Goffle Hill
| Goffle Hill | |
|---|---|
| Watchung Mountains | |
The western flank of Goffle Hill is seen from High Mountain in Wayne, New Jersey.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 602 ft (183 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°58′33.81″N 74°10′07.93″W / 40.9760583°N 74.1688694°WCoordinates: 40°58′33.81″N 74°10′07.93″W / 40.9760583°N 74.1688694°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 6 mi (9.7 km) north–south |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States of America |
| State | New Jersey |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Triassic/Jurassic |
| Type of rock | extrusive igneous and trap rock |
Goffle Hill, also referred to as Goffle Mountain and historically known as Totoway Mountain and Wagaraw Mountain, is a range of the trap rock Watchung Mountains on the western edge of the Newark Basin in northern New Jersey. The hill straddles part of the border of Bergen County and Passaic County, underlying a mostly suburban setting. While hosting patches of woodlands, perched wetlands, and traprock glades, the hill is largely unprotected from development. Extensive quarrying for trap rock has obliterated large tracts of the hill in North Haledon, and Prospect Park. Conservation efforts seeking to preserve undeveloped land, such as the local Save the Woods initiative (2007–present), are ongoing.
Goffle Hill generally refers to the ridge of First Watchung Mountain north of the Passaic River and south of Campgaw Mountain. West of the ridge is a narrow valley dividing the tall peaks of the Preakness Range (part of Second and Third Watchung Mountain) from Goffle Hill. The east side of the ridge faces out over a wide, shallow valley extending to the Palisades. Historically, the ridge comprising Goffle Hill was known as Totoway Mountain, with the name Goffle Hill applied to the more prominent southern part of the ridge. Today, the name Goffle Hill is commonly used to describe the entire ridge despite the fact that the northern and southern sections of the ridge are quite different in terms of topography and surficial geology.
The southern ridge traverses the boroughs of Prospect Park, Haledon, North Haledon, Hawthorne and the township of Wyckoff, running generally north to south. Starting at the Great Falls of the Passaic River, the southern ridge rises gently to the north, culminating at an elevation of 602 ft40°58′33.81″N 74°10′07.93″W / 40.9760583°N 74.1688694°W just inside of Hawthorne, near the border with North Haledon and Wyckoff. The summit marks the highest peak of Goffle Hill, though comparable peaks exist in the northern part of the ridge. The southern ridge is distinguished from the northern part of Goffle Hill by the presence of trap rock glades and vertical basalt cliffs which rise abruptly on portions of its eastern flank.
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Wikipedia