The cobbled beaches and rocky cliffs of the North Shore can inspire some serious geological curiosity. "What’s this rock? Where did it come from? Why is it here?" In this class, students will lace up some sturdy footwear and head into the field to be immersed in the fascinating geology of the northern part of Minnesota's North Shore with University of Minnesota Duluth emeritus geology professor Jim Miller. This first installment of the What's This Rock series will focus on “reading” the rocks from Grand Portage to Grand Marais that tell part of the billion-year-old geological story of the Lake Superior area, a tale that can be best characterized as one of fire and ice. After an introductory presentation on Friday afternoon, the class will carpool to the Canadian border on Saturday morning and visit classic North Shore exposures on the way back to Grand Marais. The day-long trip will visit roadcuts and shoreline exposures that illustrate the volcanic and glacial history of the northernmost part of Minnesota's North Shore. Sunday morning will begin with a hike up the Cascade River, followed by viewing roadcuts of the gemstone Thomsonite, and then rock-hounding on the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais. After this excursion, students will never see the North Shore the same way again.

Physical ability note: Short hikes will involve treading on uneven ground. Students should have the ability to walk on inclines and declines over dirt and rock paths and up and down rock stairs.

Required Tools

• Bag lunch for Days 2 and 3
• Appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear (sturdy!)
• Water bottle
• Anything you need to be comfortable outdoors: sunscreen, bug nets, rain jacket, etc.
• All participants will be given a high-visibility orange vest to wear during highway field stop.