Maine geology and Bangor/Derry's place in it

[Hypatia Cybeleia]

The seacoast of Maine was once part of a mini-continent called Avalonia that rifted off of Gondwana and traveled across the Iapetus Ocean, which formed between North America's Laurentia and central Europe (in Greek mythology Iapetus was the father of Atlas), eons before the Atlantic Ocean formed. When the Iapetus Ocean closed up, Europe and North America came together and made a sandwich with the small terrane (traveling section of Earth's crust) of Avalonia in between them forming the deli-slice filling of the sandwich in the Devonian era. Later, when the Atlantic Ocean opened up, one side of Avalonia stuck to North America while the other side stuck to Europe.

Anyway, the Norumbega Fault between (what remains of) Avalonia, the side that stuck to North America, and the original Laurentian North America runs through Maine just inland of the coast. Look at the topography along route 95 in Penobscot County. Between ranges of low hills appears something like a gash in the land that is deepest in the Penobscot valley at its confluence with the Kenduskeag.

In other words, Bangor/Derry really is situated at the bottom of a hollow like a geological wound where the split between the rocks continues below the surface. Stephen King read the lay of the land right there for inspiration. The real geology of Maine totally matches up with it... with It.

 

[GNTLGNT]

The seacoast of Maine was once part of a mini-continent called Avalonia that rifted off of Gondwana and traveled across the Iapetus Ocean, which formed between North America's Laurentia and central Europe (in Greek mythology Iapetus was the father of Atlas), eons before the Atlantic Ocean formed. When the Iapetus Ocean closed up, Europe and North America came together and made a sandwich with the small terrane (traveling section of Earth's crust) of Avalonia in between them forming the deli-slice filling of the sandwich in the Devonian era. Later, when the Atlantic Ocean opened up, one side of Avalonia stuck to North America while the other side stuck to Europe.

Anyway, the Norumbega Fault between (what remains of) Avalonia, the side that stuck to North America, and the original Laurentian North America runs through Maine just inland of the coast. Look at the topography along route 95 in Penobscot County. Between ranges of low hills appears something like a gash in the land that is deepest in the Penobscot valley at its confluence with the Kenduskeag.

In other words, Bangor/Derry really is situated at the bottom of a hollow like a geological wound where the split between the rocks continues below the surface. Stephen King read the lay of the land right there for inspiration. The real geology of Maine totally matches up with it... with It.

...Hi Hy!.....

 

[Spideyman]

 

[king family fan]

 

[GNTLGNT]

 

[Neesy]

The seacoast of Maine was once part of a mini-continent called Avalonia that rifted off of Gondwana and traveled across the Iapetus Ocean, which formed between North America's Laurentia and central Europe (in Greek mythology Iapetus was the father of Atlas), eons before the Atlantic Ocean formed. When the Iapetus Ocean closed up, Europe and North America came together and made a sandwich with the small terrane (traveling section of Earth's crust) of Avalonia in between them forming the deli-slice filling of the sandwich in the Devonian era. Later, when the Atlantic Ocean opened up, one side of Avalonia stuck to North America while the other side stuck to Europe.

Anyway, the Norumbega Fault between (what remains of) Avalonia, the side that stuck to North America, and the original Laurentian North America runs through Maine just inland of the coast. Look at the topography along route 95 in Penobscot County. Between ranges of low hills appears something like a gash in the land that is deepest in the Penobscot valley at its confluence with the Kenduskeag.

In other words, Bangor/Derry really is situated at the bottom of a hollow like a geological wound where the split between the rocks continues below the surface. Stephen King read the lay of the land right there for inspiration. The real geology of Maine totally matches up with it... with It.

I hear the lobstrocities are big too

 

[Hypatia Cybeleia]

Oh yeah, those amazing lobstrosities. Bitch of an enemy, but their flesh is good eats. I have an idea where they occur in Mid-World, but Mid-World has moved on. Are you saying they haunt our world too? Maine?

 

[Hypatia Cybeleia]

Thanks for all the welcomes, folks.

 

[Hypatia Cybeleia]

I was thinking of how the underground of Derry—right by the confluence of the Kenduskeag canal and the Penobscot River—was ground zero when It fell from space and punched a hole in Maine and caused Derry to be built on top. RIght where Its impact feature sank under the surface is also the bottom of the Norumbega Fault. It picked the perfect spot to land in to build an underground lair. The rock formations were already faulted, cut off, right there because of the ancient edges of continents. That spot was already sunken in.

 

[Neesy]

Oh yeah, those amazing lobstrosities. Bitch of an enemy, but their flesh is good eats. I have an idea where they occur in Mid-World, but Mid-World has moved on. Are you saying they haunt our world too? Maine?

I'm just saying hi (and trying to be funny)

Looking forward to going to Maine this coming July - I plan to try one of those lobster rolls I've heard about - we watched a segment on the Food Network about how good they are. I'd like to try that and also a whoopie pie.

I do recall reading about them (the lobstrocities) in one of the DT books

I swear Mr. King must have been high or something when he wrote about those!

 

[César Hernández-Meraz]

The seacoast of Maine was once part of a mini-continent called Avalonia that rifted off of Gondwana and traveled across the Iapetus Ocean, which formed between North America's Laurentia and central Europe (in Greek mythology Iapetus was the father of Atlas), eons before the Atlantic Ocean formed. When the Iapetus Ocean closed up, Europe and North America came together and made a sandwich with the small terrane (traveling section of Earth's crust) of Avalonia in between them forming the deli-slice filling of the sandwich in the Devonian era. Later, when the Atlantic Ocean opened up, one side of Avalonia stuck to North America while the other side stuck to Europe.

Anyway, the Norumbega Fault between (what remains of) Avalonia, the side that stuck to North America, and the original Laurentian North America runs through Maine just inland of the coast. Look at the topography along route 95 in Penobscot County. Between ranges of low hills appears something like a gash in the land that is deepest in the Penobscot valley at its confluence with the Kenduskeag.

In other words, Bangor/Derry really is situated at the bottom of a hollow like a geological wound where the split between the rocks continues below the surface. Stephen King read the lay of the land right there for inspiration. The real geology of Maine totally matches up with it... with It.

It seems that Atlas may be keeping the world "afloat", but he's doing a terrible job at keeping it stable.

Nice to know that there is that wound/hollow/rift in the land right where this story takes place.

 

[mal]

Interesting info Hypatia. Thanks for sharing that. All the best, mal.