NPS/John Kelly
Falling rocks forced the closure of the Park Loop Road on Tuesday, October 3. The road reopened later that day.
Minor Earthquakes Shake the Park
At 8:07 p.m. on Monday, October 2, a minor earthquake of magnitude 4.2 shook the ground around Acadia National Park. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Atlantic Ocean just off Schooner Head, on the eastern side of the park. Damage appeared to be limited to rocks falling on the Park Loop Road, which re-opened on Tuesday afternoon after a brief closure, and some park trails (see Temporary Closures for a list of closed trails). Researchers from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University have installed temporary seismographs on Mount Desert Island in the hopes of recording any additional activity.
This earthquake followed several small aftershocks that have occurred since the first earthquake on September 22 (magnitude 3.4). The epicenter for the September 22 earthquake was located in the park, just off the Precipice Trail parking area on the Park Loop Road. No damage was reported.
According to the Maine Geological Survey, earthquakes in Maine are rare, with just 507 earthquakes occurring in the state from 1747 to 1992. During that time, only one other earthquake originated from Mount Desert Island. Most earthquakes that do occur in Maine are minor, and to date none have caused significant damage.
For more information about these unusual events, including maps of the epicenters, visit the .
