Why is Maine so beautiful? How was our spectacular coast formed? Our lovely mountains, lakes and rivers, and famous fjord? From continental collisions that thrust up the high Appalachian Mountains, through rifting of the super continent Pangea to form the present-day Atlantic, to the final sculpting of continental glaciers, State Geologist Robert Marvinney will explain the exciting major geologic events that shaped the landscape of Maine in his talk, "A Brief History of a Billion Years of Earth Time as Recorded in Maine's Rocks and Minerals” on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. at Boothbay Railway Village. This talk is part of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium. Admission to the talk is free with a suggested $5 donation

Marvinney has been with the Maine Geological Survey since 1987 and has been director and state geologist since 1995. Marvinney began his work in Maine geology while a graduate student at Syracuse University, completing master’s and Ph.D. projects based on mapping in Maine. He runs a multi-faceted agency with programs in basic geologic mapping of Maine’s bedrock and surficial deposits, coastal geology and processes, ground water investigations, and geologic hazards.

Boothbay Railway Village is located at 586 Wiscasset Road (Route 27), Boothbay. For more information call 207-633-4727 or go to www.railwayvillage.org.