At this dramatic headland, ledges of igneous and swirling metamorphic rock jut into the sea, their jagged appearance the result of erosion, a product of near-constant pummeling by the elements and the waves. It’s a long way from this site to Bucksport, but the folded metamorphic bands found here are some of the more eye-catching exposures of what’s known as the Bucksport Formation, a largely underground swath of bedrock that outcrops here and there between Boothbay and Beddington. The formation was given its name by Joseph Trefethen, Maine’s state geologist from 1942 to 1956. Had Trefethen visited this site during his first year on the job, he might have bid farewell to the departing caretaker at the lighthouse that looms over these rocks. The light had been automated eight years before, and the site had recently become a town park. It still is today, attracting 100,000 visitors annually, who come to clamber on these charismatic crags — oh, and maybe to admire the lighthouse.
This month’s Where in Maine is sponsored by
If you can name this headland, submit your answer below. We’ll feature our favorite letter in an upcoming issue — and send the winner a Down East wall calendar.
