The peninsula measures about 150 miles in length and about 50 miles in width at its base.
The ancient lava flows of the Keweenaw Peninsula were produced during the Mesoproterozoic Era as a part of the Midcontinent Rift between 1.096 and 1.087 billion years ago.[1] This volcanic activity produced the only strata on Earth where large-scale economically recoverable 97 percent pure native copper is found.
Much of the native copper found in the Keweenaw comes in either the form of cavity fillings on lava flow surfaces, which has a ”lacy” consistency, or as "float" copper, which is found as a solid mass. Copper ore may occur within conglomerate or breccia as void or interclast fillings. The conglomerate layers occur as interbedded units within the volcanic pile.[2]
The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale, formed by the Midcontinent Rift System, are the only sites in the United States with evidence of prehistoric aboriginal mining of copper. Artifacts made from this copper by these ancient indigenous people were traded as far south as present-day Alabama.[3] These areas are also the unique location where chlorastrolite, the state gem of Michigan, can be found.
The northern end of the peninsula is sometimes referred to as Copper Island (or "Kuparisaari" by Finnish immigrants), although this term is becoming less common.[4][5] It is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway, a natural waterway which was dredged and expanded in the 1860s[6] across the peninsula between the cities of Houghton (named for Douglass Houghton) on the south side and Hancock on the north.
A Keweenaw Water Trail has been established around Copper Island. The Water Trail stretches approximately 125 miles (201 km) and can be paddled in five to ten days, depending on weather and water conditions.
The Keweenaw Fault runs fairly lengthwise through both Keweenaw and neighboring Houghton counties. This ancient geological slip has given rise to cliffs. U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and Brockway Mountain Drive, north of Calumet, were constructed along the cliff line.
Copper Island in white
Cross-section of the Lake Superior basin showing the tilted strata of volcanic rock that form both the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale
Lake Superior syncline
Climate
Lake Superior significantly controls the climate of the Keweenaw Peninsula, keeping winters milder than those in surrounding areas.[7] Spring is cool and brief, transitioning into a summer with highs near 70 °F (21 °C). Fall begins in September, with winter beginning in mid-November.
The peninsula receives copious amounts of lake-effect snow from Lake Superior. Official records are maintained close to the base of the peninsula in Hancock, Michigan,[8] where the annual snowfall average is about 220 inches (560 cm). Farther north, in a community called Delaware, an unofficial average of about 240 inches (610 cm) is maintained. At Delaware, the record snowfall for one season was 390 inches (990 cm) in 1979.[9] Averages over 250 inches (640 cm) certainly occur in the higher elevations closer to the tip of the peninsula.
Keweenaw Snow-mometer north of Mohawk on US 41
Some shelf ice remains along the shore of the peninsula as most of the ice breaks away; taken at 11:12:06 AM Central Standard Time on February 20, 2021 from the International Space Station[10]
Snow on the peninsula; taken at 2:05:48 PM CST on April 3, 2021 from the ISS[11]
Mostly sunny conditions over the peninsula, taken at 2:07:45 PM Central Daylight Time on October 8, 2019 from the ISS[12]
History
Spectacular copper and calcite specimen from the Pewabic Lode, Keweenaw Peninsula.
Beginning as early as seven thousand years ago and apparently peaking around 3000 B.C., Native Americans dug copper from the southern shore of Lake Superior. This development was possible in large part because, in this region, large deposits of copper were easily accessible in surface rock and from shallow diggings. Native copper could be found as large nuggets and wiry masses. Copper as a resource for functional tooling achieved popularity around 3000 B.C., during the Middle Archaic Stage. The focus of copper working seems to have gradually shifted from functional tools to ornamental objects by the Late Archaic Stage c. 1200 B.C. Native Americans would build a fire to heat the rock around and over a copper mass and, after heating, pour on cold water to crack the rock. The copper was then pounded out, using rock hammers and stone chisels.[13]
The Keweenaw's rich deposits of copper (and some silver) were extracted on an industrial scale beginning around the middle of the 19th century. The industry grew through the latter part of the century and employed thousands of people well into the 20th century. Hard rock mining in the region ceased in 1967 though copper sulfide deposits continued for some time after in Ontonagon. This vigorous industry created a need for educated mining professionals and directly led in 1885 to the founding of the Michigan Mining School (now Michigan Technological University) in Houghton. Although MTU discontinued its undergraduate mining engineering program in 2006, the university continues to offer engineering degrees in a variety of other disciplines. (In 2012 mining engineering was restarted in the re-formed Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences.)
