Waning Ice on the Shores of Lake Michigan

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

There was very little ice on the surface of the Great Lakes this winter. 

And now, in late March, the only ice I saw on my lakeshore walk today (with social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic) 

persisted on trees and roots that had been splashed by waves.

The result was sculptural...

jagged...

and told the story of wind and waves.

In this time of necessary isolation, it was lovely to wave to passing lakeshore strollers, to give a smile, to remember that we are in this together.

Black Sands

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

I hiked part of Sleeping Bear Dunes lakeshore today at Glen Haven.

The beaches of Lake Michigan usually appear tan or even whitish in color, but if you pick up a handful of sand and look closely, there is a mixture of colors. Silica and quartz give the sand its light color, but there are specks of black from the mineral magnetite. 

This mineral is heavier than the other grains, so it often gathers in bands or patches on the shoreline, sorted by wind and waves.

Today, I came across the largest deposit of magnetite I've ever seen along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. A long section of black sand on the beach.

Wave action has been strong along the lakeshore this winter, and the lake level set an all-time high earlier this year. This has led to increased amounts of magnetite deposited on the shoreline.

Watch the video below to see how deep the deposit was:

Yes, this mineral has been on the beaches for a long time. Here's a post I did about these black sands over a decade ago:

https://laketrek.blogspot.com/2009/06/black-sand.html