Capstone Experience for Geoscience Students at the University of Maine: Integrating Fieldwork, Laboratory Analysis and Multimedia Technology in a Teamwork Environment

This project establishes a Capstone Experience for senior undergraduate geoscience students. The major component is equipment for a networked Collaborative Computer Laboratory housed in the new sciences center. The laboratory is the major resource for an integrated course including computer, field work, laboratory, analytical, and publishing experiences for undergraduate seniors in geology and anthropology. This Capstone Experience has a strong interdisciplinary component (geology, environmental sciences, and anthropology) and involves other universities and K 12 students. This project focuses on Maine and neighboring regions and builds on the strengths of the university and opportunities provided by Maine\u27s geological and geographic setting. The result of this project (MAINEly Geology) is an interactive, multimedia presentation of geological and anthropological aspects of Maine that is available as a World Wide Web site and published as a CD-ROM. It is a geological resource for other institutions in the Nation, as well as for Maine\u27s people, and represents a model of a student-centered, inquiry-based, active learning experience by undergraduate students

Geomorphology and sedimentary framework of Penobscot Bay and adjacent inner continental shelf

Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Report 89-3. Seismic reflection profiles, side-scan sonar images, bottom sediment composition and texture. Offshore coverage from Rockland to Deer Isle.https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_publications/1080/thumbnail.jp

Depositional Setting and Quaternary Stratigraphy of the Sheepscot Estuary, Maine: A Preliminary Report

The Sheepscot River estuary in west-central coastal Maine is a typical example of a long linear embayment sculpted by glacial ice flowing nearly parallel to bedrock strike. After initial déglaciation 13,500 yrs. BP it was covered by glaciomarine mud, the Presumpscot Formation. Isostatic rebound resulted in a rapid sea-level fall and the channeling, winnowing, and consolidation of the Presumpscot Formation, until sea-level reached a lowstand about 65 m below present, 9500 yrs. BP. Subsequent sea-level rise caused flooding of the paleovalley of the Sheepscot, with reworking of the Pleistocene. High resolution seismic reflection profiling, vibracoring, and surficial mapping has allowed reconstruction of the Quaternary stratigraphy and the generation of an evolutionary model of sedimentary environments. At present the estuary exhibits three zones : an outer zone stripped of sediment, a middle zone undergoing erosion by tidal currents and slumping on bluffs and channel margins, and an inner zone of sediment accumulation on flats and in marshes, with redistribution of sediments by tidal currents. This three-fold division held throughout the Holocene transgression, with sediments being temporarily stored in the upper regions of the estuary, and reworked as sea-level rise continued.L'estuaire de la rivière Sheepscot, au centre-ouest de la région côtière du Maine, est un bel exemple de baie allongée, sculptée par un glacier qui s'écoulait parallèlement à la direction du substratum rocheux. Après le début de la déglaciation, vers 13 500 BP, l'estuaire a été recouvert d'une boue glaciomarine, la Formation de Presumpscot. Le relèvement isostatique a eu pour conséquence la baisse rapide du niveau marin ainsi que la formation de chenaux, le triage des sédiments et la consolidation de la Formation de Presumpscot, jusqu'à 9500 BP, alors que le niveau marin était à 65 m sous le niveau actuel. La hausse subséquente du niveau marin a entraîné l'ennoiement de la paléo-vallée du Sheepscot, puis remaniement des sédiments au Pléistocène. Les sondages sismiques par réflexion, les vibro-carottages et la cartographie des formations superficielles ont permis de reconstituer la stratigraphie du Quaternaire et de créer un modèle de l'évolution des milieux de sédimentation. Actuellement, l'estuaire se divise en trois zones: une zone externe, décapée; une zone centrale en voie d'érosion par les courants de marée et affectée par des glissements dans les falaises et sur les bords des chenaux; une zone interne d'accumulation sur les hauts-fonds et dans les marais et de redistribution des sédiments par les courants de marée. Cette division zonale s'est maintenue tout au long de la transgression survenue à l'Holocène, avec accumulation des sédiments en amont de l'estuaire et remaniement au fur et à mesure de la hausse du niveau marin.Das Sheepscot-FlufJmùndungsbecken an der zentralen Westkùste von Maine ist ein Typisches Beispiel einer langen linearen Bucht, die durch glaziales EisflieBen fast parallel zur Fels-Streichrichtung geformt wurde. Nach dem Beginn der Enteisung 13,500 Jahre v.u.Z. war das Mùndungsbecken mit glazialmarinem Schlamm bedeckt, der Presumpscot Formation. Die isostatische Hebung fùhrte zu einem schnellen Sinken des Meeresniveaus und zur Bildung von Kanâlen, Sortierung und Konsolidierung der Presumpscot Formation, bis das Meeresniveau 9500 Jahre v.u.Z. einen Niedrigstand von ungefàhr 65 m unter dem heutigen Niveau erreichte. Das anschliepende Ansteigen des Meeresniveaus fùhrte zur Ùberschwemmung des Paleo-Tals von Sheepscot und zur Neuorganisation der Sedimente im Pleistozàn. Mittels seismischer Reflexionsprofile, Vibra-Karottage und Kartographie der Oberflâchen konnte die Stratigraphie des Quaternàrs rekonstruiert werden und ein Modell der Entwicklung der Sediment-Umgebungen geschaffen werden. Gegenwàrtig hat das Mùndungsbecken drei Zonen: eine àupere, von Sedimenten befreite Zone; eine mittlere Zone, die wegen der Gezeiten-Strômungen und der Erdrutsche an den Steilufern und den Ufern der Kanàle der Erosion ausgesetzt ist; eine innere Zone von Sediment-AbIagerungen in den Niederungen und Mârschen mit Neuverteilung der Sedimente durch die Gezeiten-Strômungen. Dièse dreiteilige Aufteilung hielt sich wàhrend der ganzen Transgression im Holozàn, mit Sedimenten, die zeitweise in den oberen Regionen der Mùndungsbucht abgelagert wurden und die, als das Steigen des Meeresniveaus weiterging, neu organisiert wurden

