Laboratory studies from selected portions of Maine's bedrock include geochronologic, geochemical, and petrologic studies to determine the age, composition, and origin of the complex array of different rock types found in the state. While the current state of knowledge is the best it has ever been, the complexity of the bedrock geology, formed by a protracted sequence of events over half a billion years, makes it difficult to generalize from one mapped area to the next and so a great deal of important information remains to be learned. This scale is useful for understanding regional bedrock trends, major structural features, and for delineating large areas which have similar geologic history. Maps of this scale are currently available for about half of the state, but fewer than half of these are based on a detailed level of investigation. As with any branch of natural history, bedrock geology is driven by an innate curiosity to know more about the world in which we live.
Many people enjoy discovering, photographing, sketching, or collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils.
While each type of mineral or fossil can be expected from only certain kinds of rock, there is enough uncertainty in our knowledge that specific discoveries are difficult to predict. For example, the Oxford County region is well known for the occurrence of a rock called pegmatite that has yielded spectacular mineral discoveries such as tourmaline, beryl, apatite and lepidolite, but it is hard to know which pegmatite body will produce the next big discovery, or which exotic minerals will be found. Both beginners and experienced collectors who put in some time may find treasures, large or small. Perhaps the greatest challenge presented by Maine's bedrock is to comprehend the immense span of time over which it has formed. Most of the bedrock now found in Maine formed in the Paleozoic Era, although small areas of Precambrian and Mesozoic rocks are also known.