Editing Morris County, New Jersey (section)

==Geography and geology==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of {{convert|481.52|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|460.97|sqmi}} was land (95.7%) and {{convert|20.55|sqmi}} was water (4.3%).<ref name=CensusArea>[https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_34.txt 2020 Census Gazetteer File for Counties in New Jersey], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed April 1, 2023.</ref>

[[File:Morris County, NJ, highest point.jpg|thumb|right|Highest point, in woods near sign on trail indicating highest point in county located in [[Jefferson Township, New Jersey|Jefferson Township]].|alt=A pointed gray rock on the left of the image amid dense underbrush and immature trees]]
[[File:Loantaka Brook Reservation bikeway pond with algae.jpg|thumb|right|[[Loantaka Brook Reservation]] bikeway pond with algae located in [[Morris Township, New Jersey|Morris Township]]]]
The county rises in elevation and relief from east to west, with only the more developed eastern suburbs in the [[Passaic River]] valley being relatively level. The highest point is at {{convert|1395|ft}} above sea level on a mountain south of Pine Swamp in western [[Jefferson Township, New Jersey|Jefferson Township]].<ref>[http://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=13320 New Jersey County High Points], Peakbagger.com. Accessed October 5, 2013.</ref> The second-highest point is on a mountain just north of Riker Lake at {{convert|1358|ft}}. The lowest point is about {{convert|160|ft}} in elevation, at Two Bridges, the [[confluence]] of the Passaic and [[Pompton River|Pompton]] rivers.

The county is drained by several rivers. The [[Rockaway River]] drains {{convert|125|mi2}}, of the northern section of the county. The [[Whippany River]] drains {{convert|69|mi2}} of the middle of the county. The [[South Branch Raritan River|South Branch of the Raritan River]] and the [[Black River (New Jersey)|Black River]] drain the western area.

Most of the county's borders are rivers. The [[Pequannock River]] drains the northern boundary area. The Pompton River drains the eastern section. The [[Passaic River]] also drains the eastern border area. The western border is drained by the [[Musconetcong River]]. There are several large lakes in Morris County; among them are the state's largest lake, [[Lake Hopatcong]], [[Budd Lake (New Jersey)|Budd Lake]], Lake Parsippany, and the [[Boonton Reservoir]], also known as the Jersey City Reservoir.

===Climate===
Morris has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfa''/''Dfb'') and the [[hardiness zone]]s are 6a and 6b.
{{Weather box |metric first =
|location = Morristown
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 38
|Feb high F = 41
|Mar high F = 50
|Apr high F = 61
|May high F = 71
|Jun high F = 80
|Jul high F = 85
|Aug high F = 83
|Sep high F = 75
|Oct high F = 65
|Nov high F = 54
|Dec high F = 43
|year high F=
|Jan low F = 18
|Feb low F = 19
|Mar low F = 27
|Apr low F = 36
|May low F = 46
|Jun low F = 54
|Jul low F = 59
|Aug low F = 58
|Sep low F = 51
|Oct low F = 39
|Nov low F = 32
|Dec low F = 23
|year low F=
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.50
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.00
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.41
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.64
|May precipitation inch = 5.09
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.40
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.29
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.37
|Sep precipitation inch = 5.33
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.17
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.37
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.10
|year precipitation inch= 53.67
|source 1 = <ref>[http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/achesandpains/climatology/monthly/USNJ0331?from=36hr_newslinker2 Average Weather for Morristown, New Jersey – Temperature and Precipitation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023011807/http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/achesandpains/climatology/monthly/USNJ0331?from=36hr_newslinker2 |date=October 23, 2012 }}, [[Weather.com]]. Accessed March 28, 2008.</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