Coastal Change and Beach Ridges along the Northwest Coast of Peru: Image and GIS Analysisof the Chira, Piura, and Colán Beach-Ridge Plains

Since approximately 5200 cal yrs BP, five sets of eight to nine beach ridges were built and preserved along the northwestern Peruvian coastal desert (3o30\u27S-9oS). Potential ridge-building mechanisms in the hyper-arid environment of northwest Peru include El Nifio floods and storms, seismic activity, and sea-level change, as well as more gradualc limate changes that affectedc oastal morphologyI. mage processinga nd GeographicI nformationS ystem (GIS) methods were used to analyze aerial photographs and measure historic coastal patterns along three beach-ridge plains over a 37-year time period. Coastal features were digitized from image mosaics of each ridge plain at different time intervals from 1946 up to 1983. Progradation rates were examined at ridge locations north of the Chira River and Piura River, as well as at the base of ephemeral stream valleys in Colin. The total change in beach area was measured from historic aerial photographs taken at different time intervals. The resulting measurements showed that sediment distributed by El Nifio storms was redeposited along the shoreline within a few years following each event. The difference between the frequency of El Nifio events (currently 2-7 years) and the rate of ridge preservation (1 per 500 years average) suggests that individual ridges may be composites of multiple depositional events, or that ridges result from the rare convergence of multiple processes and conditions. A change in style of ridge formation in all studied beach-ridge sets correlates with, and may be explained by, change in the frequency of El Nifio events at about 3000 cal yrs BP

Volume and quality of sand and gravel aggregate in the submerged paleodeltas of the Kennebec and Penobscot River mouth areas, Maine

Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Report 97-5. Reports on results of a geophysical and coring investigation of sand volumes at mouths of Kennebec and Penobscot Rivershttps://digitalmaine.com/mgs_publications/1117/thumbnail.jp

The seafloor revealed: The geology of the northwestern Gulf of Maine inner continental shelf

Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Report 96-6. Explains the surficial geology, physiography, and geologic history of the Maine coast. Methods and analysis detail how the seafloor was studied. Data were interpreted from side-scan sonar records, seismic reflection profiles, bottom samples, and submersible dives.https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_publications/1118/thumbnail.jp

Development in the Gulf of Maine: Avoiding Geohazards and Embracing Opportunities

Mapping for marine-spatial planning is crucial if Maine is to safely develop its offshore resources, espe­cially wind and tidal energy. The authors focus on shallow natural gas (methane) deposits, an important and widespread geohazard in Maine’s seafloor. They describe the origin, occur­rence, and identification of natural gas in Maine’s seafloor; explain the hazards associated with these deposits and how to map them; and discuss what Maine can learn from European nations that have already developed their offshore wind resources. Because the U.S. gives states a central role in coastal management, Maine has the chance to be proactive in delineating coastal resources and demarcating potential seafloor hazards

Surficial geology of the Maine inner continental shelf; Mt. Desert Island to Jonesport, Maine

Maine Geological Survey, Geologic Map 96-12https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_maps/1217/thumbnail.jp