Traverse, Northern Michigan’s – July 2019

Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine | JUL ’19 55

Michiganishometothemostvarietiesofstonesintheentireworld,Kevinsays.

Glacierscoveredalmost200millionacreswhentheyformedandactedlikeagiant

conveyorbeltbringingrockssouthtowhatisnowMichigan.

ThecoralthatformedPetoskeystones(Hexagonariapercarinata)wentextinct

beforedinosaurswereevenborn.So,whenyoufindaPetoskeystone,you’vefound

ananimalthat’solderthanadinosaur!

NorthernCanadaishometoseverallargediamonddeposits,andglacierssnucksome

southtoMichigan.Diamondsarefoundwithina200-mileswaththatrunsfromIowa

toOhio.ThelargesthavebeenfoundnearMilwaukee—includingonethatwasmore

than21carats.A10-caratdiamondwasfoundnearDowagiac,Michigan—whichmay

bethelargestfoundinthestate,saysBruceMuellerofC&MRockShopinHonor.

Fulguritesareformedwhenlightningstrikessand.Theheatliquifiesthesandintoa

glasscone.Yourbestchanceoffindingafulguriteistogotoabeachorhighsandy

areaduringastorm—donotgetoutofyourcar—andwatchforlightningstrikes.Or

walkthebeachafterastorm.(Nottobeconfusedwithlightningstone,aconcretion

foundnearSaugatuckthathaswhitecalciterunningthroughit,likelightningstrikes.)

MeteoritescanbefoundinMichigan.Where?Well,that’sanybody’sguess,Kevinsays.

Michiganlawstatesthatanindividualcannotremovemorethan25poundsperyear

ofanyrock,mineral(exclusiveofanygoldbearingmaterial)orinvertebratefossil

fromstate-ownedlandforpersonalornon-commercialhobbyuse.

ItisillegalunderfederallawtoremovestonesfromaNationalLakeshore.

Carly Simpson is Digital and Content Editor at Traverse. [email protected]

OPPOSITE PAGE: THOMAS BOS // GRAND SABLE DUNES — PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE

I’VE GONE ROCK HUNTING SINCE I WAS A CHILD AND STILL LOVE IT TODAY. WHEN YOU’RE FOCUSED ON FINDING A PETOSKEY STONE, AGATE OR A SPECIFIC
COLOR STONE AMONG THE BILLIONS STREWN ACROSS OUR PLENTIFUL BEACHES, THE ONLY STRESS IN LIFE IS ON YOUR EYES, THE ONLY DRAMA IN YOUR LIFE IS
THE WIND AND WAVES AND THE ONLY MONEY IT COSTS YOU IS THE GAS TO GET THERE. IF I HAD WALKED THIS BEACH, HIKED THE SHORELINE AND VENTURED
INTO THE CAVES ALONG THE PICTURED ROCKS AS A YOUNG BOY, I WOULD BE A GEOLOGIST TODAY. THAT’S HOW MESMERIZING THIS PLACE IS TO ME.”

FOLLOW THOMAS ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM @BOSEXPOSURES

@OFFHANDADVENTURES

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