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The five lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, and they are in general on or near the Canada–United States border. Hydrologically, Michigan and Huron are a single body of water joined at the Straits of Mackinac. The Great Lakes Waterway enables modern travel and shipping by water among the lakes.
- 60–480 ft (18–146 m) depending on the lakes
- 5,439 cubic miles (22,671 km³) (lowest)
- 210–1,300 ft (64–396 m) depending on the lakes
- Eastern North America
The names of the five Great Lakes are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. To easily remember their names, think of the word HOMES - it is made up of the first letter of each lake. ADVERTISEMENT. Winter Satellite Image of the Great Lakes Region showing the lakes with significant ice cover.
- Overview
- Geology
The Great Lakes are a chain of deep freshwater lakes in east-central North America comprising the lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
How were the Great Lakes of North America formed?
The present configuration of the Great Lakes basin is the result of the movement of massive glaciers through North America, a process that began about one million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. The glaciers undoubtedly scoured existing valleys, widening and deepening them and radically changing the drainage of the area.
Which of the Great Lakes is the largest?
Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is also one of the world’s largest bodies of fresh water. It is 350 miles (563 km) long (east to west), and at its greatest width it is 160 miles (258 km) from north to south.
Where does water in the Great Lakes originate?
The age of the Great Lakes is still not definitely determined. Estimates range from 7,000 to 32,000 years of age. Water began filling the glacially scoured basins as soon as the ice receded, some 14,000 years ago. It is generally accepted that Lake Erie reached its present level about 10,000 years ago, Lake Ontario about 7,000 years ago, and Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior some 3,000 years ago.
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Unknown Waters
The present configuration of the Great Lakes basin is the result of the movement of massive glaciers through the mid-continent, a process that began about one million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. Studies in the Lake Superior region indicate that a river system and valleys formed by water erosion existed before the Ice Age. The glaciers undoubtedly scoured these valleys, widening and deepening them and radically changing the drainage of the area.
The last glaciation in North America is called the Wisconsin Glacial Stage because it left many fresh landforms and sediments in that state. As the ice sheet melted and receded about 14,000 years ago, the first segments of the Great Lakes were created. Lake Chicago, in what is now the southern Lake Michigan basin, and Lake Maumee, in present-day western Lake Erie and its adjacent lowlands, originally drained southward into the Mississippi River through the Illinois and Wabash drainages, respectively. As the ice retreat continued, Lake Maumee was drained into Lake Chicago through a valley that now contains the Grand River in Michigan. Eventually, drainage to the east and into the Atlantic Ocean was established, at one time down the valleys of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers and then along the course of the upper St. Lawrence River. At one high-water stage, the waters of the Huron and Michigan basin formed one large lake—Lake Algonquin. At the same time, Lake Duluth, in the western Lake Superior basin, also drained to the Mississippi.
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Jun 30, 2017 · The Great Lakes — Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Erie — make up the largest body of fresh water on Earth, accounting for one-fifth of the freshwater surface on the planet at 6...
- Kim Ann Zimmermann
May 16, 2021 · The five lakes, Lake Superio r, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie, span across Canada and the United States and form the largest body of fresh water on the planet. Collectively, the Great Lakes occupy an area of 244,106 km 2 and hold about 22,671 km 3 of water.
- Diptarka Ghosh
Nov 12, 2023 · The Great Lakes of North America are five large interconnected lakes in USA and Canada. The five lakes are – Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. One of the largest freshwater ecosystems on Earth, the Great lakes of North America are glacial lakes that were formed when the melting glaciers filled the ...
The Great Lakes are five large lakes in east-central North America. They hold 21% of the world's surface fresh water. [1] The five lakes are: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario . Geography. Great Lakes: system profile. Four of the Great Lakes are on the border between Canada and the United States of America.