Editing Branchville, New Jersey (section)

===Geology===
Branchville is on the [[Ordovician]] Martinsburg Formation. This is a shale, slate, and limestone formation created 450 million years ago when a chain of volcanic islands collided with proto North America. The islands went over the [[North American Plate]], creating the Highlands of Sussex County and the [[Kittatinny Valley]]. Millions of years of erosion occurred and there was a second event. About 400 million years ago a small continent that was long and thin, collided with proto North America creating folding and faulting. The [[Silurian]] Shawangunk conglomerate that was under a shallow sea, lifted due to pressure. The pressure created heat which melted the silica and bonded the quartz and conglomerate together, creating [[Kittatinny Mountain]].

The [[Wisconsin Glacier]] covered all of Branchville from 21,000 [[Common Era|BCE]] to 13,000 BCE, covering the top of Kittatinny Mountain. [[End moraine]]s exist in [[Stokes State Forest]], another just off Route 565 north of the Skylands Park and one about a mile south of Ross's Corner. An [[esker]] was created when the glacier retreated due to climate warming. Many ponds and lakes created. Culver Lake was created at this time, as the drainage became blocked. Branchville is drained by Culver's Lake Creek and Dry brook. Dry Creek starts at the Branchville Reservoir, travels south, enters into Culver's Creek in Branchville and eventually empties into the Paulinskill. There is a chain of hills between Dry Creek and Papakatin Creek. These hills are what separate the [[Paulinskill River]] drainage system from that of the Wallkill. The drainage divide is just north of Route 206 and the goes northwest toward Branchville Reservoir. Water near Route 206 or south of Route 206 drains into the Paulinskill. Water north of Route 206 drains into the Wallkill River.