Saturday, April 16, 2016

Wind Point






Much of the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, from Wisconsin south through Chicago towards the Indiana Dunes at the south end of the Lake, consists of eroding bluffs. But there are a number of locations where the bluff is absent, either because a lower river valley intersects the shore or because the beaches have accreted out into the lake.


AERIAL VIEW

I don't know the explanation for Wind Point, just north of Racine, but it extends out into the lake. It's low, but doesn't appear depositional. I suspect there may be bedrock control - a more resistant layer at modern lake level - but would need to do considerably more homework for this to be anything more than speculation. 

Sediment transport is pretty strongly from north to south on this shore of the lake, reflecting the strong north wave action (winds and long fetch). The presence of both sand and gravel, like on Puget Sound, is mainly a function of glacial sediment sources.
These small trees being eroded away just south of the lighthouse tell a story, but it's not a story I learned during my short visit!



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