Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction: Defining the state of Michigan / R.J. Schaetzl, R. Santer and L. Sommers -- Geology: introduction and overview / D. Brandt -- Michigan's earliest geology: the Precambrian / T.J. Bornhorst and D. Brandt -- Paleozoic environments and life / S. LoDuca -- The "lost interval": geology from the Permian to the Pliocene / M.A. Velbel -- Late quaternary history of the eastern mid-continent region, USA / G.J. Larson and K. Kincare -- The last 17,000 years of vegetation history / C.M. Hupy and C.H. Yansa -- Pleistocene fauna / J.A. Holman and D. Brandt -- Earthquakes / K. Fujita and N.H. Sleep -- Hydrocarbon resources / W. Harrison III -- Iron ores and iron mining / G. P. Merk -- Copper mining: a billion years of geologic and human history / T.J. Bornhorst and L.D. Lankton -- Evolution of the Great Lakes / K. Kincare and G.J. Larson -- The modern Great Lakes / T.R. Batterson -- Surface water resources / L. Wolfson -- Groundwater and Karst / D.P. Lusch -- The physical landscape: a glacial legacy / W.L. Blewett, D.P. Lusch and R.J. Schaetzl -- Sand dunes / A.F. Arbogast -- Weather and climate / J.A. Andresen and J.A. Winkler -- Soils / R.J. Schaetzl -- Plant geography / J.R. Harman -- Terrestrial game and nongame fauna / J. Gehring -- Aquatic fauna / R. Goforth --

Isle Royale / J. Battle, J. Anderson and R. Schaetzl -- Between the glaciers and Europeans: people from 12,000 to 400 years ago / W.A. Lovis -- Native Americans / G.L. Cornell -- The settlement experience / K.E. Lewis -- The United States public land survey system / M.O. Thomas -- Land-use and land-cover / B. Welsh, D. Brown and J. Messina -- Iron and steel / K. Patrick -- The auto industry and the manufacturing sector / A.J. Jacobs -- Urban settlements: suburbanization and the future / I. Vojnovic -- Race matters in metropolitan Detroit / J.T. Darden -- Demographic and economic characteristics / R. Groop -- Tourism and recreation / S. Nicholls -- Field crops / D.R. Christenson, D.D. Warncke, J.E. McCarthy, D.K. Beede, D.W. Rozeboom, and A.G. Sollman -- Vegetable and specialty crops / D.D. Warncke and D.R. Christenson -- The fruit industry / J. Hull and E. Hanson -- Grape and wine production / T.J. Zabadal -- Forests and forestry from an historical perspective / D.I. Dickmann -- Forests and forestry from a contemporary perspective / L.A. Leefers -- Appendix A. Oblique views of recognizable regions in Michigan -- Appendix B. Color plates.