earth science

Newark Supergroup

Newark Supergroup is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Newark Supergroup rather than just read about it. In short: The Newark Supergroup, also known as the Newark Group, is an assemblage of Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks which outcrop intermittently along the east coast of North America. They were deposited in a series of Triassic basins, the Eastern North American rift basins, approximately 220–190 million years ago.

Key takeaways

Newark Supergroup belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Newark Supergroup to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Newark Supergroup from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Newark Supergroup, also known as the Newark Group, is an assemblage of Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks which outcrop intermittently along the east coast of North America. They were deposited in a series of Triassic basins, the Eastern North American rift basins, approximately 220–190 million years ago. The basins are characterized as aborted rifts, with half-graben geometry, developing parallel to the main rift of the Atlantic Ocean which formed as North America began to separate from Africa. Exposures of the Newark Supergroup extend from South Carolina north to Nova Scotia. Related basins are also found underwater in the Bay of Fundy. The group is named for the city of Newark, New Jersey.

Characteristics The Newark Supergroup consists largely of poorly sorted nonmarine sediments; typical rocks are breccia, conglomerate, arkose sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Most of the strata are red beds that feature ripple marks, mud cracks, and even rain drop prints; dinosaur footprints are common, though actual body fossils are very rare. Some of the strata are detailed to the level of varves, with indications of Milankovitch cycles. In preserved lake sediments, Semionotus fossils are especially common. The Newark sediments are extremely thick (up to 6 kilometers); they were deposited in a series of half-grabens that were themselves faulted into block mountains. The beds dip to the east, while the faults dip westward. The beds are intruded by numerous dikes and sills, indicative of considerable igneous activity; a superb example is the New Jersey Palisades sill.

Depositional environment The Newark Supergroup's lithologies and structure are the classic hallmarks of a rift valley; the fault-blocking illustrates the crustal extension forces in play during the breakup of Pangea during the late Triassic Period. The Appalachian Mountains had already been nearly eroded flat by the end of the period; the uplift and faulting that was the first part of the rifting provided new sources of sediment for the vast thicknesses deposited in the Newark Supergroup; the igneous intrusions are similarly diagnostic of a rift valley. Coarse sediments were deposited near the eastern mountain front, while progressively finer ones were deposited farther west. Evidence suggests the climate at the time was subtropical and rainy, though divided between wet and dry months. A few organic-rich deposits suggest patchy or intermittent swamps and lakes. Accumulation of Newark sediments within the rift basins continued from the late Triassic into the early Jurassic.

Basins and formations The separate basins and sub-basins of the Newark Supergroup have historically been given their own geological formations by local paleontologists. However, a study by Weems, Tanner, and Lucas (2016) proposed that the formations of the Newark Supergroup should be defined on a regional scale due to their geological uniformity over eastern North America. From youngest to oldest, the regional formations proposed by this study are:

Longmeadow Sandstone of the Portland Group (Early Jurassic semi-arid fluvial deposits) Mount Toby Conglomerate of the Portland Group (Early Jurassic semi-arid alluvial conglomerate) Boonton Formation of the Portland Group (Early Jurassic lacustrine deposits) Hampden Formation of the Meriden Group (Early Jurassic basalts) East Berlin Formation of the Meriden Group (Early Jurassic semi-arid lacustrine and alluvial deposits) Holyoke Formation of the Meriden Group (Early Jurassic basalts and rare sediments) Shuttle Meadow Formation of the Meriden Group (latest Triassic-earliest Jurassic lacustrine and freshwater limestone deposits) Talcott Formation of the Meriden Group (latest Triassic (Rhaetian) basalts and rare sediments) Passaic Formation of the Chatham Group (Norian-Rhaetian? semi-arid fluvial and deltaic deposits) Lockatong Formation of the Chatham Group (Norian? Humid lacustrine deposits) Stockton Formation of the Chatham Group (Carnian? Humid fluvial and deltaic deposits) Doswell Formation of the Chatham Group (Early Carnian? Humid fluvial, lacustrine, and coal deposits) Evangeline Formation of the Acadia Group (Ladinian? semi-arid fluvial deposits) Economy Formation of the Acadia Group (Anisian-Ladinian? arid fluvial deposits and aeolian sandstone) Chedabucto Formation of the Acadia Group (stratigraphically uncertain red beds at Chedabucto Bay) Honeycomb Point Formation of the Acadia Group (Late Permian? arid alluvial conglomerate and aeolian sandstone) Basin-specific formations are given below:

Deep River Basin, Sanford/Durham/Wadesboro Sub-Basins (North Carolina) Sanford Formation (equivalent to the Passaic Formation) Cumnock Formation (Cumnock Member of the Lockatong Formation) Pekin Formation (equivalent to the Stockton Formation)

Danville/Dan River Basin (North Carolina, Virginia) Stoneville Formation (equivalent to the Passaic Formation) Cow Branch Formation (equivalent to the Lockatong Formation) Dry Fork Formation (Dry Fork Member of the Stockton Formation) Walnut Cove Formation (Walnut Cove Member of the Stockton Formation) Pine Hall Formation (Pine Hall Member of the Stockton Formation)

Richmond Basin (Virginia) Otterdale sandstone (equivalent to the Stockton Formation) "Vinita Beds" (Vinita Member of the Doswell Formation) "Coal Measures" (equivalent to the Vinita Member of the Doswell Formation) "Barren Beds" (equivalent to the Stagg Creek Member of the Doswell Formation)

Taylorsville Basin (Virginia) Leedstown Formation (equivalent to the Passaic Formation) Port Royal Formation (equivalent to the Lockatong Formation) Newfound Formation (equivalent to the Stockton Formation) Falling Creek Formation (equivalent to the Vinita Member of the Doswell Formation) South Anna Formation (equivalent to the Stagg Creek Member of the Doswell Formation)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Newark Supergroup

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Newark Supergroup claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Newark Supergroup before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Newark Supergroup ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Newark Supergroup

In research: Newark Supergroup appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Newark Supergroup in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Newark Supergroup is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geologic supergroups of the United States, Geology of North America, Historical geology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Newark Supergroup outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Newark Supergroup in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Newark Supergroup means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Newark Supergroup out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Newark Supergroup in simple terms?

Why does Newark Supergroup matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Newark Supergroup?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Newark Supergroup.