Second-growth forest near the tip of the Keweenaw, facing west
Running concurrently with the mining boom in the Keweenaw was the white pine lumber boom. Trees were cut for timbers for mine shafts, to heat the communities around the large copper mines, and to help build a growing nation. Much of the logging at the time was done in winter due to the ease of operability with the snow. Due to the logging practices at that time, the forest of the Keweenaw looks much different today from 100 years ago.
US 41 terminates in the northern Keweenaw at the Michigan State Park housing Fort Wilkins. US 41 was the so-called "Military Trail" that started in Chicago in the 1900s and ended in the Keweenaw wilderness. The restored fort has numerous exhibits.
For detailed information on the region's mineralogical history, see the virtual tour of the peninsula written by the Mineralogical Society of America, found in "External links" on this page. Information on the geological formations of the region are also detailed.
^"Geologic Timeline - Keweenaw National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
^Huber, N. King (1973). "The Portage Lake Volcanics (Middle Keweenawan) on Isle Royale, Michigan". Geological Survey Professional Paper. Professional Paper. doi:10.3133/pp754C. 754—C.
^Public Law 102-543 (Oct. 27, 1992); 106 STAT. 3569
^. MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collection. J. Robert Van Pelt Library, Michigan Technological University. Archived from the original on 2007-03-08.
^"Keweenaw". US National Park Serive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
^"Snowfall Records". Michigan Technological University. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
^"Keweenaw Snowfall Record". Eagle Harbor Web. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
^ISS064-E-35655, Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate
^ISS064-E-52399, Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate
^ISS061-E-4566, Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate
^Martin, Susan R. (1995). . The Michigan Archaeologist. 41 (2–3): 119–138. Archived from the original on 2016-02-07.
Krause, David J. (1992). The Making of a Mining District: Keweenaw Native Copper 1500-1870. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN0-8143-2406-1..
Lankton, Larry (2010). Hollowed Ground: Copper Mining and Community Building on Lake Superior, 1840s-1990s. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN978-0-8143-3458-4., focuses on three companies, Calumet & Hecla, Copper Range, and Quincy, in a study of native copper mining and copper-sulfide mining on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula.
Thurner, Arthur W. (1994). Strangers and Sojourners: A History of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN0-8143-2396-0..
Primary sources
Burt, Williams A. & Hubbard, Bela (1846). Reports on the Mineral Region of Lake Superior. Buffalo: L. Danforth. Bela Hubbard..
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keweenaw Peninsula.
keweenaw, peninsula, keweenaw, redirects, here, other, uses, keweenaw, disambiguation, ɔː, sometimes, locally, ˈkiːvənɔː, northernmost, part, michigan, upper, peninsula, projects, into, lake, superior, site, first, copper, boom, united, states, leading, monike. Keweenaw redirects here For other uses see Keweenaw disambiguation The Keweenaw Peninsula ˈ k iː w ɪ n ɔː KEE wi naw sometimes locally ˈkiːvenɔː is the northernmost part of Michigan s Upper Peninsula It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States leading to its moniker of Copper Country As of the 2000 census its population was roughly 43 200 Its major industries are now logging and tourism as well as jobs related to Michigan Technological University and Finlandia University Keweenaw Peninsula Contents 1 Geology 2 Climate 3 History 4 Communities 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksGeology EditThe peninsula measures about 150 miles in length and about 50 miles in width at its base The ancient lava flows of the Keweenaw Peninsula were produced during the Mesoproterozoic Era as a part of the Midcontinent Rift between 1 096 and 1 087 billion years ago 1 This volcanic activity produced the only strata on Earth where large scale economically recoverable 97 percent pure native copper is found Much of the native copper found in the Keweenaw comes in either the form of cavity fillings on lava flow surfaces which has a lacy consistency or as float copper which is found as a solid mass Copper ore may occur within conglomerate or breccia as void or interclast fillings The conglomerate layers occur as interbedded units within the volcanic pile 2 The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale formed by the Midcontinent