Where Do Michigan’s Puddingstones Come From? Here’s the Source
If you dig nature, especially walking along the shores of our Great Lakes and northern islands, you may possibly have discovered a puddingstone.
Puddingstones are white or gray rocks with specks of red jasper and other stones embedded into it. Over thousands of years, these rocks were formed by sand with miniature rocks and stones – colored and otherwise – that became embedded into the soft sand, turned to sandstone, and, through thousands of years of heat and pressure, turned into quartzite.
Why is it called ‘puddingstone’? When the British found this rock, they thought it resembled one of their favorite dishes: suet pudding, which contained raisins and bits of fruit.
Puddingstones are found in Michigan more than any other state...but where did they come from in the first place? Ontario, Canada. According to project.geo.msu.edu, “these rocks originally formed in what is now Canada around 2.3 billion years ago and were carried to Michigan in the till of the Laurentide glacier which covered the state approximately 24,000 years ago.”
There are many, many puddingstone collectors, and you can also buy them made into jewelry, decorations, novelty items, ornaments, and other different variations. Take a look at the gallery below, as the crew from Michigan Rocks shows us the Canadian location where most of Michigan's puddingstones originated! Also included are photos of awesome puddingstones that were found at the bottom of a gravel pit...
Puddingstones, and Where They Come From
MORE STUFF:
Polished Rocks From The Great Lakes
Chunk of Pictured Rocks Breaks Off by Pontooners
Abandoned Stone Building in Bay Shore