Editing Lower Peninsula of Michigan (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Michigan}}
{{Expand section|date=March 2009}}
The Lower Peninsula is bounded on the west by [[Lake Michigan]] and on the northeast by [[Lake Huron]], which connect at the [[Straits of Mackinac]]. In the southeast, the waterway consisting of the [[St. Clair River]], [[Lake Saint Clair (North America)|Lake St. Clair]], [[Detroit River]], and [[Lake Erie]] separates it from the province of [[Ontario, Canada|Ontario]], Canada. It is bounded on the south by the states of [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]]. This border is irregular: the border with Indiana was moved 10 miles northward from its territorial position to give Indiana more access to Lake Michigan,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/retracing-a-border-incites-tensions-between-indiana-michigan/article_1108d182-5331-11e4-a86b-3729dc093f46.html|title=Retracing a border incites tensions between Indiana, Michigan|last=Hayden|first=Maureen|website=News and Tribune|date=October 14, 2014 |language=en|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.in.gov/history/markers/401.htm|title=IHB: Indiana's Northern Boundary Line|website=www.in.gov|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> and its slightly angled border with Ohio was part of the compromise which ended the [[Toledo War]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/the-toledo-war-when-michigan-and-ohio-nearly-came-to-blows|title=The Toledo War: When Michigan and Ohio Nearly Came to Blows|last=Andrews|first=Evan|website=HISTORY|date=September 2018 |language=en|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> The Lower Peninsula is a part of the Great Lakes Plain, which include large parts of [[Wisconsin]] and Ohio.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Michigan Geography from NETSTATE |url=https://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |access-date=December 7, 2022 |website=www.netstate.com}}</ref>

At its widest points, the Lower Peninsula is {{convert|277|mi|km}} long from north to south and {{convert|195|mi|km}} from east to west. It contains nearly two-thirds of Michigan's total land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and [[glacial moraine]]s usually not more than a few hundred feet tall, most common in the north. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is not definitely established, but is either [[Briar Hill (Michigan)|Briar Hill]] at {{convert|1,705|ft|m}}, or one of several points nearby in the vicinity of [[Cadillac, Michigan|Cadillac]]. The lowest point is at the shore of Lake Erie at {{convert|571|ft|m}}. The western coast features extensive sandy beaches and dunes produced by Lake Michigan and the prevailing winds from the west. The relatively shallow [[Saginaw Bay]] is surrounded by a similarly shallow [[drainage basin]]. Several large river systems flow into the adjacent Great Lakes, including the [[Kalamazoo River|Kalamazoo]], [[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand]], [[Muskegon River|Muskegon]], and [[Manistee River|Manistee]] rivers (Lake Michigan), and the [[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable]] and [[Tittabawassee River|Tittabawassee]]–[[Shiawassee River|Shiawassee]]–[[Saginaw River|Saginaw]] rivers (Lake Huron). Because of the networks of rivers and numerous lakes, no point on land is more than {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from one of these bodies of water,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/entertainment/2017/05/michigan_water_facts.html|title=8 amazing water facts only Michiganders can brag about|last=Bingham|first=Emily|date=May 26, 2017|website=mlive|language=en|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> and at most {{convert|85|mi|km}} from one of the Great Lakes (near [[Lansing, Michigan|Lansing]]).<ref name=":0" />

===Flora and fauna===
[[Image:Michigan Basin 2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Geologic map of the Michigan Basin]]
The [[American Bird Conservancy]] and the [[National Audubon Society]] have designated several locations as internationally [[Important Bird Area]]s.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.michiganiba.blogspot.com/| publisher=Michigan Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program| date=February 28, 2010| title=Michigan's IBAs are online| access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref>

===Geology===

The Lower Peninsula is dominated by a [[structural basin|geological basin]] known as the [[Michigan Basin]]. That feature is represented by a nearly circular pattern of geologic [[Sedimentary rock|sedimentary]] [[Stratum|strata]] in the area with a nearly uniform structural [[Strike and dip|dip]] toward the center of the peninsula. The basin is centered in [[Gladwin County, Michigan|Gladwin County]] where the [[Precambrian]] [[basement rock]]s are {{convert|16000|ft|m}} deep. Around the margins, such as under [[Mackinaw City, Michigan]], the Precambrian surface is around {{convert|4000|ft|m}} down. This {{convert|4000|ft|m|adj=on}} contour on the bedrock clips the northern part of the lower peninsula and continues under [[Lake Michigan]] along the west. It crosses the southern counties of Michigan and continues on to the north beneath [[Lake Huron]].

=== Climate ===
Most monthly temperatures in the lower peninsula range from a low of 14 degrees to a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit.<ref name=":1" />