Joe Kelley Courtesy of Friends of Merrymeeting Bay
Friends of Merrymeeting Bay’s latest presentation in its 27th annual Winter Speaker Series will cover the geologic history of Merrymeeting Bay, highlighted by marine geologist Joe Kelley.
The presentation is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, via Zoom. The link can be found at the top of the group’s website, fomb.org.
While Merrymeeting Bay is considered an estuary by oceanographers because technically it does have a very small presence of salt, biologists generally consider it tidal riverine because it is primarily freshwater and tidal. Geologists, on the other hand consider the bay, at the junction of six rivers, an inland delta, and one that overlays the Norumbega fault line. The Maine coast, including the bay, is geologically defined by its bedrock framework, glacial overprint and modern wave and tidal processes. Central to the latter is the contemporary rise of sea level. This talk will show how all three elements of the coast have come to bring us what is so evidenced and appreciated by the shoreline today in Merrymeeting Bay, according to a news release.
Joseph Kelley is a Maine native who was born in Portland and attended Cheverus High School. He went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in geology at Boston University, and master’s and doctorate degrees at Lehigh University. His first professional position was as an assistant professor at the University of New Orleans. He returned to Maine in 1982 as the State Marine Geologist with the Maine Geological Survey. In 1999, he joined the University of Maine as a professor of marine geology where he worked for the next 20 years.
Friends of Merrymeeting Bay hosts its Winter Speaker Series October through May, on the second Wednesday of each month. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ability for participants to attend from out of the area, the series continues via Zoom.
The Jan. 10 presentation, covering archaeology from swamps and caves, features field archaeologist Becca Peixotto. This event takes place at 7 p.m. with the Zoom registration link available at fomb.org a week or so prior to the presentation.
Speaker series presentations are free, open to the public. Visit fomb.org to see speaker biographies, full event schedules, video recordings of past presentations, become a member, and learn more about efforts to protect Merrymeeting Bay and the Gulf of Maine.
For more information, contact Friends of Merrymeeting Bay at 207-666-3372 or edfomb@comcast.net.
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