| Watchung Mountains |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT WATCHUNG MOUNTAINS | |
| essex county, new jersey | |
| passaic county, new jersey | |
| somerset county, new jersey | |
| mountain ranges of new jersey | |
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A section of the Hilltop in North Caldwell -- the site that used to contain a hospital for Tuberculosis sufferers -- is the highest point in Essex County ; the county hospital was built there because the high elevation provided clean, mountain air away from the cities to the east, that is beneficial for people with TB. Since the 1970s, the area has seen extensive Suburb an growth, but before the construction of the Interstate Highway System , the Watchungs actually held back urbanization. During the Revolutionary War , General Washington used the protection of the Watchung mountains to erect the first and second Middlebrook Encampment . This position on the high ground also allowed him to monitor and disturb British movements between New York City and Philadelphia . GEOLOGY The Newark Basin contains Traprock s, which are mineral-rich Mafic volcanic rocks. Their resistance to erosion (relative to the surrounding sandstone and shale) produce elevated regions above the surrounding terrain. The volcanic rocks of the Watchung Mountains were formed as mafic volcanic material extruded on the surface as surface flows. Most of the Watchung Mountains are examples of extrusive igneous rocks, displaying characteristic columnar jointing and stacked lava flows. The mountains have historically been the site of extensive quarrying of volcanic Basalt . EXTERNAL LINKS
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