Acadia NP and Mesa Verde NP
Geology 115
Acadia National Park (1916) on the Maine coast is a good
example of igneous geology
Acadia NP is located on Mount Desert Island and the adjacent
Schoodic Peninsula
Schoodic Peninsula
Bass Harbor Head
Ca
sedimentary rocks
rocks in central co
Precambrian
543
Geology of Mount Desert Island (Acadia NP)
A
Millinocket
Precambrian - Gn
in northwest. Lim
sandstone, slate, a
rocks in central co
?
Greenville
Calais
A
Rangeley
Eastport
Geologic c
Bangor
Machias
Generalized regi
Mount Desert
Island
Augusta
B
Portland
Kittery
Casco Bay
“Mostly granite”
Penobscot Bay
“Mostly
sandstone and
slate; some
volcanic”
Modified from Guidotti
1985, Bedrock Geologic
Maine Geological Surve
Bass Harbor Head –
“Cadillac Mountain
Granite” – Note the
cliff-forming jointing
in the rock
Schoodic Peninsula
– “Cranberry Island
Series Volcanic
Rocks”
Schematic cartoon of glacial carving by a continental glacier
Compare/contrast with glacial carving by valley glacier at Yosemite NP
Jordan Pond – Example of glacial carving of U shaped valleys
Mesa Verde National Park (1906) in southwestern
Colorado is a good example of sedimentary geology
high
low
Sandstone and shale
erode at different rates
The Cliff House Sandstone formation is relatively
permeable but contains layers of less permeable shale
which erodes the sandstone above it to form alcoves, in
which the Pueblan culture built their structures.
“Spruce Tree House”
“Long House”
“Cliff Palace”
For an arid environment, Mesa Verde supported significant
agriculture due to the presence of a good soil
loess distribution in the Four Corners area
water
wind