The New Jersey coastline is the unusual land feature that gets the most ink in the Garden State. Stretching from Cape May in the south to Sandy Hook in the north, the Jersey Shore is home to vast numbers of shorebirds and waterfowl, as well as a popular vacation destination. These beaches, however, are more than just a great place to get a tan. They are a unique land feature that is forever in flux. The sand eroded from the beaches in the south actually gets deposited at the north end of the Sandy Hook peninsula. The beach, "North Beach" is expanding in to New York Harbor at a rate of about 3 feet per year. The lighthouse, now situated 1.5 miles from the coast, was just 500 feet from the waterline when it was erected in 1764.
The New Jersey Pine Barrens is a vast swath of mostly pitch-pine forest, covering most of the southern half of New Jersey. The soil in this region is so sandy and acidic, few trees can compete with the pitch-pine, and give rise to the region's name. In the 19th century, the bog iron industry flourished in the region due in part to the low cost of land due to its poor agricultural properties and the acidity of the soil rendering iron a regionally renewable resource. This region is as unique as the numerous species of plants and animals that call it home.
In the Colts Neck region of central Monmouth County there are numerous creek beds that contain fossils dating from the cretaceous period. This area, now more than 40 miles inland, was once the ocean floor. This region is a hotbed for amateur and professional fossil hunters alike. It is difficult to imagine unearthing ocean-dwelling fossils so far from the Atlantic Ocean, but this region produces many oyster and squid specimens difficult to find anywhere else.
The northern portion of the state is often referred to as the New Jersey Skylands. This is due to its mountainous terrain, quite unlike the rest of the Garden State. The elevation of this region culminates at High Point, on the border of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. This region is home to igneous rock formations and the remains of glacier fields.
