Great Sand Bay

http://superiorwatersheds.org/shorelineviewer2011/

George Hite Dunes

Redwyn Dunes Nature Sanctuary

Vernal Ponds

Park Here

Vernal Pond

Dune

Rest Room

Low energy Beach

Underwater Copper Vein

Reef of Lake Shore Traps

Sand Bar

The Dune Book

Coastal Dune Ecosystems

Michigan’s Sand Dunes

This is a remarkable geological site, with many excellent examples of features to see. There is a low energy beach with offshore sandbars, sheltered by a dramatic headland. The headland is part of a resistent lava layer from the Lake Shore Traps, where there are underwater copper rich veins which cut across. A large copper boulder was removed for the display at Quincy Mine, but much remains of veins for diving here in the Underwater preserve.

Inland, within the Redwyn Dunes and George Hite Dunes are Coastal Dune Ecosystems with many perched dunes and vernal pools. Perched dunes are dunes that are located above glacial deposits, moraines, outwash or glacial lake deposits. In this place vernal pools are between dunes and above post glacial lake materials. All this makes for an unsual environment, well worth visiting. A 1 hr trail at Redwyn covers these features well.