Lake Michigan Eri Ontario area. Great Lakes (North America). Lake names. Great Lakes Group

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Water levels in the Great Lakes

Geography

The Great Lakes are not called the Great Lakes for nothing. These lakes are the largest accumulation of fresh water on Earth. They are interconnected by rivers and canals and therefore water flows from one to another. Lake Superior is second in size only to Victoria, and the smaller of the five, Ontario, is larger than Europe's largest Lake Ladoga. Their average depth, while not being very great, is nevertheless such that it exceeds the depth of the Baltic and North Seas. Lake Superior speaks for itself. This is the largest and deepest, as well as the largest lake in the world. It occupies more than 80 thousand square meters. km. Drains into Lake Huron via the St. Marys River. Huron- the second largest lake in the Great Lakes system and the third largest freshwater lake in the world, occupying about 60 thousand square meters. km. The Strait of Mackinac connects with Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River with Lake Erie. Michigan- the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world - 58 thousand square meters. km. The ship canal connects with the Mississippi system. Erie- the tenth largest freshwater lake in the world, with an area of approximately 26 thousand square meters. km. It is connected to Lake Ontario by the Niagara River and the Welland Canal, and by a navigable canal to the Hudson River. Ontario- the smallest largest lake in the Great Lakes system, with an area of \u200b\u200babout 20 thousand square meters. km. The Saint Lawrence River is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. Now the lakes are clear again. Previously, waste paper and other factories were thrown into them. Lake Erie was the first to surrender, it was overgrown with silt, many valuable fish disappeared. The government nevertheless came to its senses and allocated a large sum for the cleaning of the lakes. After that, posters could be seen in the USA: “Come to rest on Erie! It's clean again!" From all of the above, it is clear that the lakes are not only a huge accumulation of fresh water, but also very important objects for navigation and recreation.

The Great Lakes region includes not only five main lakes, but also numerous small lakes and rivers, as well as about 35 thousand islands.

Lake	Erie	Huron	Michigan	Ontario	Upper
Surface area	25,700 km²	59,600 km²	58,000 km²	19,500 km²	82,400 km²
Volume	480 km³	3540 km³	4900 km³	1640 km³	12,000 km³
Height above sea level	174 m	176 m	176 m	75 m	186 m
Average depth	19 m	59 m	85 m	86 m	147 m
Max Depth	64 m	230 m	281 m	246 m	406 m
Major settlements	Buffalo, New York Cleveland, Ohio Erie, Pennsylvania Toledo, Ohio	Sarnia, Ontario Port Huron, Michigan Bay City, Michigan	Chicago, Illinois Gary, Indiana Green Bay, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Hamilton, Ontario Kingston, Ontario Oshawa, Ontario Rochester, New York Toronto, Ontario Mississauga, Ontario	Duluth, Minnesota Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Thunder Bay, Ontario Marquette, Michigan

Transport

Shipping is developed on the Great Lakes. For cargo transportation, ships of a special design are used - the so-called "Lake trucks" or "lake trucks", which can reach 300 meters in length and are the largest non-marine ships in the world. Such a large length is due to the width restrictions that are imposed on ships when passing locks.

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See what the "Great Lakes" is in other dictionaries:

A group of lakes in the North. America; Canada, USA. Includes lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario (see these names). Their generalized English name is Great Lakes Great (large) lakes ... Geographic Encyclopedia

- (Great Lakes) system of lakes (Lake Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario) in the USA and Canada. 245.2 thousand km², water volume 22.7 thousand km³ the largest accumulation of fresh water on Earth. Stock on the river. St. Lawrence (from Lake Ontario) in the Atlantic approx. ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Coordinates: 45°00′00″ s. sh. 84°00′00″ W / 45° N sh. 84°W etc. ... Wikipedia

Great Lakes- a group of lakes in the North. America; Canada, USA. Includes lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario (see these names). Their generalizing English, the name Great Lakes Great (large) lakes, they are all among the world's largest fresh lakes ... Toponymic Dictionary

Great Lakes- (Great Lakes) Great Lakes, a group of five interconnected lakes in the center of North America, consists of lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. With the exception of Lake Michigan, which is entirely within the United States, the rest are located on ... ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

The African Great Lakes and the east coast of Africa from space. The African Great Lakes are several large lakes located in and around the East African Rift Valley. Includes Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in ... ... Wikipedia

Great Lakes- Great Lakes GREAT LAKES, a system of lakes (Lake Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario) in North America (USA, Canada). The area is 245.2 thousand km2, the volume of water is 22.7 thousand km3, the largest accumulation of fresh water in the Western Hemisphere. Runoff on the river ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

The Great Lakes of North America are a unique natural system consisting of five large lakes connected to each other by rivers and straits. What lakes are honored to be called great, what is the history of their occurrence, and where they are located, we will find out in this article.

General information

The Great Lakes are located on the territory of two states: Canada and the United States of America. They belong to the Atlantic Ocean basin, and the occupied area is 245.2 thousand square meters. km. with a volume of water 22671 cubic meters. km. This water system includes five major freshwater lakes and numerous very small lakes and rivers.

Rice. 1. Great lakes.

In terms of the size of the occupied area, the Great Lakes surpass even Lake Baikal by about 7.5 times. Despite this, Baikal holds a larger amount of water, which indicates the shallow depth of the Great Lakes. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 744 meters, and the depth of the North American Pearl is 147 meters.

The Great Lakes include:

Lake Superior;
Lake Huron;
Lake Michigan;
Lake Erie;
Lake Ontario.

All lakes are interconnected by rivers, canals and straits and together form a unique water system that exists only in North America.

