DNR to hold April 17 public meetings regarding Keweenaw Land Association direct metallic minerals lease applications

Map showing Baraga, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette and Menominee counties in the Upper Peninsula, where Keweenaw Land Association has requested direct metallic mineral leases from the State of Michigan covering Department of Natural Resources (DNR) metallic mineral rights. Click here for a larger map.

Approximately 10,631.43 acres of metallic minerals lease rights in Baraga, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette and Menominee counties have been requested by Keweenaw Land Association, Limited. Detailed parcel information including maps and classifications can be found at https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/minerals/metallic. If approved by DNR, a lease to Keweenaw Land Association, Limited, would grant the exclusive right to explore for the presence of metallic minerals in the described areas. A lease alone does not grant a lessee a right to mine.

Virtual Meeting and Registration Link

The DNR Minerals Management Section will hold duplicate virtual informational public meetings regarding the lease application on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, from 11 a.m. to Noon and from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., EDT. Interested parties may join either meeting by going to https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/75b549a3-2ae7-44c8-953a-39bcbd8b6864@d5fb7087-3777-42ad-966a-892ef47225d1. The meetings will be recorded, and the recordings will be made available at Michigan.gov/Minerals.

Registration is required to provide public comment during the meetings. Anyone wishing to participate in the public comment portion of the meetings will be allowed two minutes to speak.

Phone-in option

If you do not wish to register or do not have internet access, please use the phone option by dialing 1-248-509-0316 and using access code 209-806-381#.

Written questions

During the meetings a panel will respond to written questions from the public regarding the lease application.

Questions may be submitted to:

    DNR, Minerals Management Section
    P.O. Box 30452
    Lansing, MI 48909
    Or via email to DNR-LeaseManagement@michigan.gov. Subject line should read: Keweenaw Land Association, Limited.

Written questions received by April 5 will be addressed during the meetings; questions received after April 5 will be answered via email.

Visit the metallic lease webpage to learn more about State of Michigan minerals leasing. 

NOTE:

A DNR Mineral Lease Strategizing Session will be held via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, April 15, for those who wish to comment at the April 17th DNR meetings. Kathleen Heideman of UPEC's Mining Action Group and others will  be brainstorming the most impactful way to make voices heard at the meetings. Everyone is welcome, no need to be a Michigan resident! If interested, please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcuiorjIrGtVcTK79ZwtLjKD4-tLm6xA4?fbclid=IwAR0epc0VMSA0VAb3Zf9d68sLB-AsA0lygkXlWKaG0tGdVvqs-IT6ZThTtCM_aem_ARs65fmy_XAYhAbMMX0pGgWAY3Z_1SLROQ9S5jnzOiZlvXDXQaxVzGAvfOovXIYwBtHZIOv1t82Ey3tKuLDYm83_#/registration

Guest article: Announcing the "Mineralogy of Michigan Update" by Dr. George W. Robinson and Shawn M. Carlson

By Shawn M. Carlson*

Cubanite crystal, a copper-iron sulfide mineral, from Marquette County, Michigan. (Photo by D. John A. Jaszczak and courtesy Shawn M. Carlson)

What different types of minerals can be found in Michigan? Which of them are ore minerals, open to potential development by mining companies? Does Michigan have any toxic or radioactive minerals, and where might they be located? And where are the best locations to seek out gemstones and other collectibles such as agates, datolite, and Michigan greenstone? These were the questions that University of Michigan mineralogist E. Wm. Heinrich attempted to answer in his classic 1976 monograph, The Mineralogy of Michigan.  Published as "bulletin 6" by the Department of Natural Resources, Geology Survey Division, this book contained a brief discussion of the various types of mineral deposits known in Michigan, followed by an alphabetical listing of mineral species, along with their locations. It was the first attempt in our state’s history to assemble a complete listing of all minerals known to exist in Michigan.

In 2004, being mindful that nearly three decades had passed since Heinrich’s compilation, a second edition of the Mineralogy of Michigan was published, this time by Dr. George W. Robinson, mineralogy professor at Michigan Technological University and curator of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum. This version significantly expanded upon the number of mineral species known to occur in Michigan; and it included a discussion of the discovery of diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes and the intense exploration pressure in the 1980s and 1990s to develop a gem diamond mine in the Upper Peninsula -- an intriguing and somewhat clandestine chapter in the history of Michigan mineral exploration that had not yet unfolded at the time of Heinrich’s 1976 monograph.

Gem diamond crystal from Michigan. (Photo by Torrie Chartier and courtesy Shawn M. Carlson)

Due in part to the current high level of public interest in Michigan mineral exploration and new mining ventures, a third version of the Mineralogy of Michigan has just been released, again written by Dr. George W. Robinson, in collaboration with industry mineralogist Shawn M. Carlson. This work is an attempt to list all new and important mineral discoveries made in Michigan since the 2004 second edition, including finds made by mining and mineral exploration companies, scientific researchers, students, and hobby mineral collectors. Of particular note, this version contains updated information on
mercury and selenium minerals, uranium species, and minerals formed by acid mine drainage -- as well new locations for amethyst, topaz, tourmaline, and many other species of interest to the collector and lapidary community. The document is available on the Michigan Tech website at museum.mtu.edu/news/museum_news.htm.

Echoing the spirit of Heinrich’s 1976 monograph, it is hoped that this latest version will be of interest and use to professional earth scientists and beachcombers alike.

* Editor's Note: Guest author Shawn M. Carlson, of Crystal Falls, Mich., is an industry mineralogist and the co-author, with Dr. George W. Robinson, of the 2013 Mineralogy of Michigan Update.