PSE staff has spent several years consulting on the geology of the Desert of Maine in Freeport. The “desert” is glacial-aged sand that was disturbed by agricultural practices in the late 19th Century. The result was a large expanse of sand dunes in the middle of a coastal forest. Part of the consulting work involved digging test pits into the sand to better understand the geology beneath the dunes.

The image shows a test pit where we discovered marine clay below the sand (Josh Smith; 6.3.2020).

Publications and Press related to the Desert of Maine project:

Joshua B. Smith, Mela J. Heestand, and Sharon E. Cates, 2024, A Phenomenon Aligned to Next Generation Science Standard Performance Expectation MS-ESS1-4 at the Desert of Maine in Freeport. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 56(1): doi: 10.1130/abs/2024NE-397402.

Suzuki, K.M., and Joshua B. Smith, 2021, Sand or Silt at the Desert of Maine: A Student-Centered Project Aligned to Next Generation Science Standard Performance Expectation 5-PS1-3. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 53(6): doi: 10.1130/abs/2021AM-369932,

Mela J. Heestand, Joshua B. Smith, and D.E. Perkins, 2021, The Desert of Maine: A Small “Dust Bowl” in Freeport. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 53(1): doi: 10.1130/abs/2021NE-361908.

The Art of Digging a Buried Building Out of Maine’s Desert Dunes (10.08.2020).

Discovery dating back 15,000 years has been unearthed in Freeport (09.25.2020).

Desert of Maine offering hands-on homeschool program around history, science of the site (09.15.2020).