Doctor's Park

The elevation change from the parking lot to the beach is about 100 ft. As you walk down the path to the beach you should note the deep "V" shaped valley to the right (east of the trail). The V shape is a usual indicator of running water.

What could have formed this V shape?
Where is the running water that produced this valley?
When was there enough running water to produce this valley?

If you stand on one of the groins (piers) that jut out into the lake, you will get an over view of this beach.

The beach house that overlooks the lake is on an old lake terrace formed about 2000-3000 years ago when the lake was deeper. This is about 30 ft. above the present lake level.

The present beach is composed of sand washed from the till and partly held in place by the groins sticking out from the beach. These groins were placed here in the 1930's.

You should note that sand and gravel has collected along one side of the groin. If you are looking into the lake (east).

Take a closer look at the sediment that has collected near the shoreline.

What size is the sediment here?

What kind of wave energy will carry this size sediment?

Also look for photos with only sand.

This beach is also a good source for many igneous, and metamorphic rocks.

This beach is also a good source for magnetite rich sand. Collect it with a magnet.

The beach at Doctors Park is quite stable, that is, not much erosion takes place at the bluff. The beach house has been there since the 1930's. The beach is very gentle here and the water level never gets close to the bluff, so there is no cutting back at the base of the bluff. The park area is also well vegetated so the slopes are quite stable.

Although the major June storm of 1997 did produce a slump on the hillside as you walk from the parking lot.

However, if you look south you can see bluffs that are close to the water and places where they are attempting to stabilize the bluff. In the first location, there is evidence of mass wasting (slumping) where the metal fencing is bulging out.

Further to the south, there are concrete walls designed to keep the lake water from undercutting the slope.

What is likely to happen to the slope if the water undercuts it?

During the week of May 15, 2000, Milwaukee had several days of major rainfall. This resulted in some rapid changes along the shoreline. The most noticeable change at Drs Park was the erosion caused by running water flowing from the small stream into Lake Michigan. The series of beach and stream photos show how much the small stream eroded the beach.

A close up of the small stream area shows only large cobbles and stones which were left behind by the rushing water.

A close up of the stream scarp which is almost 3 ft high, shows interlayering of sand and pebbles. This records sediments put down when the water was deeper( pebbles) and when the water was lower (sand). This layering probably records 10's of years of deposition at most.

A look at the lake water after this storm shows that the near shore water is rather muddy. This is caused by high waves that churn up the bottom sediments during the storm. It will take several days for this fine grained sediment to settle out of the water again.

Return to Beginning of Virtual Field Trip

This site is a collabrative project between UWM and MPS.
Pictures for the site were taken on May 31, 2000 by UWM Professors Craig Berg, Bill Kean.
Captions by Craig Berg, Bill Kean. Page layouts by MPS TeachersAndi Winkle, Tim Melk and UWM Professor Craig Berg. Page coding by Tim Melk and Andi Winkle.

	The elevation change from the parking lot to the beach is about 100 ft. As you walk down the path to the beach you should note the deep "V" shaped valley to the right (east of the trail). The V shape is a usual indicator of running water. What could have formed this V shape? Where is the running water that produced this valley? When was there enough running water to produce this valley?
	If you stand on one of the groins (piers) that jut out into the lake, you will get an over view of this beach.
	The beach house that overlooks the lake is on an old lake terrace formed about 2000-3000 years ago when the lake was deeper. This is about 30 ft. above the present lake level.

	The beach at Doctors Park is quite stable, that is, not much erosion takes place at the bluff. The beach house has been there since the 1930's. The beach is very gentle here and the water level never gets close to the bluff, so there is no cutting back at the base of the bluff. The park area is also well vegetated so the slopes are quite stable.
	Although the major June storm of 1997 did produce a slump on the hillside as you walk from the parking lot.
	However, if you look south you can see bluffs that are close to the water and places where they are attempting to stabilize the bluff. In the first location, there is evidence of mass wasting (slumping) where the metal fencing is bulging out.
	Further to the south, there are concrete walls designed to keep the lake water from undercutting the slope. What is likely to happen to the slope if the water undercuts it?

	A close up of the small stream area shows only large cobbles and stones which were left behind by the rushing water.
	A close up of the stream scarp which is almost 3 ft high, shows interlayering of sand and pebbles. This records sediments put down when the water was deeper( pebbles) and when the water was lower (sand). This layering probably records 10's of years of deposition at most.
	A look at the lake water after this storm shows that the near shore water is rather muddy. This is caused by high waves that churn up the bottom sediments during the storm. It will take several days for this fine grained sediment to settle out of the water again.