New Jersey ranks 15th in U.S. buried treasure study

New research ranking the likelihood of buried treasure across all 50 U.S. states has placed New Jersey 15th overall. The study, conducted by ACE.com, evaluated states based on five factors: shipwrecks, gold deposits, meteorite strikes, prehistoric fossils, and rare-earth mineral occurrences.

New Jersey earned a score of 24.27 out of 100, bolstered significantly by the discovery of 969 documented shipwrecks associated with the state. Other contributing factors include 140 prehistoric fossil records and three recorded meteorite strikes. Areas such as Cape May and Haddonfield in Camden County are noted for their historical and paleontological significance.