09:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Day two of our journey takes us to an area commonly known as "Copper Country". This region is famous for its copper mining history and scenic beauty. Due to the rustic nature of the peninsula, we will need to spend a few hours driving to our second stop. The good news is that this will allow us to be in position for the next two days activities.

12:00 - 01:00 p.m.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

01:00 - 03:30 p.m.

A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum - Located in the city of Houghton on the campus of Michigan Technological University, this museum will provide TiGers with an in-depth look at over 20,000 different rock samples! While the museum has over 60,000 samples, it does not have the facilities to display such a collection. The museum is the official Mineralogical Museum of Michigan and provides guided tours and rock identification classes upon request.

Our tour will be self-guided, but I will ask for assistance from the curators when we perform a rock identification exercise in the museum. During our tour, I will discuss some of the history of the area and how the rich copper and silver deposits came to be in this region.

We will discuss how during the Precambrian times copper and silver were formed in the mostly basaltic lava flows and sedimentary layers deposited during this time. Hot water rising from deep within the crust brought copper and silver into fissures in the developing landscape where it solidified into some of the richest deposits in the world.

Some samples of the specimens we will identify are shown below:

Tetrahexahedral copper crystals

Silver crystals

Silver crystals with copper

03:30 - 05:00 p.m.

Coppertown U.S.A. - The Keweenaw Peninsula is considered to be home to the first mining boom in the United States. Much like Michigan's iron mines, the last copper mine closed back in 1968. The city of Calumet has turned the rich mining history into a tourism meca while preserving the rich heritage of the diverse region.

Coppertown U.S.A. will provide our group with a historical perspective of how the mining industry affected the local environment and the variety of techniques adapted throughout the ages to mine the copper and silver deposits. Early mining practices were not always kind to the environment and we will see how awareness changed the way mining was accomplished. Regulatory legislation was also passed that required the cleanup of some contaminated areas.

05:00 - 06:00 p.m.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

06:00 - 07:00 p.m.

Review of day's activities. Preview of next day's activities to include a weather discussion with interpretation of satellite, radar, surface and upper air analysis to reinforce some of the material from our Meteorolgy courses.

07:00 - 08:00 p.m.

Attend interactive discussion with the Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club or one of the other numerous clubs in the area for a local perspective on the geological and mineralogical makeup of the region.

Day 3