Rift System are the only sites in the United States with evidence of prehistoric aboriginal mining of copper Artifacts made from this copper by these ancient indigenous people were traded as far south as present day Alabama 3 These areas are also the unique location where chlorastrolite the state gem of Michigan can be found The northern end of the peninsula is sometimes referred to as Copper Island or Kuparisaari by Finnish immigrants although this term is becoming less common 4 5 It is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway a natural waterway which was dredged and expanded in the 1860s 6 across the peninsula between the cities of Houghton named for Douglass Houghton on the south side and Hancock on the north A Keweenaw Water Trail has been established around Copper Island The Water Trail stretches approximately 125 miles 201 km and can be paddled in five to ten days depending on weather and water conditions The Keweenaw Fault runs fairly lengthwise through both Keweenaw and neighboring Houghton counties This ancient geological slip has given rise to cliffs U S Highway 41 US 41 and Brockway Mountain Drive north of Calumet were constructed along the cliff line Copper Island in white Cross section of the Lake Superior basin showing the tilted strata of volcanic rock that form both the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale Lake Superior synclineClimate EditLake Superior significantly controls the climate of the Keweenaw Peninsula keeping winters milder than those in surrounding areas 7 Spring is cool and brief transitioning into a summer with highs near 70 F 21 C Fall begins in September with winter beginning in mid November The peninsula receives copious amounts of lake effect snow from Lake Superior Official records are maintained close to the base of the peninsula in Hancock Michigan 8 where the annual snowfall average is about 220 inches 560 cm Farther north in a community called Delaware an unofficial average of about 240 inches 610 cm is maintained At Delaware the record snowfall for one season was 390 inches 990 cm in 1979 9 Averages over 250 inches 640 cm certainly occur in the higher elevations closer to the tip of the peninsula Keweenaw Snow mometer north of Mohawk on US 41 Some shelf ice remains along the shore of the peninsula as most of the ice breaks away taken at 11 12 06 AM Central Standard Time on February 20 2021 from the International Space Station 10 Snow on the peninsula taken at 2 05 48 PM CST on April 3 2021 from the ISS 11 Mostly sunny conditions over the peninsula taken at 2 07 45 PM Central Daylight Time on October 8 2019 from the ISS 12 History Edit Spectacular copper and calcite specimen from the Pewabic Lode Keweenaw Peninsula Beginning as early as seven thousand years ago and apparently peaking around 3000 B C Native Americans dug copper from the southern shore of Lake Superior This development was possible in large part because in this region large deposits of copper were easily accessible in surface rock and from shallow diggings Native copper could be found as large nuggets and wiry masses Copper as a resource for functional tooling achieved popularity around 3000 B C during the Middle Archaic Stage The focus of copper working seems to have gradually shifted from functional tools to ornamental objects by the Late Archaic Stage c 1200 B C Native Americans would build a fire to heat the rock around and over a copper mass and after heating pour on cold water to crack the rock The copper was then pounded out using rock hammers and stone chisels 13 The Keweenaw s rich deposits of copper and some silver were extracted on an industrial scale beginning around the middle of the 19th century The industry grew through the latter part of the century and employed thousands of people well into the 20th century Hard rock mining in the region ceased in 1967 though copper sulfide deposits continued for some time after in Ontonagon This vigorous industry created a need for educated mining professionals and directly led in 1885 to the founding of the Michigan Mining School now Michigan Technological University in Houghton Although MTU discontinued its undergraduate mining engineering program in 2006 the university continues to offer engineering degrees in a variety of other disciplines In 2012 mining engineering was restarted in the re formed Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Second growth forest near the tip of the Keweenaw facing west Running concurrently with the mining boom in the Keweenaw was the white pine lumber boom Trees were cut for timbers for mine shafts to heat the communities around the large copper mines and to help build a growing nation Much of the logging at the time was done in winter due to the ease