Schoodic Peninsula, Hancock County, ME

Schoodic Peninsula is a dramatic product of geological upheavals, glacial scouring, and inundation by the sea. The bedrock of the peninsula and most of the surrounding islands consists of fine-grained pinkish granite, a type also found on Mount Desert Island. This granite was used extensively in various park construction projects, and numerous quarries are scattered around Frenchman Bay, particularly on Mount Desert Island and Schoodic Peninsula. On the peninsula, huge fractures have occurred in the granite along the shoreline, creating gigantic slabs and blocks which are mainly visible at Raven's Nest and Schoodic Point.2 Within some of these fractures are black basalt dikes, the product of intrusive, solidified magma. These dikes measure up to twenty-five feet thick, and are very prominent at Schoodic Point. Wave action has eroded the softer basalt material in many spots, resulting in deep narrow chasms.3 In contrast to these large geological formations, numerous cobble beaches fringe the eastern shoreline.Schoodic Head, at 440 feet above sea level, is the highest point on the peninsula. Another geological promontory known as The Anvil lies to the southeast near Blueberry Hill. There are several small creeks that flow west from the peninsula's interior to feed the numerous wetlands and ponds. The largest of these is Frazer Creek, which drains to the northwest into Mosquito Harbor at Frazer Point. There are at least two springs on the peninsula, one in the vicinity of Schoodic Head and another on Big Moose Island. Big Moose, the largest of the islands surrounding the peninsula, is located on the southern tip, separated from the mainland by a small brackish marsh at West Pond Cove. Among the numerous smaller islands, two of them, Pond and Little Moose, can be reached from the mainland at low tide. (edited version of NRHP nomination background text)