Coastal Hazards of the Western Upper Peninsula

This page was created to be a resource for community members, students, educators, and anyone else who will find value in learning more about the natural coastlines of Lake Superior, specifically in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We think that the more people know about the history, current situation, and natural processes involved in our changing coastline the better decisions they can make towards coastal protection, remediation, and stewardship of the land.

You can access more information about coastal hazards on the webpage:

The coasts of Gichigami (Lake Superior) are an important home to the many beings -- fish, birds, fungi, moss, humans, lichen, trees, and others -- who inhabit this space and rely on the water to sustain their life. Recognizing how water connects us to place enables us to make stewardship decisions that support, honor, and respect relationships between different plant and animal communities alongside the other beings that aid and interact with them. Please see the two links below for more information.

The human history of the region is tied to the naturally formed copper that formed in the rock. As early as 9,000 years ago copper has been mined by people who likely traveled to the region and used large stones to break the rock away from around the copper exposed from the receding glaciers. This was extracted and hammered into different shapes to make art and tools which were traded across the entire continent.

As according to the Ojibwe’s oral histories the Anishinaabe people first migrated from the east towards the Great Lakes region and beyond starting about 900 years ago and may have continued emigrating a couple hundred years after. Today the Anishinaabe people continue to act as caretakers for the land. The entire Western Upper Peninsula is a part of the traditional homelands of the Ojibwe, a group of the Anishinaabe who's ancestral homelands extend through the Great Lakes region, through Wisconsin, North Dakota, and into Canada.

French colonists came to claim the land in the early 16th century largely driven by the fur trade and missions. They largely lived without conflict alongside the Ojibwe people in the area and even allied with them during the French and Indian War (1763) against the British. After the war the territory was ceded to the British who treated the tribes as conquered people. The British ruled the land as colonizers until the 1783 Treaty of Paris which stated that the newly formed United States laid claim to the land. Later on the 1842 treaty between the US and the Ojibwe gave the US ownership of the land including mineral rights while maintaining the right of the Ojibwe to hunt and fish on it. [2]

During this same time (1840-1843) Douglass Houghton, the state Geologist for Michigan, surveyed the land for copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula. His surveys led to a large copper boom that brought in miners from around the world to the area and extracted millions of pound of copper per year during its height. He may have been someone that would have benefited from learning more about coastal hazards as he drowned in October of 1843 following a canoe trip during a building storm. [3]

The copper was initially mined for the massive pieces of native copper that were present in the rock but with improved mining methods stamp mills were used to stamp or crush the rock to extract the smaller pieces. This was an advanced process from the original form of mining that brought more profits to the industry. In turn the tailings or stamp sands were the by products of this process. [4]

The ore from the Mohawk and Wolverine mines was processed in Gay, Michigan where the huge amounts of stamp sands over the years of mining were dumped into the lake. [5]

The  Gay Stamp Sands Visualization Tool  was created by researchers at Michigan Tech, the Army Corps of Engineers and others was created to witness the drift of these stamp sands can be over time. This tool may best be viewed in an external window by clicking the blue icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

These sands have since migrated down the western shore of the Keweenaw Peninsula and are filling in and poisoning Buffalo Reef, an invaluable spawning area for the whitefish and lake trout in Keweenaw Bay. This negatively impacts many of the commercial fishers who rely on these fish for their livelihoods as well as and recreational fishers. [7]

What industries are on the Keweenaw coast? - Today the Keweenaw coastline has a variety of businesses that rely on the ecosystems and natural beauty of these shores to secure their livelihoods. These businesses include commercial fishing operations, campgrounds, marinas, restaurants, hotels and other lodging accommodations, and two state parks.

How are these coastal waters being used now? - Today the water is used by residents and visitors in many different ways depending on the season. In the summer along beaches and waterways can be found swimmers, boaters, rock hunters, anglers, surfers, paddle boarders and more. You may find a powerboat pulling a inner tube or a fishing boat out for a day of leisure. In the winter as waterways freeze over and ice builds up on the lake you're more likely to find one on skis, snowshoes, or a snowmobile. The Portage Canal hosts transportation to Isle Royal via sea plane or the Ranger III. Paddlers that are feeling adventurous can follow a guided map that allows them to circumnavigate the peninsula via the  Keweenaw Water Trail .

