What types of bluffs are along Maines coast?
The Maine Geological Survey has been mapping the spatial extent of bluffs for the majority of the Maine coastline. A bluff is defined as a steep shoreline slope formed in sediment (loose material such as clay, sand, and gravel) that has three feet or more of vertical elevation just above the high tide line. Cliffs or slopes in bedrock (ledge) surfaces are not bluffs and are not subject to significant erosion in a century or more. Beaches and dunes do not form bluffs, except along the seaward dune edge as a result of erosion. Coastal Bluffs Maps show the shoreline type and relative stability of bluffs along the Maine coast. The slope, shape, and amount of vegetation covering a coastal bluff and the adjacent shoreline are directly related to the susceptibility of the bluff face to ongoing erosion. Bluffs are classified as stable, unstable, and highly unstable.