of operability with the snow Due to the logging practices at that time the forest of the Keweenaw looks much different today from 100 years ago US 41 terminates in the northern Keweenaw at the Michigan State Park housing Fort Wilkins US 41 was the so called Military Trail that started in Chicago in the 1900s and ended in the Keweenaw wilderness The restored fort has numerous exhibits For detailed information on the region s mineralogical history see the virtual tour of the peninsula written by the Mineralogical Society of America found in External links on this page Information on the geological formations of the region are also detailed From 1964 to 1971 the University of Michigan and Michigan Technological University cooperated with NASA and the U S Navy to run the Keweenaw Rocket launch site Communities EditA partial list of towns in the Keweenaw Peninsula Ahmeek Albion Allouez Atlantic Mine Baltic Bete Grise Blue Jacket Boot Jack Point Bumbletown Calumet Centennial Centennial Heights Central Mine Chassell Chickensville Clifton Copper Falls Copper Harbor Craig Delaware Dodgeville Dollar Bay Dreamland Eagle Harbor Eagle River Florida location Freda Gay Gratiot location Gregoryville Hancock Hecla Location Henwood Houghton Hubbell Hurontown Jacobsville Kearsarge Lac La Belle Lake Linden Lake Medora Laurium Linwood Little Betsy Mandan Mason Mellonsville Mohawk Misery Bay Ojibway Old Victoria Osceola Painesdale Pelkie Phillipsville Phoenix Pryor s Location Quincy Rabbit Bay Raymbaultown Location Red Jacket Redridge Ripley Seeberville Seneca location Senter South Kearsarge location South Range Swedetown Tamarack Tapiola Tecumseh Toivola Trimountain West Tamarack White City Wyoming location Helltown Yellow JacketSee also EditCopper mining in Michigan Keweenaw National Historical Park ThimbleberryReferences Edit Geologic Timeline Keweenaw National Historical Park U S National Park Service www nps gov Retrieved 2018 06 08 Huber N King 1973 The Portage Lake Volcanics Middle Keweenawan on Isle Royale Michigan Geological Survey Professional Paper Professional Paper doi 10 3133 pp754C 754 C Public Law 102 543 Oct 27 1992 106 STAT 3569 Holmio Armas K E Ryynanen Ellen M 2001 History of the Finns in Michigan Wayne State University Press p 76 ISBN 978 0 8143 2974 0 Retrieved 2008 09 28 An Interior Ellis Island Ethnic Diversity and the Peopling of Michigan s Copper Country Keweenaw Ethnic Groups The Finns MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collection J Robert Van Pelt Library Michigan Technological University Archived from the original on 2007 03 08 Houghton Exploring the North Keweenaw US National Park Serive Retrieved 21 October 2011 Snowfall Records Michigan Technological University Retrieved 21 October 2011 Keweenaw Snowfall Record Eagle Harbor Web Retrieved 21 October 2011 ISS064 E 35655 Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science amp Remote Sensing Unit ARES Division Exploration Integration Science Directorate ISS064 E 52399 Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science amp Remote Sensing Unit ARES Division Exploration Integration Science Directorate ISS061 E 4566 Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science amp Remote Sensing Unit ARES Division Exploration Integration Science Directorate Martin Susan R 1995 The State of Our Knowledge About Ancient Copper Mining in Michigan The Michigan Archaeologist 41 2 3 119 138 Archived from the original on 2016 02 07 Further reading EditHarrison Jim November 30 2013 Imprint My Upper Peninsula The New York Times Retrieved November 30 2013 Krause David J 1992 The Making of a Mining District Keweenaw Native Copper 1500 1870 Detroit Wayne State University Press ISBN 0 8143 2406 1 Lankton Larry 2010 Hollowed Ground Copper Mining and Community Building on Lake Superior 1840s 1990s Detroit Wayne State University Press ISBN 978 0 8143 3458 4 focuses on three companies Calumet amp Hecla Copper Range and Quincy in a study of native copper mining and copper sulfide mining on Upper Michigan s Keweenaw Peninsula Thurner Arthur W 1994 Strangers and Sojourners A History of Michigan s Keweenaw Peninsula Detroit Wayne State University Press ISBN 0 8143 2396 0 Primary sourcesBurt Williams A amp Hubbard Bela 1846 Reports on the Mineral Region of Lake Superior Buffalo L Danforth Bela Hubbard External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keweenaw Peninsula Keweenaw Convention amp Visitors Bureau Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Keweenaw Time Traveler Copper Country Explorer Coordinates 47 15 N 88 20 W 47 250 N 88 333 W 47 250 88 333 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Keweenaw Peninsula amp oldid 1093329639, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