How shoreline is managed and who owns it? - The shorelines in the area fall under a variety of ownership. While much of the shoreline is registered as Commercial Forest Reserve which gives access to public hunting and fishing, other areas of the shore are managed by the state parks, private property owners, conservation organizations, or land trusts. All land regardless of its legal status should be respected.  Leave No Trace principles  are a great way to care for the land and its inhabitants through planning, respect, and safe use of the land while minimizing harmful impacts. Take note of signs that indicate a protected area or private property.

While you might not own coastal property, we all have legal access to walk along the coastlines and thus all have a shared responsibility to protect it. "In the 2005 “beach walker” case , the Supreme Court ruled that members of the public have a right to walk along privately owned Great Lakes beaches as long as they do not cross the “ordinary high-water mark.” This case does not pertain to Michigan’s inland lakes and streams or to inland lakes with an immediate hydrologic connection with one of the Great Lakes." [8]

Around 1.1 billion years ago a large fracture in the middle of the North American continent caused a depression in the land. This area is known as the Mid-continental Rift or the Keweenawan Rift. It began to split the continent apart which created cracks for liquid rock (magma) from inside the surface of the earth to flow out over the land forming some of the rocks which underlie Lake Superior and parts the western UP. [9]

Later on sediments such as the Copper Harbor Conglomerate, and Jacobsville Sandstone, among others, were deposited in the valley created by the rift. Two faults, the Keweenaw fault and the Isle Royle fault create a “bowl” of rock called a Syncline. 

Most recently from 95,000 to 25,000 years before present, the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which at its maximum extent covered the entire Great Lakes region to the south, started to melt as it flowed. Imagine miles thick of ice weighing down on the land. As this ice moves the rocks trapped underneath act as an abrasive to scrape away at the bedrock over time gouging away at the land. As the ice carved out the valley that would become the superior basin, it slowly melted, filling this area and becoming the water that makes up Lake Superior today. 

The interactive map below shows the lake depth. Notice how all the events that created the Keweenaw Peninsula left a more shallow sloping lake bottom to the east with a steeper plunging lake bottom to the west. These varying depths can influence the way that the waves interact with the shoreline. [13 & 14]

The Levels of Lake Superior fluctuate daily, seasonally, and year to year. Depending on the weather conditions and the specific location you stand on the lake the water level can fluctuate day to day. This daily change can be caused by the wind, causing waves, which build up on the shore or push water away to another area. When water piles up due to a storm with heavy winds this is called a storm surge.

Daily changes in lake level can also be influenced by atmospheric pressure, heavy rains, and melt water surges. When these factors cease to influence the water it will naturally want to return to a balanced level, causing the water levels to oscillate back and forth like water would if sloshed around in a bathtub. This occurrence is called a seiche. [15]

Seasonal changes in water levels are due mainly to precipitation and runoff. For Lake Superior these seasonal variations generally fluctuate about one foot over the course of the year. During the fall and beginning of winter the lake water is still relatively warm compared with the cold dry air above, drawing moisture from the lake and lowering the water level. Through the winter evaporation continues to pull moisture from the areas of the lake that are not frozen and deposit this as snow elsewhere creating the lowest water levels in March and April. When snow starts to melt in the spring the lake levels increase as an inflow of runoff babbles out of streams and rivers to slowly fill the lake back up. During this time the air above the lake is relatively warm and moist compared to the cold water which stunts evaporation. These occurrences generally cause the Lake Superior water levels to peak in August or September before the cycle starts its course over again.

Longer term fluctuations occur when there are multiple consecutive years in which environmental conditions act to raise or lower the water level. When conditions over multiple years are dryer and warmer than average this leads to a decrease in the lake levels while multiple years of cooler and moister than average conditions will raise the lake levels.

Lake Level Viewer: This tool was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for general planning purposes to show what the coast looks like during different lake levels. Keep in mind this would be the lake on a calm day without any wind driven waves or seiches.

