Sandy Hook, New Jersey
| Sandy Hook, New Jersey | |
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Sandy Hook seen from an airplane (looking west) on its approach to JFK
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 Sandy Hook
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| Coordinates | 40°27′10″N 73°59′43″W / 40.452891°N 73.995237°WCoordinates: 40°27′10″N 73°59′43″W / 40.452891°N 73.995237°W |
| Offshore water bodies | Atlantic Ocean (to the east) Shrewsbury River (to the west) |
| Elevation | 7 feet (2 m) |
| Length | 6 miles (9.7 km) |
| Width | 0.1 to 1.0 mile (0.16 to 1.61 km) |
| Area | 2,044 acres (827 ha) |
| Depth | 250 to 300 feet (76 to 91 m) |
| Formed by | Wisconsin glaciation period |
| Age | Last Glacial Maximum ("LGM"; ~25,000 years old) |
| Operator | National Park Service |
| Designation | Barrier spit |
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township,Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) in length and varying from 0.1 to 1.0 mile (0.16 to 1.61 km) wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay south of New York City, protecting it from the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The Dutch called the area "Sant Hoek", with the English "Hook" deriving from the Dutch "Hoek" (corner, angle), meaning "spit of land".
Most of Sandy Hook is currently owned and managed by the National Park Service as the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.
Geologically, Sandy Hook is a large sand spit or barrier spit, the extension of a barrier peninsula along the coast of New Jersey, separated from the mainland by the estuary of the Shrewsbury River. On its western side, the peninsula encloses Sandy Hook Bay, a triangular arm of Raritan Bay. The 2,044-acre (8.27 km2) peninsula was discovered by Henry Hudson, and, historically, Sandy Hook has been a convenient anchorage for ships before proceeding into Upper New York Harbor.
Sandy Hook is part of Middletown Township, although not contiguous with the rest of the Township. Because the peninsula is a federal reservation, this technicality is essentially moot. The community of Highlands overlooks the southern part of the hook.
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Wikipedia