Michigan Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites in the Great Lakes State

Michigan is the only state in the nation to border four of the five Great Lakes—giving it the nickname, the Great Lakes State. This abundance of shoreline translates to a multitude of rock exposed by waves and currents.

Nearly the entire history of Earth is on display in Michigan, from 3.6-billion-year-old gneisses to potholes drilled by modern rivers. Michigan Rocks! guides you to 56 world-class geologic sites scattered from Isle Royale and the Upper Peninsula to Lower Michigan, including Michigan's Thumb, where carvings in sandstone are preserved at Sanilac Petroglyph State Historic Park. Many of the well-chosen sites are two-fers; you get a good look at ancient features in a rock from time immemorial and see the damage wrought on that same rock by recent glacial ice and erosion.

The author's explanations of the geologic processes at work, along with photographs, illustrations, and informative figures and maps, make this the perfect field guide for amateur and expert geologists alike—and everyone in between!

Paul Brandes earned a BS in geology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and an MS in geology from Michigan Technological University. He has worked as an exploration geologist, a geology consultant, an environmental enforcement officer, and a professor of earth science at a community college. As a noted photographer, he has contributed numerous photographs to several textbooks and laboratory manuals in geology, as well as other media. He is a member of the management team of the popular website mindat.org and on the board of directors of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. Brandes and his geologist wife, Nathalie, travel the world in search of new and exciting places to study geology and minerals to add to their collection. He is also the author of Roadside Geology of Texas, Third Edition and the photographer for Texas Rocks!, both published by GSA.