Coastal Flooding occurs when land near the shoreline that is normally dry becomes submerged with water. The risk of these is more prevalent during high lake levels but even during times when average levels are not record highs combinations of storm surges, seiches, and large waves can still lead to shoreline flooding.

When roads and walkways become over-topped with water this can block access or create more dangerous conditions when accessing these routes. When this flooding breaches over docks, enters buildings, and interacts with other infrastructure along the coasts it can cause damage that can be costly to repair. These flooding events can also increase the amount of erosion that occurs in areas of high water. Because of these effects it’s important to know what to do or not to do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a flood event. Please follow the link below for more resources.

These interactive visualization tools show both coastal and inland flood maps, critical infrastructure, weather warnings, and other community data on one platform. These tools were created from a project funded by the National Science Foundation whose purposed is to inform emergency managers, local officials, and other community members in rural communities to enhance flooding and coastal disaster resilience and adaptation in the Western Upper Peninsula.

Please visit our shoreline flooding page to learn more about your risk, actions you can take, and resources available to help you make the most informed decisions.

Coastal erosion otherwise known as shoreline recession, shoreline erosion, or beach loss are present along many of the shorelines in Lake Superior. Because of the great depth of the lake as it was carved out by glaciers, the edges of the lake are constantly eroding the shores and widening the lake as time progresses. These happen through a number of erosion processes along the shoreline.

• Building, road, and other infrastructure damage
• Unstable slopes along shore can create hazardous areas for visitors
• Beach loss eliminating important habitat and recreation areas

Weather Awareness and Planning - Check the local weather forecast, wind speed, and radar to make sure the conditions are safe, high winds leads to larger waves which increase risk along the shorelines, fog decreases visibility which makes it easier to lose sight of people, and learn more about risks along the coastline so you know what to look for regarding hazards on the coast.

Other Weather Radar Sites:

There are a series of Buoys that exist all around Lake Superior that monitor water height, wind speed, water temperature, as well as a number of other factors. These are used by scientist to collect data for research but can also be accessed by the public for their own use.

Seagull - an interactive web platform that provides real time buoy data

Upper Great Lakes Observing System (UGLOS)- provides buoy data through Coastal Monitoring Buoys that update every 10 minutes during the navigation season

National Data Buoy Center - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides buoy data for Lake Superior but also provides buoy data on a global scale

Below are a number of organizations that promote, support, own, and/or manage coastal properties in the Western Upper Peninsula. Look through some pages to find a nice place to enjoy our beautiful coastlines.

Visit Keweenaw - A website that has a number of recommendations for recreation and lodging in the Keweenaw Peninsula. It includes an entire section on water activities including boating, fishing, beaches, and more. Browse to find some nice beach hikes or places to take a canoe out for a paddle.

Keweenaw Land Trust (KLT) - a community partner protecting land, water, and quality of life through conservation, stewardship and education. Browse the "Visit" section to see some places to get out and enjoy some beautiful natural coastlines or other inland trails.

Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition (KORC) - brings together individuals, businesses, and outdoor recreation, conservation, and community organizations to secure permanent public access to at-risk land in the Keweenaw.  

Ojibwe Campground and Sand Point Restoration Project - offers camping, fishing, beaches, and a marina with easy access to Lake Superior via Keweenaw Bay. This same area has access to Sand Point, a restored hiking trail along the Keweenaw Bay coastline.

Michigan Nature Association - a nonprofit conservation organization working to protect Michigan's rare, threatened and endangered species by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Offers a number of nature areas, many of which run along the lake.

Copper Country Trail - National Byway - Explore some routes around the Keweenaw and some sights to see along the way

F. J. McLain State Park

Porcupine Mountains

Isle Royale National Park

As Lake Superior is constantly changing, this page is also meant to be adapted with the current times. If you have any feedback about ways this page can be improved, additional resources that could be linked, or anything else please reach out to Evan Lanese at elanese@wuppdr.org.

Financial assistance for this project was provided, in part, by the Coastal Management Program, Water Resources Division, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, under the National Coastal Zone Management Program, through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendation in this page are those of the WUPPDR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.