, New Jersey |
| Named by | Paul E. Olsen, 1980 |
The Towaco Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in New Jersey. It is named for the unincorporated village of Towaco, which is near the place its type section was described by paleontologist Paul E. Olsen.