Great Lakes Facts
Lake Erie | Lake Ontario
- Largest of the Great Lakes, in fact, it could hold all of the water in the other Great Lakes plus three more the size of Lake Erie.
- Deepest of the Great Lakes with a depth of 1,332 feet.
- Coldest of the Great Lakes due to its great depth.
- Highest of the Great Lakes at 600 feet above sea level.
- The shoreline is generally very rocky and agates can be found on its beaches.
- Each year a small amount of water travels out of the lake and it takes almost two centuries for this water to be replaced.
- Duluth is located on the southwestern tip of Lake Superior which makes it the only international port that is located so deep within the United States borders.
- Taconite, which is used to produce steel, is a mined by cities inland. From there the ore is carried by freighter to different places around the world.
- Second largest of the Great Lakes with the longest shoreline.
- It is the fifth largest freshwater lake in the world.
- Lake Huron is connected to Lake Michigan at the Straits of Mackinac and to Lake Superior at the St. Mary's River.
- Large ships pass from Lake Superior into Lake Huron through the Sault St. Marie locks .
- The Georgian Bay and Saginaw Bay are the largest bays on the Great Lakes. In fact, the Georgian Bay was considered a separate lake by early explorers.
- Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are the same height above sea level.
- It takes 22 years for water to be replaced in Lake Huron.
- Huron was the first of the Great Lakes to be discovered by European explorers.
- Huron has many shipwrecks. Currently there are five bottomland preserves in Michigan and a national park in Ontario designated to protect the most historically significant ones.
- Third largest of the Great Lakes and the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world.
- It touches the borders of four states-Wisconsin, Illinois,Indiana and Michigan.
- The world's largest freshwater dunes can be found on Lake Michigan's shoreline.
- On the north, Lake Michigan is connected to Lake Huron at the Straits of Mackinac. Because of this, they are considered one lake hydrologically.
- Water circulates slowly in Lake Michigan before it leaves through the Straits of Mackinac. Because of this, it takes about 99 years before its water replaced.
- The smallest of the Great Lakes system
- This lake is actually not considered to be one of the "Great" lakes, however, it is part of the Lake Erie basin.
- A very shallow lake only averaging 10 feet deep with a maximum depth of only 21 feet.
- The northeastern portion of Lake St. Clair has an extensive delta system, the largest within the Great Lakes.
- The shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes and ranks fourth in size to the other Great Lakes.
- Being the most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, the Lake Erie walleye fishery is widely considered the best in the world.
- Ninety-five percent of Lake Erie's total inflow of water comes via the Detroit River from Superior, Michigan, Huron, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and many tributaries.
- The water levels of Lake Erie are prone to constant change..
- Lake Erie empties into the Niagara River and Welland Canal. The first Welland Canal was built in 1833 with wooden locks.
- Along the shore of Lake Erie lie the major cities of Cleveland, Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania.
- Water is replaced in the shortest amount of time in Lake Erie, only about 2.6 years.
- The smallest of the Great Lakes, but the 14th largest lake in the world.
- The Niagara falls were once an obstacle to navigation into the upper lakes until locks were built to allow ships to pass.
- Fort Niagara houses the oldest lighthouse on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes.
- Ontario ranks fourth among the Great Lakes in maximum depth, but its average depth is second only to Lake Superior.
- Toronto, one of Canada's largest cities lies on Lake Ontario.
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