New geological study gives scientists a fresh look at Maine's past

ORONO, Maine — Inside a geology lab at the University of Maine, graduate researcher Lauren Madsen carefully studies rock samples taken from northern Maine. These samples come from a little-known deposit of manganese, a mineral essential for steel production and next-generation batteries.

"Even though we’ve known about this deposit in literature since the 1800s, no one has asked that fundamental question: how did this deposit form, [and] why is it in northern Maine?” Madsen said.

That question is at the center of a three-year bedrock mapping project in Aroostook County, funded by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). The project updates geological maps that haven’t been revised in more than 70 years, giving scientists a clearer picture of the mineral