The Moggy Hollow Natural Area is a nature preserve in Far Hills, Somerset County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. As the

Wisconsin Glacier The Wisconsin Glacial Episode, also called the Wisconsin glaciation, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated in the northern North American Cord ...

advanced,

Glacial Lake Passaic Lake Passaic was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed in northern New Jersey in the United States at the end of the last ice age approximately 19,000–14,000 years ago.Stanford, Scott D. “Glacial Lake Passaic.” ''Unearthing New Jerse ...

formed eventually rising until it found an outlet at Moggy Hollow, draining to the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...

. It was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in January 1970.

Geology

The Wisconsin glacier expanded and closed off lower height gaps to the north, forming

Lake Passaic Lake Passaic was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed in northern New Jersey in the United States at the end of the Last Glacial Period, last ice age approximately 19,000–14,000 years ago.Stanford, Scott D. “Glacial Lake Passaic.” '' ...

. As the lake continued to grow to a maximum depth around , it found its outlet out of the basin at Moggy Hollow at the western edge of the lake. The ledge of harder

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

ic rock at above sea level served as a spillway for Lake Passaic carving a deep ravine out of the softer soil as the lake drained. Even as the glacier retreated, Moggy Hollow remained the main outlet due to debris left at Millburn until Little Falls and Paterson emerged from the ice. There were several post glacial lakes which formed above Moggy Hollow, bringing the ledge to its current height.

History

The property is owned and managed by the Raritan Headwaters Association. Most of the current site was donated to the association on November 4, 1967, by J. Malcolm Belcher, a former mayor of Far Hills, on behalf of the Belcher family. The remainder of the site was acquired from Leonard J. Buck.

Visiting

The ravine is located adjacent to and above the

Leonard J. Buck Garden The Leonard J. Buck Garden is a public botanical garden and woodland garden operated by the Somerset County Park Commission, and located at 11 Layton Road, Far Hills, New Jersey, United States. The garden is one of the nation's premier rock ga ...

. Visitors can either ask to cross the Buck Garden to reach the lower portion of the ravine, or park above on Liberty Corner Road to access the top of the ledge. Portions of the hollow are steep and dangerous.

References

External links

Raritan Headwaters Association page
{{authority control Far Hills, New Jersey Protected areas of Somerset County, New Jersey National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey Raritan River Watchung Mountains