Earth Science Week is an annual week-long celebration of everything earth science. This celebration is sponsored the American Geosciences Institute.
When you think of exciting earth science locations, Michigan doesn't immediately spring to mind. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot to see.
Here are five of my favorite locations in Michigan.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Located in the northwest part of the Lower Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is probably the best place to see sand dunes anywhere along the Great Lakes shorelines. These dunes have built up since the end of the last glacial maximum (ice age) and now soar hundreds of feet above the surface of Lake Michigan. The dunes are not the only attraction - Sleeping Bear dunes also has dozens of miles of hiking trails, some of the best spring wildflowers in the state, and two islands to explore (North and South Manitou).
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
If Sleeping Bear Dunes is all about sand, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is all about sandstone. The geologic formation of Pictured Rocks dates back more than 500 million years. While you can enjoy the Pictured Rocks from land, they are best seen from the water. Located along the shoreline of Lake Superior near Munising, MI Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is too far away from Mid-Michigan for a day trip, but can easily be visited during a long weekend. Not only are there giant sandstone cliffs, but the Lakeshore is home to several spectacular waterfalls and the largest dunes on Lake Superior (Grand Sable Dunes).
Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Porcupine Mountains State Park is located near the west end of the Upper Peninsula along the shore of Lake Superior. The valley that holds Lake of the Clouds was carved out by glaciers from rock dating as much as 1.1 billion years old. This rock can best be seen from the Lake of the Clouds overlook on the Carp River Escarpment.
As a bonus, this area is home to several fault lines - places where plates of the earth's crust contact each other. One of these faults can be seen at nearby Bonanza Falls, where the Big Iron river crosses over a tilted layer of Nonesuch Shale. Bonanza falls is located just east of the park boundary near Silver City, MI.
If you visit the Porcupine Mountains take the time to drive up the nearby Keweenaw Peninsula to visit the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Technological University. It's a geology nerd destination in its own right.
Muskallonge Lake State Park
To me Muskallonge Lake State Park is the best place in Michigan to pick up rocks. The park is located in the eastern Upper Peninsula, tucked between the shore or Lake Superior and inland Muskallonge Lake. The shoreline of Lake Superior is a rock beach - with new rocks being constantly driven up by waves from the lake this is a rockhunters dream. I find it impossible to leave with out pockets full of rocks. Everyone is looking for agates, but some of the igneous rocks are just as beautiful!
As a bonus, Muskallonge Lake has some of the best stargazing I have ever experienced. We lay on a picnic table watching the stars at 2:00AM for nearly an hour during our last visit to the park.
Bundy Hill Preserve
I hate to say it, but Mid-Michigan is not the best location for geology nerds. Our rock formations are buried under hundreds of feet of glacial till. If you can't beat the glacial deposits, you might as well enjoy them! Bundy Hill is the highest point in Isabella County. At 500 feet higher than the nearby town of Mt. Pleasant, Bundy Hill is a moraine, formed where two glacial lobes came together, piling sand and rock between them. Owned by the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, Bundy Hill is accessible to the public and has two miles of brand new hiking trails. If you go, make sure to take a picture of the summit marker and search for the large boulders (glacial erratics) that dot the site. One of these boulders, located near the summit is nearly 40 feet around!
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