The Maine Desert forms a most surprising geological phenomenon.
Names can be rather deceiving, however. In fact, this site cannot be called a true desert. The local climate remains much too wet and cold for that.
The formation of the Maine Desert, not surprisingly, came about as the result of human activity. That doesn’t make it any less interesting, however.
The location has been preserved as a natural oddity. This has been the case since 1925. In addition, a small museum and gift shop exist on the property.
Maine Desert Physical Characteristics
At any rate, the Maine Desert constitutes an interesting phenomenon.
It sits in the state of Maine, in the United States. The site covers a total of approximately 40 acres (16.2 hectares), making it a small desert.
Most noteworthy must be the fact that the Maine Desert does not consist of sand. What, you ask? The actual component consists of exposed glacial silt! This forms much finer grained than common sand.
Yet this phenomenon remains completely surrounded by a lush pine forest. To date, the depth of the sand has not been determined. A small mystery remains.
Maine Desert History and Formation
The story of the Maine Desert begins approximately 10,000 years ago. At the end of the last ice age, the glaciers retreated.
As a result of that action, ice ground rocks into fine, glacial silt. Over the millennia topsoil was deposited over this.
Then came European settlers. A local family established a farm on this site in 1797. Yet they failed to manage the land properly.
Poor farming practices also combined with overgrazing to erode the topsoil. One day, a small patch of the underlying sand appeared. This quickly spread, taking over the entire farm.
The family abandoned the farm in 1919.
Check out our articles on The Carcross Desert, Painted Desert, Erg Chebbi, Death Valley
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