Reading Coastal Bluffs Maps - Figure 3 - Maine Geological Survey

Figure 3. Cross sections showing stability categories of coastal bluffs. Definitions of categories are as follows:

Highly unstable - Bluff is very steep (> 20^o) and largely devoid of vegetation. Dead and dying trees are commonly found on the slope and at the toe of the bluff.
Unstable - Bluff has a more gentle slope (10-20^o) and contains only a few, scattered patches of bare ground without vegetation, but trees on the slope are usually bent as a result of creep.
Stable - Bluff is characterized by a very gently slope (< 10^o), and the presence of mature vegetation (or a lawn) completely covering the bluff face.
No bluff - Any area with only bedrock or a deposit of unconsolidated material <1 m thick was mapped as no bluff.

Last updated on October 6, 2005