Geology of Porcupine Mountains in Carp River and White Pine Quadrangles, Michigan

The Porcupine Mountains are the eroded remnants of the upper limb of an anticline that is faulted along most of its southern, overturned, limb. The exposed rocks include about 5,000 ft (1,525 m) of middle Keweenawan intermediate to mafic lava flows interbedded with subordinate lithic sedimentary rocks and also include about 3,000 ft (915 m) of overlying middle and upper Keweenawan sedimentary rocks. The sediments are derived from lower Keweenawan and older rocks. The structural relief is at least 8,000 ft (2,440 m) between the crest of the Porcupine Mountains anticline and the trough of the Iron River syncline about 5 mi (8 km) to the south. The reverse fault along the southern, overturned, limb of the anticline has a displacement of about 5,000 ft (1,525 m).