|
Great Lakes Meeting and Field Work
 |
Beach on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan in Barrien County, MI. Sand is sparse, owing
to a harbor jetty to the north (not visible). The sparse sand overlies glacial till deposits, which are
exposed offshore and in the bluff behind the beach. A long wooden staircase (first of many flights
is shown at far right) provides access to the beach from the top of the bluff. Riprap and a seawall
have been installed to protect shoreline properties from erosion.
|
On July 10th and 11th, Peter Barnes and seven other USGS staff members attended a planning
workshop in Ann Arbor, MI, funded by the Eastern Region Venture Capital Fund for integrated
USGS work in the Great Lakes. The workshop participants are outlining a project that will integrate
the skills and interests of four disciplines (geology, biology, mapping, water) and produce useful
products on nearshore habitat and water quality, not as easy a task as they had thought. Stay
tuned for further developments.
After the Ann Arbor meeting, NAGT (National Association of Geoscience Teachers) intern
Kevin Mininger and Peter Barnes conducted brief fieldwork along the southeastern coast of
Lake Michigan in Barrien County, MI. They assessed distribution of sand and glacial-till deposits
at the shoreline in an effort to link onshore geology with offshore geology mapped by Dave Foster
(Woods Hole Field Center) in the early 1990s. During four days of exceptional, California-like
weather, they climbed up and down many long staircases to measure the thickness and extent
of beach-sand units, and to answer questions as to why they were not in bathing suits like
everyone else.
|
 |
August 2001
in this issue:
cover story:
Pulley Ridge Reefs
Stellwagen Bank Visitor Center
Great Lakes
Coastal Zone 2001
ESRI Conference
African Dust Briefing for DoD
Hazardous Waste Work
Capt. Roy Gaensslen
Monterey Bay Sanctuary
August Publications List
|
U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
previous story