USGS Visual Identifier

GEOLEX

Summary of Citation: Bass River

Publication:
Petters, S.W., 1976, Upper Cretaceous subsurface stratigraphy
   of Atlantic Coastal Plain of New Jersey: American Association
   of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 60, no. 1, p. 87-107
Usage in Publication:
Bass River Formation

Modifications: Geologic Province: Dominant Lithology:
 Named
 Atlantic Coast basin
 Silt
Limestone

Summary:
Bass River Formation named in Burlington Co, NJ. Consists of olive-gray to olive black clayey silt with shell fragments, occasionally cemented into massive limestone. 62 m thick at type section; ranges 62 m to 126 m. Occurs in subsurface only. Represents marine transgression. Unconformably overlies Potomac Group; underlies Raritan and Magothy Formations, undivided. Age is Late Cretaceous.
Summary of Citation: Bass River

Publication:
Gohn, G.S., 1995, Ostracode biostratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous
   marine sediments in the New Jersey coastal plain, IN Baker,
   J.E.B., ed., Contributions to the paleontology of New Jersey:
   Geological Association of New Jersey Annual Field Conference,
   v. 12, 12th Annual Meeting, Wayne, NJ, October 27-28, 1995,
   p. 87-101
Usage in Publication:
Bass River Formation*

Modifications: Geologic Province: Dominant Lithology:
 Age modified
Biostratigraphic dating
 Atlantic Coast basin
 

Summary:
Previously, Cenomanian to early Turonian ages have been assigned to Bass River Formation in several NJ wells on basin of calcareous nannofossils (Valentine, 1984) and planktic foraminifers (Petters, 1976, 1977). However, REHACYTHEREIS EAGLEFORDENSIS occurs near middle of Petters' (176) lower Turonian section in Island Beach hole and near top of Turonian section in Anchor Gas hole, thereby suggesting that at least part of the Turonian section is actually Cenomanian. Similarly, part of correlative Raritan Formation section in Toms River Chemical Company well assigned by Valentine (1984) to lower Turonian contains Cenomanian calcareous nannofossil LITHRAPHIDITES ACUTUS. No Turonian marine sediments in NJ are presently represented by described ostracode assemblages.
Summary of Citation: Bass River

Publication:
Self-Trail, J.M. and Bybell, L.M., 1995, Cretaceous and Paleogene
   calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of New Jersey, IN
   Baker, J.E.B., ed., Contributions to the paleontology of New
   Jersey: Geological Association of New Jersey Annual Field
   Conference, v. 12, 12th Annual Meeting, Wayne, NJ, October
   27-28, 1995, p. 102-139
Usage in Publication:
Bass River Formation*

Modifications: Geologic Province: Dominant Lithology:
 Age modified
Biostratigraphic dating
 Atlantic Coast basin
 

Summary:
Bass River Formation is late Cenomanian based on calcareous nannofossils (Subzone CC 10b of Perch-Nielsen, 1985). Samples from Brick Township core in central eastern NJ contain MICRORHABDULUS DECORATUS, EIFFELLITHUS TURRISEIFFELII, and AXOPODORHABDUS ALBIANUS. First appearance datum (FAD) of E. TURRISEIFFELII marks base of Zone CC 9 and FAD of M. DECORATUS indicates samples can be no older than Zone CC 10, or latest Cenomanian. Presence of A. ALBIANUS, which has last appearance datum (LAD) at top of Cenomanian, also places samples in Zone CC 10. Absence of MICROSTAURUS CHIASTIUS, whose LAD marks top of Subzone CC 10a and base of Subzone CC 10b, further corroborates Subzone CC 10b age. FAD of QUADRUM GARTNERI, which defines base of Zone CC 11 and base of Turonian is not present in samples. Samples from Buena core in southern NJ also contain late Cenomanian calcareous nannofossils dated at no older than Subzone CC 10b, based on presence of MICRORHABDULUS BELGICUS and COROLLITHION EXIGUUM, both of which have FADs at base of Zone CC 10b, and absence of MICROSTAURUS CHIASTIUS and QUADRUM GARTNERI.
Summary of Citation: Bass River

Publication:
Owens, J.P., Sugarman, P.J., Sohl, N.F., Parker, R.A., Houghton,
   H.F., Volkert, R.A., Drake, A.A., Jr. and Orndorff, R.C.,
   unpub., Bedrock geologic map of New Jersey, central sheet:
   U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series
   Map, I-__, scale 1:100,000, Also, 1995, U.S. Geological Survey
   Open-File Report, OF-95-253, 60 p. (incl. geologic map, scale
   1:100,000).
Usage in Publication:
Bass River Formation*

Modifications: Geologic Province: Dominant Lithology:
 Revised
 Atlantic Coast basin
 

Summary:
The Bass River Formation, a subsurface unit occurring throughout much of the NJ Coastal Plain, is redefined and stratigraphically restricted to include only the upper beds of the Raritan Formation. Consists of massive, dark gray clay to clayey silt, typically micaceous. Thickness reaches 61 meters. Overlies Raritan Formation and underlies Magothy Formation. Pollen biostratigraphy indicates that the Bass River is of Late Cretaceous (late Cenomanian? to middle Turonian) age.