Landscape Features from Mt. Cadillac - Bar Harbor, ME
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 44° 21.170 W 068° 13.451
19T E 561830 N 4911354
From the top of Mount Cadillac, you have great views of the large geological forces that took place to shape the landscape, including volcanic, glacial, and erosional.
Waymark Code: WMQ4JC
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 12/18/2015
Views: 11
Near Bar Harbor, within Acadia National Park, is Mount Cadillac, the tallest landscape feature on the coast of Maine and an opportunity to see the evidence of large geological forces that shaped them.
Mount Cadillac is reachable from the Park Loop. You do need a pass to enter the park - there are several places to get one. From the loop, there is an auto road where you can drive your vehicle to the summit, or you can walk up a trail.
The views from above are marvelous on a good day. In addition to the views at the parking lot providing views of the north, east and southeast, there is another vista a short distance away providing views to the southwest, and a vista down the road a short distance providing views east and north.
The views show similar features: ocean bays that are irregular and often filled with islands; rolling terrain that build to rounded hills. Some of the hills, including Mount Cadillac and other hills on Mt. Desert Island, run down to the ocean itself.
There is a publication by the Maine Geological Survey that explains the geology of Mt. Desert Island and the other portions of the national park at Isle Au Haut and Schoodic Peninsula. The publication has much about the area and is worth reading in detail.
The publication has the following about the geological history of this landscape.
The rock foundations are mostly of the following rock types: Ellsworth Schist (the oldest rock, about 300-400 million years old, forming from sedimentary rock deposited up to 500 million years ago, and, thus a highly metamorphosed kind); Bar Harbor Formation ( about 200-300 million years old, a sandstone or siltstone sedimentary layer); cranberry island series (about 380-400 million years old, a volcanic or igneous type); and various other igneous rock formations. The summit of Mount Cadillac is made mostly of a pinkish granite, which was once a large magma dome. Thus, the bedrock was formed about 200-500 million years ago, with mostly igneous and metamorphosed rock.
Moving head in time, the rock went through major uplift and erosion. The area was sandwiched between two continental plates: the proto-North American plate and the Avalonian plate.
The next major influence were glaciers. This period started around 100,000 years ago and ended around 10,000 years ago. At times the ice sheet was hundreds of feet thick and changed the landscape through abrasion and plucking. Abrasion is scraping the rock surface. Evidence includes long gouges on a rock surface. Plucking is when the ice sheet flows on the far end of a hill, the ice pulls or plucks the rock off the side. The publication states that ice flowed roughly north-south. Thus, the hills, like the ones that form Mt. Desert Island tend to be longer north south, have rounded features on the north side, and rocky features on the south end. Also, the valleys between are U-shaped - rounded and wide.
Also, as the ice sheets melted, the land started to rebound as the sea level rose. Here, the process is complex - some parts of Maine's land rose while some parts fell. The result around here are hills that are often inundated by ocean.
While the land continues to rebound, today, other processes, such as wind and water erosion continue to work on the rock. Also, vegetation such as lichens and trees grow on the rocks, hiding it and contributing to erosion.
There is much to see at the summit of Mount Caddilac. There are a few signs that point out landmarks such as the islands in Frenchman Bay.
Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes
Parking Coordinates: N 44° 21.184 W 068° 13.514
Access fee (In local currency): 25.00
Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no
Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no
Public Transport available: no
Website reference: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
No specific requirements, just have fun visiting the waymark.