===Weather===
{{climate chart
|[[Morristown, New Jersey]]
|18|38|4.50
|19|41|3.12
|27|50|4.41
|36|61|4.64
|46|71|5.09
|54|80|4.40
|59|85|5.29
|58|83|4.37
|51|75|5.33
|39|65|4.17
|32|54|4.37
|23|43|4.10
|float=right
|units=imperial
|clear=both
|source=The Weather Channel<ref name="weather">{{cite web
  |url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USNJ0331
  |title=Monthly Averages for Morristown, New Jersey
  |access-date=April 15, 2017
|publisher=The Weather Channel
}}</ref>}}
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Morristown have ranged from a low of {{convert|18 to 23|F||abbr=}} in January to a high of {{convert|83 to 85|F||abbr=}} in July, although a record low of {{convert|-26|F}} was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of {{convert|104|F}} was recorded in August 2001. Average monthly precipitation ranged from {{convert|3.12|in}} in February to {{convert|5.33|in}} in September.<ref name="weather"/>

===Geology===
[[File:Image-Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge New Jersey04.jpg|thumb|Barn located in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge located in [[Harding Township, New Jersey|Harding Township]]]]
Around 500 million years ago, a chain of volcanic islands shaped like an arc collided with proto-North America. The islands rode over top of the North American plate. This created the highlands in western Morris County and the eastern section of Morris County.<ref name=USGS>USGS</ref>

Around 400 million years ago, a small continent long and narrow collided with proto-North America. This created folding and faulting, as compression occurred. Then around 350 million years ago, the [[African Plate]] collided with North America creating the folding and faulting in the Appalachians. But when the African plate pulled away from North America, an aborted rift valley was created. This half [[Wiktionary:graben|graben]], starts east of Boonton and goes through the middle of Parsippany, south to Morristown, to the south end of Great Swamp. From Parsippany and the Boonton area the half graben goes east to the western side of Paterson, where there was another fault by the lava flows. East of the [[Ramapo Fault]] is where there is this aborted rift valley.<ref name=USGS/>

The Ramapo fault goes through the county on a northeast–southwest axis. The fault separates the Highlands from the Piedmont, also known as the Newark Basin. This is an [[active fault]]. The last major earthquake occurred in 1884, with a strength measured at 5.3 on the Richter scale.<ref>[[James Barron (journalist)|Barron, James]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/nyregion/19quakes.html "A Third Quake Causes Talk, but Little Else"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 18, 2009. Accessed October 6, 2013. "The earthquake on Feb. 2 and the aftershock on Wednesday were just south of the area he said had been rattled by a strong-for-New-Jersey tremor in 1783. In geologic time, that is almost recent. 'Probably a 5,' he said, explaining how seismologists had sifted through newspaper accounts to estimate the strength of that quake and another in 1884. 'A lot of articles about that one,' he said. 'That was a 5.3.'"</ref>

Around 21,000 BCE., the [[Wisconsinan glaciation|Wisconsin Glacier]] covered about half of Morris County. The terminal moraine went from Hackettstown east to north of Budd Lake, east to Rockaway and Denville, then southeast to Morristown then south to the south end of Great Swamp. When the glacier melted around 13,000 B.C. the melt water created [[Glacial Lake Passaic]]. The lake extended from what is now [[Pompton Lakes, New Jersey|Pompton Lakes]] through Parsippany south to the south end of Great Swamp. From Parsippany the lake went east to the lava flows of western Paterson. This lake was {{convert|30|mi}} long and {{convert|10|mi}} miles wide and the depth was about {{convert|200|ft}}. When the Wisconsin glacier covered Morris County, the ice sheet was about {{convert|300|m}} deep. Due to debris from the glacier, the lake was unable to drain through the [[Watchung Mountains]] near [[Short Hills, New Jersey|Short Hills]]. Instead, it drained through Moggy Hollow at the southwestern end of the lake. But when the glacier melted and receded to the New York State line, the lake drained though the Little Falls area, as this was lower in elevation than Moggy Hollow. And thus the Passaic River formed.

The swamps of the Great Piece Meadows, Hatfield Swamp, [[Troy Meadows]], Lee Meadows and Great Swamp were all under the Lake Passaic until it drained, and then these areas were created.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120717080715/http://library.fws.gov/pubs5/web_link/text/pme_form.htm "Significant Habitats and Habitat Complexes of the New York Bight Watershed Passaic Meadows Complex #24"], [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]. Accessed October 6, 2013.</ref>