Orientation weekend at NMU back in May 2012. My second weekend spent in Marquette aka Marquisite. Before I even visited Mqt. I knew that it was the place for me....this weekend was the ultimatum for my instincts. My beautiful mom and my cousin & best friend Jordan came with me to my orientation and afterwards Jordan and I did some exploring from mid-afternoon until sunset. The highlights of our euphoric adventure are shown below =)

Sugarloaf Mountain.  

Technically not a mountain but one of the highest points in Michigan.

 Our Adventure to Little Presque Beach and McCarty's Cove

 

Cool Fact:  This is Jacobsville Sandstone, the oldest sedimentary rock in Michigan.  They are believed to have been deposited about 1,000 million years ago, but scientists are still debating this.  What is interesting about the Jacobsville Sandstone is they are a red/brown color due to the abundance of Iron minerals found in them.  When I first saw this rock I was wondering why in some places perfect circles and lines within the rock were devoid of the red iron rich color.  A fellow Earth Science student of mine, Libby, told me that geologists believe that somehow iron leached out from these areas, but how or why is still unknown.  Stay tuned for more pictures of this deposits in many upcoming posts!!  

 Little Presque Isle.  My favorite hiking and chill spots of Marquisite.  On topographic maps, this island is not shown because it is technically a part of the mainland.  But in reality, a thin section of sandstone is inundated in about 3 feet of water, so Little Presque looks like a very small island with your own eyes.  My favorite part of exploring Little Presque is knowing that it is a DIKE!!  For those who are unaware of what a dike is, read on!  In geologic terms a dike is a sheet of rock that intruded into a pre-existing rock body.  They are usually formed by some volcanic activity, which is how the Little Presque Dike formed.  Millions of years ago Michigan's Upper Peninsula was an environment full of volcanic activity, Little Presque is a remnant of this history.  What exposed this magnificent formation were the awesome glaciers that occupied this region for a few thousand years.  As the glaciers retreated they carved out the sedimentary rock (Jacobsville Sandstone) which overlaid this basaltic dike.  On the southern section of the island we see the sandstone, but on the northern section we see the basaltic igneous rock which is much harder and not as easily eroded  (igneous rocks are those created by volcanic activity).  Pretty awesome knowing you're hiking and chilling on a million year old volcanic rock!!!  

 Jordan is kneeling on basalt, the same rock of the Little Presque dike.  This however is not on Little Presque but on the shore of the McCarty's Cove trail, not far from LP though.