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Political Map of the Great Lakes Region showing the U.S. states and Canadian provinces that border the lakes. The international boundary between the United States and Canada is also shown on the map - note how it crosses the lakes. The names of the five Great Lakes are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
- 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.
Britannica Quiz
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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Sep 26, 2021 · The Great Lakes serve as a natural border between the United States and Canada and touch the US States of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois as well as the Canadian province of Ontario.
- Diptarka Ghosh
The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian – American region centered around the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario.
- Maine. The US state of Maine shares a 611-mile (983 km) long border with Quebec and New Brunswick, the third longest state boundary with Canada. Between 1838 and 1839, Maine and New Brunswick engaged in territorial disputes over the boundary.
- New Hampshire. New Hampshire shares a 58 mile (93 km) long border with Quebec. However, there is only one border crossing located at the terminals of the U.S. Route 3 in the town of Pittsburgh.
- Vermont. Vermont and Quebec share a 90 mile (145 km) long boundary. The Treaty of Paris established the boundary, but the Webster–Ashburton Treaty redefined it.
- New York. New York State shares a 445-mile (716 km) long boundary with Ontario and Quebec. The Treaty of Paris established the boundary in 1783 while the Webster–Ashburton Treaty 1842 revised the borderline.
Located in central North America, it is the northernmost and westernmost of the Great Lakes of North America, straddling the Canada–United States border with the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and east and the U.S. states of Minnesota to the west and Michigan and Wisconsin to the south.
4 days ago · The Great Lakes region consists of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the United States, and Ontario and Quebec in Canada. The interconnected freshwater bodies known as the Great Lakes are surrounded by these states and provinces.
