Sand Beach, Maine

By: Samantha Coleman and Ashley Gale

Sand Beach, Maine
Acadia National Park
Geologic formation of Acadia
- Acadia is a mount Desert Island, the largest along New
England Coast.
- Sediment and volcanic ash piled on seafloor with time
pressure transformed the sediment into mudstones with
ash.
- Plate collision and mountain building events
recrystallized and folded mudstones into schist. (dark
green chlorite and lighter layers of quartz and feldspar)
- Schist was brought to surface by tectonic activity
- Multicolored sandstone and siltstones were deposited
as seafloor sediments.
- Granite make up most the island with some small
intrusions

The oldest rocks seen today on Mount Desert Island, home to Acadia, are from the 500-million-year-old Ellsworth Schist (seen in both photos above). The next oldest
are the sandstones and siltstones of the Bar Harbor Formation. The youngest rocks include myriad granites and other igneous rocks (right) between about 360 million
and 420 million years old. Credit: all: Ron Schott.
Geologic Formation of Sand Beach
- Only natural beach on the island
- Tucked in a inlet and flanked by rocky shoreline on
either side.
- Large boulders are on either side of Cadillac
Mountain.
- This is granite mixed with sedimentary layers,
gabbro, and coarse-grained basalt.
- Glaciers covered the area dn melted eroding valleys
into the land.
- This beach is not subject to forceful wave action, are
made up of fine-grained sand.
- Longest continuous beach in the park.
- Most of acadia’s coast is tectonically young and has
only been subject to a limited geologic period of wave
action, making sandy beaches quite rare.
- Since sea level rose in Pleistocene
ice age, sand accumulations along
Sediment type
coast was possible.
- Minor but possible
- Small pockets of sand in coves and
few sandbars in protected areas.
- Most of pockets contain
cobbles and sand
- Sand is composed for finely
ground, sand-sized shell fragments
- Calcium carbonate
- Waves deposit the sediment with
are thousands of years old.
- One of the few only beaches
composed of entirely calcium
carbonate sand.
 Settlement
- Four tribes originally called maine their homeland. Maliseet, Micmac,
Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. These are known as the Wabanaki known as the
“People of the Downland”
- Frenchman Samuel de Champlain made his journey to Mount Desert Island in 1604.
- In 1759 British took over Maine dominating Acadia. The tribes scattered from this
invasion.
- In 1820 farming, lumber, fishing, shipbuilding, and schools began being constructed.
- By 1850 fisherman, sailors, fish racks and ship yards linked the land to the sea.
Politics of Acadia National
Park
- Back in September a potential government
shutdown set the region into a panic as
Acadia National Park is one of the biggest
tourist destinations.
- 4 million visitors and $479 million
contributed to the economy in
2022.
- There were boundary problems in Acadia
which complicated harvesting of clams and
worms
- Senate and House of
Representatives to protect the rights
of clammers and wormers to
continue working the flats of
Acadia's intertidal zones.
“I’m concerned about climate change, our national parks,” Ossanna
told CNN. Writing the word on the beach “was a peaceful way to
express that we need to resist any damage being done to our climate
and public lands.”
 Future of Acadia National Park

The park has noticeably changed since its founding over 100
years ago

● Sea Levels have risen by 8 inches since 1950

○ shorelines are eroding
● Gulf of maine risen 3 degrees over last century
○ fastest warming in the globe
● Annual temperature risen 3.4 degree over the last century
○ Warmer summer temps and more frequent thawing
and freezing cycles
● Ocean acidity has increased by 30% in 200 years
○ Difficult for ocean life to form and maintain shells This Means…
● Getting difficult to deal with this erosion ❖ As warmer weather lengthens the parks
○ A representative said, “It’s not like we’re going to visitation season, more tourists will visit
resist the change and make it look just the way it did these beaches
in 1916. As we make decisions around rebuilding
❖ The Wabanaki people have lived in Maine
and rehabbing, there are also opportunities to
for hundreds of years and learned ways to
consider whether there is something else we can do
here that will also create a little more resiliency the survive the ever changing tides, passing
next.” down techniques through generations
 - Atlantic surf relentlessly affects the
Issues with sea level rise Acadia shoreline.
- Waves from violent nor’easter will affect
the cliffs and headlands.
- These constant hydraulic actions can
change sea cliffs, caves, and other aspects
of the land.
- Sand Beach was temporality disappeared
under rolling waves. This destroyed trails
and left debris everywhere.
- Winter storms have sripped sand off the
beaches.
- Large recent storms brought forth a
shipwreck on Sand Beach. (Jan 11, 2024)
- “Tay” 1911
- No hardented
structure on the beach
- Besides a
wooden
Hardented Structure
walkway down
to the shore.
- Coves protect the
beach
- Strong waves
are what bring
such large debri
to the beach.
Shipwreck Footage
 Sources
https://www.nps.gov/places/little-hunters-beach.htm

https://www.nps.gov/acad/learn/nature/geologic-features.htm

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/me/maine/news/2023/09/27/bar-harbor-acadia-shutdown

https://friendsofacadia.org/our-impact/wild-acadia/climate-change/#:~:text=Acadia's%20climate%20has%20always%20changed,Acadia%20for%20thousands%20of%20years

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/geologic-story-of-sand-beach.htm

https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/travels-geology-roaming-rocky-coastline-downeast-maine

https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-acadia-national-park

https://www.nps.gov/articles/nps-geodiversity-atlas-acadia-national-park-maine.htm#:~:text=Sand%20Beach%2C%20sheltered%20between%20Great%20Head%20and%20Otter,these%20shell%20fragments%20are%20thousands%2
0of%20years%20old.

https://www.nhpr.org/2023-09-26/government-shutdown-could-have-significant-impact-on-acadia-national-park

https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2019-01-17/new-push-to-settle-boundary-dispute-at-acadia-national-park

https://www.nps.gov/articles/nps-geodiversity-atlas-acadia-national-park-maine.htm#:~:text=Sand%20Beach%2C%20sheltered%20between%20Great%20Head%20and%20Otter,these%20shell%20fragments%20are%20thousands%2
0of%20years%20old.

https://www.wabi.tv/2024/01/12/recent-storms-expose-shipwreck-sand-beach/

https://friendsofacadia.org/climate-change/taken-by-storm-january-2024/

https://www.nps.gov/acad/learn/nature/geology.htm