A buried marine depositional sequence (Presumpscot FM. ) N. of the marine limit, Waterboro, Maine

Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5504777

Morency, R E ^[1]

---

1. Caswell, Elchler and Hill, Inc., Portsmouth, NH (United States)

Subsurface investigations conducted in Waterboro, ME (York Co.) in connection with studies of two hazardous waste sites and a municipal water supply exploration project, have demonstrated that a laterally extensive sequence of marine deposits underlies surficial sediments mapped as non-esker ice contact glacio-fluvial deposits. The marine deposits consist of a fining-downwards sequence of grey, micaceous sands (fine to medium, grading down to a silty-fine sand), which grade downward into a thick ([plus minus] 30 feet) grey silt/clay unit, which itself shows a fining-downward trend. The stratigraphy is likely correlative to the Presumpscot Formation, as described by Bloom (1963). The bottom of the regressive marine sequence is marked at several locations by a thin layer of sand-sized biotite mica. Lodgement till was encountered only at scattered localities (in boreholes) at each site. The bedrock surface is of considerable relief, with changes of 200--300 feet over short distances detected. The sequence appears to be the record of a rapidly transgressing sea which inundated a valley where outwash had been deposited by meltwater ahead of retreating ice. As the sea retreated, up to 70 feet of sediment was deposited in a continuous, coarsening-upwards sequence. Subsequent to the marine regression, the sediments were reworked in a subaerial (braided stream) environment. The Surficial Geologic Map of Maine shows that the inland limit of late-glacial marine submergence is located approximately 8 miles southwest of Waterboro, in Alfred, Maine. The marine limit in Alfred takes the form of a NNE trending, blunt-ended embayment. The results of this study suggest that the marine embayment once extended northward from Alfred, and is now a buried feature, possibly representing a preglacial valley, which hosted an estuary in late Wisconsonian time.

• OSTI ID: 5504777
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303211-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:2; Conference: 28. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Northeastern Section meeting, Burlington, VT (United States), 22-24 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
DEPOSITION
STRATIGRAPHY
MAINE
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS
CLAYS
GEOLOGY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
MAPPING
MORAINES
SAND
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISTRIBUTION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
USA
580000* - Geosciences
540250 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)