Maine's Coastal Marine Geology

Virtual Tour

• Our virtual tour is a series of photos which portray Maine's beaches, dunes, bluffs, and coastal environments.

Field Localities

• Originally published on the web as the Survey's "Site of the Month," these sites include more detailed descriptions of geologic features, field trips, and localities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fact Sheets and Slide Shows

• Beaches and Dunes
  • Beach Pebbles Tell a Story
  • Development of a Beach Scoring System for Management of Maine's Sandy Beaches (PDF 0.8MB)
  • Imaging Nearshore Bathymetry using a Personal Watercraft: The MGS Nearshore Survey System
  • Maine Coastal Barrier Resources System
  • Suitability of the Dunes for Development
  • Taking the Pulse of a Beach
• Coastal Geology
  • Coastal Geologic Processes
  • Maine's History of Sea-Level Changes (PDF 1.1MB)
  • Oil and Gas Potential in Maine – Onshore and Offshore
  • Types of Bluffs Along Maine's Coast
  • The Variety of Maine's Changing Shoreline
• Coastal Hazards
  • Coastal Hazards
  • Coastal Landslide Hazards
  • Coastal Processes and Beach Erosion - The Saco Bay Shoreline (PDF 2.5MB)
  • Maine Coastal Erosion and Hazards (PDF 1.5MB)
  • Maine Coastal Property Owner's Guide to Erosion, Flooding, and Other Hazards

Geologic Maps and Digital Data

• ONLINE coastal marine geologic map series
  • Coastal Bluff Maps Online
  • Coastal Landslide Hazards Maps Online
  • Digital Data for Coastal Bluff Hazards (statewide shapefile)
  • Coastal Sand Dune Geology Maps Online
  • Surficial Geology of the Maine Inner Continental Shelf Online
• PRINTED geologic maps
  • Descriptions of MGS coastal marine geologic map series
    • Coastal Bluff Maps
    • Coastal Landslide Hazards Maps
    • Coastal Marine Geologic Environments Maps
    • Coastal Sand Dune Geology Maps
    • Surficial Geology of the Maine Inner Continental Shelf

Related Reading

• State of Maine's Beaches in 2022
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2019
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2017
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2015
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2013
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2011
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2009
• State of Maine's Beaches in 2007
• Impacts of Future Sea Level Rise on the Coastal Floodplain
• The Seafloor Revealed
• Variation of Beach Morphology along the Saco Bay Littoral Cell: An Analysis of Recent Trends and Management Alternatives
• Living with the Coast of Maine
• Assessment of Sand and Gravel Resources Along the Inner Continental Shelf of Maine
• Coastal Erosion Assessment for Maine FIRMs and Map Modernization Plan
• Assessment of LIDAR for Simulating Existing and Potential Future Marsh Conditions in Casco Bay
• Maine Marine Geology Reports
• Bibliography of Maine Geology - For those interested in more in-depth research, the Bibliography of Maine Geology contains more than 12,000 references related to Maine geology. The Bibliography is part of the Maps and Publications Search. The search results displayed will have links to online Maine Geological Survey maps and publications.

Beaches, Dunes, Coastal Barriers

• Coastal Sand Dune Systems - Maine Department of Environmental Protection
• Federal Coastal Barrier Resource System - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Living Shorelines in Maine
• Living Shorelines Decision Support Tool for Casco Bay
• Southern Maine Beach Profiles - funded by Sea Grant
• Southern Maine Beach Profiling Data and Graphs

Climate Change

• Maine Sea Grant - Coastal Community Resilience
• NOAA Paleo Global Warming
• AGU Position on Climate Change
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• National Academies Press on Climate Change
• NOAA Climate Services
• NOAA State of the Climate
• Pew Center on Global Climate Change
• Climate Change Institute - University of Maine

Coastal Bluffs

• Coastal Bluffs of New England - by J. T. Kelley, excerpt from USGS Professional Paper 1693 - Formation, Evolution, and Stability of Coastal Cliffs- Status and Trends (PDF format, 2.5 MB)

Gulf of Maine

• Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)
• USGS Digital Bathymetry of the Gulf of Maine
• Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment
• Gulf of Maine Research Institute
• University of Maine, Department of Earth Sciences
• USGS Woods Hole

Sea-Level Rise

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas
• NOAA/NOS
  • Sea Level Trends
  • Sea Level, Benchmarks

Weather, Waves, and Tides

• Current Weather at the Portland Buoy
• National Data Buoy Center
• National Weather Service - Coastal Maine Marine Forecast - Stonington, ME to Merrimack R., MA
• National Weather Service - Coastal Maine Marine Forecast - Eastport to Stonington, ME
• National Weather Service - Storm Surge Overview
• National Weather Service - Storm Surge Predictions
• NOAA/NOS Maine Tides
• Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)

Last updated on November 30, 2022