Maps of Mount Desert Island
Hillshade
Hillshade data is a way of looking at a 3D model on a 2D surface.The 3D effect of the imagery is achieved by digitally generating sunlight at a specific angle and height over elevational data. Data with a Z (height) value as well as x and y values is often collected via an aircraft flying at a fixed altitude over a site of interest. While flying, the aircraft shoots millions of laser points at the ground. The height of the land below the aircraft can be determined by calculating how long it takes for each laser point to bounce off the land and back to the plane. This method is called LiDAR which stands for light detection and ranging.
This is a very expensive way of obtaining data - it requires paying for the plane, pilot, fuel, and software to analyse the data. To get around this, many GIS users are now experimenting with unmanned aerial vehicles in order to collect salvation data.
Surficial Geology
The surficial geology of Mount Desert Island is largely composed of marine sediments leftover from paleo sea-levels and till created by glaciers around 18,000 years ago. Other portions of the island don't have any sediment coverage at all due to constant weathering.
Undifferentiated Bedrock
Salt marsh
Freshwater Wetland
Till
Fine Grained Sediment
Coarse Grained Sediment
Undifferentiated Sediment
"Emerged Marine Sediments - Sediments deposited in a marine environment when relative sea level was higher than at present"
- Anderson, 1988
Glacial Stream Sediments - Outwash | Delta
Bedrock Geology
Mount Desert Island is made up mostly of volcanic rock. The center of the isl and used to be a magma chamber about ??? million years ago that has since been uplifted and tilted. The ring around the island's granitic core is called the shatter zone which is made up of a breccia created by the shear power of the volcanoes eruption.
Cadillac Mountain Granite
Fine Grained Somesville Granite
Somesville Granite
Shatter Zone
Bar Harbor Formation
Elseworth Schist
Granite of South-west harbor
Cranberry Island Series - Felsites & Flows | Tuffs
Hydrology
The story of water on MDI is due in most part to glaciers which carved out the valleys, bottoms of lakes, and ponds. Many of our lakes - Jordon Pond, Long Pond, and Eagle Lake - are encompassed by glacial moraines. Eagle Lake is where most of Bar Harbor's drinking water comes from - thank you glaciers!
Overlook at Jordan Pond
The Geology of MDI class (2016) listens to professor Sarah Hall as she explains how the glacial history and hydrology of the island are related.
Elevation - Digital Surface Model (DSM)
Most of MDI's topographic features are a result of the same glaciers talked about in the surficial geology and hydrology sections. Notice the long linear features running north to south: valleys, bodies of water, fractures, etc. Of all the the glacial features on MDI, the Beehive, Bubble Rock, and the Balance Stone are the most famous. The Beehive mountain is a roche moutonnee, which means that its north side is gently sloping and that its south side is very steep. This happened as glaciers advancing from the north eroded the Beehive and then plucked off rocks from its south side as they continued on. Bubble Rock and the Balance Stone are both glacial erratic. You can find both of these features on the home page map.
The Beehive
View of the Beehive mountain from Sand Beach. During the fall the mountain is covered in the beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows of turning trees and shrubs.
Buildings and Trails
Mount Desert Island is one of Maine's largest islands with a population of about 10,000 people. This number increases dramatically over the summer when tourists arrive to visit Acadia National Park. go whale watching, and participate in a number of other fantastic activities. Many years ago, a lot of the towns on MDI depended on the fishing and quarrying industries. Active fisheries around MDI include lobster, urchin, and crab. The main type of rock quarried from the island is the Somesville granite known for its beauty as polished building material. Much of its beauty comes from its pink potassium feldspar and black biotite mica content.
Many of the islands trails are centered around its mountain tops in order to give everyone access to the island's spectacular views. In the summer activities like hawk watches and night sky gazing are run by the park service.
College of the Atlantic
College of the Atlantic's dinning hall (TAB), library, and admissions office.
Topographic Elevation
This is an elevation map just like the digital surface model one is. Instead of using shadows to show elevation, this map uses vectors that represent lines of equal elevation. If you pick one line and follow it around the map, all the areas underneath it are at the same elevation. In this map the lines are spaced 20 feet apart. The highest point on MDI is the summit of Cadillac Mountain which is 1,529 feet or 566 meters above sea level.
Cadillac Mountain
Acadia National Park ANP - To visit the parks website click here!
ANP was first opened to the public in 1916 as 6,000 acres of land named the Sier de Monts National Monument. By 1929 after the park had expanded, it was renamed Acadia National Park. Most of the land acquired was due in part to George B Dorr, an avid believer in conservation.
Information taken from The National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm