Roadside Geology – For People Interested In How The Earth Works

And an appropriate tagline it is for the Roadside Geology series. I have several books in the series, but I’ll look at the Roadside Geology of Maine here. While you might not think of it, Maine does has an interesting geologic history…here’s just a tidbit…

Did you know that the rocks of southern Maine are different from the rocks found anywhere else in the state? They are the remnants of a micro-continent called Avalon that collided with eastern North America about 400 million years ago. A fault traversing the entire width of Maine, the Norumbega Fault separates the Avalon terrane from the rest of Maine’s rocks to the west.

Written by D. W. Caldwell, who has a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University, the Roadside Geology of Maine is an introduction for geology neophytes to the geology of the state of Maine as can be seen from driving your car throughout the state.

Setup by region, the Roadside Geology of Maine provides driving tours in all major regions of Maine, including the coast, the central portion of the state, the mountainous areas and of course, “The County” (northern Maine).

The driving tours are all on well maintained roads that are easy to drive and follow. The book provides directions and maps for each tour and the reader who is starting off to drive around Maine, should not be able to get lost, even if they have no sense of direction, the book is that clear on directions.

The Roadside Geology of Maine opens with a quick introduction to the overall geologic history of Maine which begins approximately 600 million years ago. The introduction also illustrates (literally) one of the best features of the Roadside Geology series, terrific illustrations of the processes that are being described in the text. Seafloor spreading and subduction can be a difficult concept to grasp for some, but with the clear and simple figures and drawings provided to supplement the text, everyone should be able to see how the process works. The introduction also goes into a general explanation of the ice ages and how they have impacted Maine.

Following the introduction, Caldwell dives into the geology of Coastal Maine with driving tours along I-95, Route 1, and Route 9, throughout both the southern and downeastern sections of the coast.

Then Caldwell moves onto Central Maine, which includes areas like Augusta, Bangor, Greenville and Millinocket. The tours include travels along Route 5 and 26, Interstate 95 and 495 and along Routes 7, 15 and 11.

The mountains of Maine are up next as Caldwell explores areas near Skowhegan, Farmington, Jackman, Baxter State Park, and Patten. The driving tours include trips along US Routes 2 and 201, Routes 4, 15 and 27, The Golden Road, Roaring Brook Road, Grand Lake Road, and in a departure from the “roadside,” the Helon Taylor, Knife Edge, and Chimney Pond hiking trails in Baxter State Park.

Finally finishing in northern Maine’s Aroostook County (known as “The County” in Maine), the Roadside Geology of Maine explores the geology along US Route 1 and Route 11.

Do I need this book?

The Roadside Geology series is one of the best introductions to the geology of the various states that profiled. The writing is clear and easily understood, the included drawings and figures are top-notch and do more to explain geologic concepts an ideas than paragraphs of text could, b&w photographs abound throughout the text and the driving tours are all thoroughly explained and described (along with maps) so that anyone can take these tours without fear of getting lost.

If you have even the slightest interest in geology, or if you are just curious as to how certain features have come into being, the Roadside Geology of Maine is the perfect introduction to Maine’s geology. Especially in a state as large (for eastern standards) and as varied as Maine, the Roadside Geology of Maine does a great job synthesizing and explaining these varied terrains and the geologic story behind today’s landforms and landscapes.

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Recommended: Yes