Isle Royale Geography

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Physical Geography of Michigan Isle Royale Introduction Keweenaw County is the northern most part of Michigan. Within this county is Isle Royale. Isle Royal is a desolate island in the Upper Peninsula surrounded by Lake Superior. Almost could be considered Canada being only 15 miles away from the Canadian border. The Island is 45 miles long and 9 miles wide. The largest Island in Lake Superior, and the third largest in the contiguous United States. This Island today is known as Isle Royale National Park, as it was turn into a National Park. Isle Royale National Park was authorized by Congress on March 3, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover “to conserve a prime example of North Woods Wilderness.” Isle Royale National park was established…show more content…
Isle Royale’s geographical history begins about 1.2 billion years ago, during the early Proterozoic Ear, as molten lava leaked through cracks of the bottom of Lake Superior. As the molten lava hardened over time the land mass broke through the water level, as the lava hardened and the lake level decreased, and then created the Island of Isle Royale. After the Island was “born” glaciers moved across the freshly created land. There were 4 glacial periods, with the last ice-advance (Wisconsin) occurring some thousands of years ago. This ice-advance altered the ridges and valleys and gave the Island its unique washboard look. Also as the glaciers passed across the land they dug out the lakes and ponds of this Island. This same ice sheet gave birth to Lake Superior as well as hundreds of inland lakes, ponds and bogs. And the Greenstone Ridge, which forms the backbone of Isle Royale. And is thought by many geologists to be a portion of the largest lava flow on…show more content…
Being a National Park people come to Isle Royale to see the natural environment. Tourists explore Isle Royale in many ways like: A day hike around the island on the back trails. Day hiking is an excellent way to get into the backcountry for solitude and exploration. There are a number or short hikes available, from a “1-mile hike near Windigo to a 4-mile look out to Scovill Point near Rock Harbor” (nps.gov). Or you could explore the Island throughout the waters on a canoe or kayak. Visitors can also camp in these natural woods of America. Another attraction of Isle Royale is fishing. Being a island around Lake Superior and has several inland ponds, lakes and streams, Isle Royale attracts a lot of fishers. Travelers can also go scuba diving and explore the many ship wrecks in the nearby waters from the fishing boom in the

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