Great Piece Meadows
Encyclopedia
Great Piece Meadows is a 7100 acres (28.7 km²) fresh water swamp
located in Morris
and Essex
Counties, New Jersey
. The wooded swamp is mostly inside the bow of the Passaic River
which floods during the year from heavy rain or heavy snow melt.
Period when the North American Plate
separated from the African Plate
, an aborted rift system was created. between the Ramapo Fault and a fault west of Paterson. A half graben was created and was filled with red bed sediment. The land between the Ramapo fault and the fault west of Paterson lowered. When the Wisconsin Glacier melted due to climate change around 13,000 BC, at this time Lake Passaic was formed. Over several thousand years the lake drained and formed the Great Piece Meadows.
The Whippany River
and Rockaway River
drain into the Passaic River in the Hatfield Swamp
. The Passaic River flows north where it becomes the Great Piece Meadows. The Whippany River and Rockaway River drain half of the entire Morris County. Due to snow melt in north western Morris County, from heavy summer rains or hurricanes passing through the area, is the reason why the Great Piece Meadows flood so often. The ground can be one to four feet under water.
s, skunk
s, gray fox
, possum
s, and muskrat
s inhabit the Great Piece Meadows, however due to constant flooding, mammals struggle to maintain a foothold in the swamp. Most live on the fringes of the swamp.
Hardwood
trees are stunted due to the constant flooding. During dry years trees make good growth. Tree species include various oak
s, maple
s, sweet gum, elms, ash, and sycamore
s.
Various amphibian
s, turtle
s and snake
s also make their home in the swamp.
Fish such as carp and catfish inhabit the Passaic and Rockaway River in this area.
Waterfowl migrating though the area in autumn, rest and feed in the swamp before proceeding south.
going from east to west . From north to south it is between Lincoln Park
and Fairfield.
The altitude is 160 feet (48.8 m) above sea level. The swamp is over 7100 acres (28.7 km²)
Route 80 travels 4 miles (6.4 km) along the southern portion of the swamp.
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
located in Morris
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
and Essex
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
Counties, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The wooded swamp is mostly inside the bow of the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
which floods during the year from heavy rain or heavy snow melt.
Geology
During the late TriassicTriassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
Period when the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
separated from the African Plate
African Plate
The African Plate is a tectonic plate which includes the continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and various surrounding ocean ridges.-Boundaries:...
, an aborted rift system was created. between the Ramapo Fault and a fault west of Paterson. A half graben was created and was filled with red bed sediment. The land between the Ramapo fault and the fault west of Paterson lowered. When the Wisconsin Glacier melted due to climate change around 13,000 BC, at this time Lake Passaic was formed. Over several thousand years the lake drained and formed the Great Piece Meadows.
The Whippany River
Whippany River
The Whippany River is a tributary of the Rockaway River, approximately 20 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States....
and Rockaway River
Rockaway River
The Rockaway River is a tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 35 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper course of the river flows through a wooded mountainous valley, whereas the lower course flows through the populated New Jersey suburbs and former industrial...
drain into the Passaic River in the Hatfield Swamp
Hatfield Swamp
Hatfield Swamp is a fresh water wetland area in the US state of New Jersey, forming what might be considered the "second bank" of the Passaic River between Morris and Essex counties.-Geology:...
. The Passaic River flows north where it becomes the Great Piece Meadows. The Whippany River and Rockaway River drain half of the entire Morris County. Due to snow melt in north western Morris County, from heavy summer rains or hurricanes passing through the area, is the reason why the Great Piece Meadows flood so often. The ground can be one to four feet under water.
Flora and fauna
White tailed deer, raccoonRaccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s, gray fox
Gray Fox
The gray fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America...
, possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s, and muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
s inhabit the Great Piece Meadows, however due to constant flooding, mammals struggle to maintain a foothold in the swamp. Most live on the fringes of the swamp.
Hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
trees are stunted due to the constant flooding. During dry years trees make good growth. Tree species include various oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s, sweet gum, elms, ash, and sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
s.
Various amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s, turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s and snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s also make their home in the swamp.
Fish such as carp and catfish inhabit the Passaic and Rockaway River in this area.
Waterfowl migrating though the area in autumn, rest and feed in the swamp before proceeding south.
Geography
The Great Piece Meadows is between the townships of Montville and WayneWayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
going from east to west . From north to south it is between Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park, New Jersey
Lincoln Park is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 10,930....
and Fairfield.
The altitude is 160 feet (48.8 m) above sea level. The swamp is over 7100 acres (28.7 km²)
Route 80 travels 4 miles (6.4 km) along the southern portion of the swamp.