Silver Mountain: Upper Michigan's Basalt Dome
Travis Suggitt
My good friend Jeremy and I took a ride north into Michigan's Upper Peninsula to visit a distinct basalt formation known as Silver Mountain. Jeremy grew up near here which made him a great companion.
The hike to the top of Silver Mountain was easy. The basalt dome is only about 140 feet in prominence and 1,300 feet above sea level. People who live in mountainous areas may prefer to call it Silver Hill. We walked along the base of the mountain's 140 ft cliff where an overhang shows off a black mineral with patches of copper coloring. I assume that the copper coloring means that this basalt has a high iron content and is oxidizing in places.
At the summit, scars of a previous ice age can be found carved into the hard basalt. Despite being here before, Jeremy had not noticed these, claiming that he had only been on top during the winter and snow likely covered it.
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