Jacques Cousteau Reserve, New Jersey

Soil Types

In general, the surface of the coastal plain is a gently rolling terrain, with sandy, droughty soils and few outcrops. The lower component of the region's Kirkwood outcrop consists of very fine, dark, micaceous sand with a pebbly glauconitic basal layer. The upper component is made up of silt and clay. The 2,350 square mile Cohansey formation ranges from the surface to depths of 20 to more than 200 feet. The Cohansey consists of fine to coarse grained quartzose sand with foot-thick lenses of gravel. Generally, clay content is less than 20 percent. The Cohansey and the Kirkwood are the principal aquifers in the region and may contain as much as 17 trillion gallons of water. The tremendous water reserves are due to the sandy soil, flat terrain and evenly distributed precipitation.

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