A Natural Resource Management Guide for the County of Morris A ...

Topography and
Landforms
Introduction
In Chapter One we had a glimpse at the ancient geologic
processes responsible for creating our global foundation.
Chapter Two will explore the subsequent events shaping
that foundation into the landscape we inhabit today.
The basic topographical configurations, or landforms, of
Morris County correlate well with the underlying geology
(Plate 4). Two separate regions, referred to as the
Highlands and the Piedmont, are the physiographic
provinces containing these configuration of similar
geologic origin, type, and age (Figure 1). Landforms
within the Highlands include generally northeast trending
ridges and valleys gradually dropping in elevation from
west to east. A 200-400 foot border escarpment on the
eastern edge, traversing the county from Kinnelon through
Morristown, separates the Highlands from the adjacent
Piedmont.
The Landscape
The Highlands form three identifiable ridges of mountains.
Collectively referred to as the Reading Prong, these ridges
begin in Reading, Pennsylvania, and run through northern
New Jersey, the New York Hudson Highlands and into
Figure 1
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Topography and Landforms