Sleeping Bear Dunes younger than previously thought

Michigan scientists studying dune formation and climate variance are revising their beliefs on the age of our northern Michigan lakeshore dunes. The new theory could have impact for dune management.

Excerpt: The dunes of Michigan's northwest Lower Peninsula are relative youngsters compared to their brethren along the state's more southerly shores. According to recently published work by Michigan State University researchers, they are thousands of years younger than previously believed.

"This old traditional view of these dunes was that they had pretty much formed at one time about 5,000 years ago during the Nipissing phase of ancestral Lake Michigan," said Alan Arbogast, chairman of the university's Department of Geography.

For the whole story, go here.

Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.
Signup for Email Alerts