Poricy Park
Encyclopedia
Poricy Park is a 250 acres (101.2 ha) nature preserve and park in Middletown Township
, Monmouth County, New Jersey
. It is known for its Cretaceous
era fossil shell beds along the Poricy Brook streambed, open to the public for limited collecting. The park also contains a Nature Center and the Murray Farmhouse and Barn, a New Jersey Historic Site.
of the Navesink Formation
. Both of these geologic formations are from the Late Cretaceous
period of the Mesozoic Era. The shell beds are 72 million years old and were probably an offshore marine shelf based on the fossil record. They range from 45 feet (13.7 m) to 65 feet (19.8 m) thick in the area.
Common fossils include Pyncnodonte mutabilis, Pyncnodonte convexa, Exogyra cancellata, Exogyra costata, Ostrea mesenterica, Agerostrea, Belemnitella americana and shark teeth
. These are mostly extinct version of oysters and clams
.
, American eel
, multiple species of bird including owls,hawks, and Turkey Vultures as well as red fox
(one seen 5/9/10 with pups). There is also a pond that supports frogs and turtles. Recently someone introduced Koi
to that same small pond.
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
, Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
. It is known for its Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
era fossil shell beds along the Poricy Brook streambed, open to the public for limited collecting. The park also contains a Nature Center and the Murray Farmhouse and Barn, a New Jersey Historic Site.
History
Poricy Park began in 1969 as local residents protested a proposed sewer project which would have impacted Poricy Brook. They formed a non-profit organization which in partnership with Middletown Township, the Nature Conservancy and New Jersey Green Acres began buying land between 1970 and 1973. The town designated the land as a nature preserve and leased the land to the Conservancy to manage. In 2004, the organization was officially renamed the Poricy Park Conservancy.Geology
The Poricy Brook cuts through a number of geological layers which are rising due to glacial rebound. The highest layer is the rust colored sand of the Red Bank Formation. Several layers below that is the glauconitic marlMarl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
of the Navesink Formation
Navesink Formation
The Navesink Formation is a 66 to 70 mya greensand glauconitic marl and sand geological formation in New Jersey. It is known for it its Cretaceous era fossil shell beds and dinosaur bones.-Description:...
. Both of these geologic formations are from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
period of the Mesozoic Era. The shell beds are 72 million years old and were probably an offshore marine shelf based on the fossil record. They range from 45 feet (13.7 m) to 65 feet (19.8 m) thick in the area.
Fossils
The Nature Center has a display of fossils found in the area. They also rent screens and trowels for use while looking for fossils. The fossils in the exposed Navesink Formation are in the stream bed and are easily accessible from the parking lot along Middletown road. There is a display sign with pictures of the fossils likely to be found. The Conservancy asks that visitors collect from the stream bed only and not to dig into the banks which only hastens erosion. They also ask that visitors collect conservatively and that anything unusual be given to the Nature Center.Common fossils include Pyncnodonte mutabilis, Pyncnodonte convexa, Exogyra cancellata, Exogyra costata, Ostrea mesenterica, Agerostrea, Belemnitella americana and shark teeth
Shark tooth
A shark tooth is one of the numerous teeth of a shark. Sharks continually shed their teeth, and some Carcharhiniformes shed approximately 35,000 teeth in a lifetime. In some geological formations, shark's teeth are a common fossil...
. These are mostly extinct version of oysters and clams
CLaMS
CLaMS is a modular chemistry transport model system developed at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. CLaMS was first described by McKenna et al. and was expanded into three dimensions by Konopka et al....
.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Poricy park include rabbit, skunk, snake, bat, opossum, groundhog, white-tailed deerWhite-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, American eel
American eel
The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a catadromous fish found on the eastern coast of North America. It has a snake-like body with a small sharp pointed head. It is brown on top and a tan-yellow color on the bottom. It has sharp pointed teeth but no pelvic fins...
, multiple species of bird including owls,hawks, and Turkey Vultures as well as red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
(one seen 5/9/10 with pups). There is also a pond that supports frogs and turtles. Recently someone introduced Koi
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
to that same small pond.