Michigan contains portions of two major physiographic provinces, or natural regions of the United States. They are the Central Lowland, a subdivision of the Interior Plains, and the Superior Upland, a subdivision of the Laurentian Upland. All of the Lower Peninsula and the eastern part of the Upper Peninsula belong to the Great Lakes section of the Central Lowland. Structurally most of this part of Michigan is a basin, which is sometimes referred to as the Michigan Basin. Flat plains, which mark the bottom of an Ice Age lake, surround the basin bordering the Great Lakes, especially in the east. The western margin of the Lower Peninsula is marked by an extensive area of sand dunes, which have been piled up by the prevailing westerly winds off Lake Michigan. The Lower Peninsula’s highest points are found in its northern section, where a tableland, capped by hills of glacial origin, ranges in elevation from 370 to 520 m (1,200 to 1,700 ft). Most of the rest of southern Michigan is level or gently rolling. The mean elevation above sea level of Michigan is about 270 m (900 ft).

The eastern half of the Upper Peninsula is also fairly level, but there are vast areas of swampland formed when glacial action hindered drainage of the area. Along its northern border, on the shore of Lake Superior, are sandstone tablelands, from which have been carved the Pictured Rocks, one of Michigan’s most interesting natural features. Moisture has released the chemicals embedded in this sandstone formation to color the rocks in hues of yellow, brown, green, and blue. Glacial, wind, and water action has eroded them into fantastic shapes.

Another pronounced feature of the Upper Peninsula is the Niagara Escarpment. Running along the southern edge of the peninsula’s eastern wing is a belt of limestone hills, which stand out because the weaker rocks of the surrounding area have been worn away through erosion. The Niagara Escarpment extends westward from New York, forming a continuous horseshoelike landform around Lakes Huron and Michigan. The many peninsulas and islands that lie between the basins of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay are exposed sections of the Niagara Escarpment, which generally rises to heights of 240 to 300 m (800 to 1,000 ft) in Michigan.

The Superior Upland, in the western portion of the Upper Peninsula, is a region of ancient and resistant Precambrian time rock. Repeated glacial invasions have removed much of the sedimentary deposits of sandstone and limestone, leaving granite, gneiss, and other igneous and metamorphic rock exposed. Streams are generally short with many rapids and falls, especially those that flow into Lake Superior. Lakes and swamps are abundant. Michigan’s most important copper ore-bearing region, the Keweenaw Peninsula, juts north into Lake Superior in the western part of the Upper Peninsula. The backbone of the Keweenaw Peninsula is formed by an extension of the Copper Range of Michigan and Wisconsin. The Huron Mountains and the Porcupine Mountains, containing the state’s highest elevation of 603 m (1,979 ft) atop Mount Arvon, lie south and west of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The iron-bearing Gogebic Range is also in the Superior Upland, as is the Menominee Iron Range.

Michigan has more than 11,000 lakes and about 5,300 km (3,300 mi) of coastline on four of the Great Lakes. The interior lakes vary greatly in size, ranging from small bodies of water to Houghton Lake, the state’s largest lake, 80 sq km (31 sq mi). Other large lakes are Torch, Gogebic, Burt, Black, Hubbard, Higgins, Charlevoix, Mullet, Portage, Crystal, and Manistique lakes.

The rivers lying within Michigan’s borders do not rank among the major river systems of the United States, although several, such as the Saginaw River of the Lower Peninsula, are navigable. In the Upper Peninsula the rivers tend to have rapids and waterfalls and are not useful for navigation. However, the navigable streams on Michigan’s borders, the Detroit, Saint Clair, and Saint Marys rivers, are vital links between Lakes Erie, Huron, and Superior. The major streams of the Lower Peninsula are the Au Sable and the Saginaw rivers, which flow into Lake Huron, and the Saint Joseph, Kalamazoo, Grand, Muskegon and Manistee rivers, which drain into Lake Michigan. In the Upper Peninsula the rivers flowing northward into Lake Superior are the Montréal, Ontonagon, and Tahquamenon, and the rivers emptying into Lake Michigan include the Menominee, Escanaba, and Manistique rivers.

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