Urban Fault

 
Urban Fault

The Fault goes along one of the blue lines in the MacInnes Arena and it also crosses the Rozsa Center and Wadsworth Hall.  This is not hazardous because the fault is not active.

Urban locations, where because of human driven activities the fault is obscured contrast with most other sites, where the fault does reveal clues to its location. The Keweenaw Fault bisects the Peninsula, going from Bete Grise to East Houghton and beyond. In most places there is a sudden break in slope with the south side (sandstone side) lower.  Rivers, lakes and waterfalls (see below) are all guided and molded by the fault’s position. The fault shows its mark, but it is hard to put your finger on the fault in person. 

From Bete Grise eastward (see map below), the Fault follows the shoreline with steep slopes above it.  The Fault crosses the shoreline repeatedly (1, 2, 3, 4, below) and you can see the fault through the shallow, clear water of the lake.

Map from Irving & Chamberlin (1885), overlain by USGS geological maps and by Google Earth imagery.  Numbers  identify where the fault can be observed along the shoreline