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Cashes Ledge
Located about 80 miles east of the Maine coast are underwater peaks that
rival the mountains of inland Maine in their beauty and biological
richness. Called Cashes Ledge, this underwater landform has peaks that
rise to just below the sea surface. The highest is a pinnacle called Ammen
Rock, lying about 80 feet below the ocean.
The range was formed 13,000 years ago, when melting glaciers sent water
streaming across the Gulf's then-dry landscape, chiseling away at the
land. Erosion-resistant rocks, such as those that make up Cashes Ledge,
slowly became mountains while the surrounding softer rocks eroded into
deep basins. As the glaciers melted, the dry land receded beneath the
rising sea, submerging the landscape beneath the waves.
Cashes Ledge is a lure for divers and recreational fishermen because of
the diversity of life found there. Cashes Ledge is home to fields of flowerlike sea anemones. Whales, sponges, and a variety of fish depend on the
nutrients and plankton that spill over Cashes Ledge with ocean currents.
In the spring and early summer months, humpback whales visit the area,
gathering great mouthfuls of plankton- rich seawater.
The peak of Ammen Rock lies well within the light-filled underwater
zone, and is home to lush forests of seaweed, called kelp.
Sea & Shore is a radio spot series produced by Maine Sea Grant, the Maine Coastal Program,
and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and aired on Maine Public Radio.
file://///Jwinn/e/Low%20Res%20Docs/meuf01001/cashes%20ledge.htm11/30/2004 9:49:00 AM