Origin story

The Great Lakes system originates 12 thousand years ago, when the territory of modern North America was covered with ice. Under the influence of tectonic processes, depressions were formed - pits, which gradually filled with fresh water. Where did the water come from? The fact is that the climate gradually changed and the mainland became warmer. The ice melted, and the resulting water filled the depressions, thereby forming lakes.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it is located exclusively in the United States. All the other "big five" lakes occupy space in both the US and Canada. Scholars often do not separate Huron and Michigan into separate lakes, but treat them as a single entity. After all, they are on the same level and are connected by a deep strait.

In the language of the Indians who originally lived on these lands, the name mishigami is translated as "big water".

Lake Erie

Most of Lake Erie is located in the United States, in Canada it washes the shores of the province of Ontario. It is connected to Lake Ontario by the Niagara River. It is in the bed of this river that the world-famous Niagara Falls is located. Compared to the rest, the lake is not at all deep, the water in it warms up well, which contributes to the reproduction of many species of fish.

Lake Ontario

The last lake in the Great Lakes is Lake Ontario. It is the smallest in this water system. Its area is 20 thousand sq. km. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence River. Since the Atlantic Ocean is very close, the water in the lake almost never freezes.

One of the most beautiful corners of the continent is the area known as the Great Lakes of North America. It is located in the pool and is known almost all over the world as an incredibly beautiful place where nature is preserved intact. What kind of lakes are included there and how big are they? Are there other large water bodies of this type on the continent? Let's figure it out and find answers to all possible questions about these unique natural places of the North American continent.

Great Lakes Group

This unique natural conglomerate of reservoirs is located on the border of the territories of the United States of America and Canada. The definition is understood as a group of five main lakes, to which sometimes more modest ones are added. However, Upper, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario are always listed first. Sometimes in North America, St. Clair is also included. In addition, the basin includes the rivers - Niagara, St. Lawrence, St. Marys, Detroit. The waters in these places are characterized by minimal mineralization. More than one hundred and seventy species of fish from the families of trout, carp, perch, salmon, and whitefish live in the water area. In the south, the territory is surrounded by industrial areas, and in the north - by the region of the agrarian raw materials industry. In addition, cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit and Toronto are located on the banks.

The Great Lakes of North America are among the largest drainage systems, containing eighteen percent of the world's fresh water. Replenishment of the basin occurs with the help of precipitation, surface and underground currents.

upper lake

It is the largest freshwater reservoir on the continent. Included in the Great Lakes of North America, the Upper Lake is second in volume only to Baikal and Tanganyika. Eleven and a half thousand cubic kilometers provide the reservoir with a confident third place. The depth of the Upper Lake averages one hundred and forty-seven meters, and the maximum reaches four hundred and six. It is located between the USA and Canada. The coastline is four thousand three hundred and eighty seven kilometers long. All of it is indented with numerous bays and bays. The largest lake in North America is five hundred and sixty kilometers long and two hundred and sixty kilometers wide, which cannot fail to impress even those who are not too familiar with ordinary sizes. From the southern part it is surrounded by a plain. In the north - cliffs and rocks. The Saint Marys River connects the lake with Huron.

It is believed that the reservoir arose due to the movement of tectonic plates, in which deep faults arose, and then they were leveled by glaciers. One way or another, this is a unique place, which is rightfully considered a natural wonder of the world.

Huron

The lake, the location of which connects it with the group of the Great Ones, has been known to mankind for a very long time. Once upon a time, Indians lived here, by the name of whose tribe the reservoir was named. They farmed, fished and hunted. During colonization, these places attracted Europeans. The first to settle here were the French, who mapped the coastline. Woodworking factories began to appear near the lake and the search for minerals began. The Indians have practically disappeared from these parts. Huron has a surprisingly long coastline of six thousand one hundred and fifty six kilometers. On its territory there are many small islands.

Technological progress has changed the ecological system of the lake, many shellfish and fish have disappeared from the water, so the governments of Canada and the United States have developed a protective program.

Michigan

On the banks of this reservoir is one of the most famous cities in the United States - Chicago. The area of Lake Michigan is more than fifty-seven thousand kilometers. Americans liked the white beaches, reminiscent of the shores of the Atlantic, at the beginning of the last century, as a result, holidays here have become extremely popular. Despite its northern location, the reservoir is covered with ice for only four months of the year. Fishing is the most popular pastime here. Like North America's largest lake, the Great Lake, Michigan is full of a variety of salmon, groupers and carps. Their fishing is closely monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Another popular recreation is the beach. Forty kilometers of coastline accommodate twenty-eight urban recreational sites open for free.

Erie

The fourth in the Great system, the lake covers an area of twenty-five thousand seven hundred square kilometers. It is the thirteenth largest in the world. located in Canada and the United States, stretching from west to east. It washes the borders of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. From December to early April, Erie is hidden by ice. Numerous rivers flow into it - Detroit, Huron, Cuyahoga, Grand, Razin. Lake Erie surrounds several cities - Toledo, Buffalo, Cleveland, Monroe. The name of the reservoir is associated with local Indians - the Arielhonan tribe. Its average depth is nineteen meters, and the maximum is sixty-four.

Ontario

Listing the large lakes of North America, one cannot help but recall this. Its name is associated with the dialect of the local Indians and means "beautiful" in translation. In the Greater system, Ontario is the smallest, but its volume is even larger than that of Erie. The length of the coastline is just over a thousand kilometers. The maximum depth is two hundred and forty-four meters, and the average is eighty-six. Most of the water comes here from Niagara, the rest is delivered by the Humber, Oswego, Genesee rivers, as well as precipitation. There are several islands on the lake, the largest being Volka. You can only get to it by ferry.

Ontario almost never freezes over. On its banks are cities such as Toronto, Rochester, Hamilton, Kingston. Like many other large lakes in North America, Ontario boasts a large number of fish, a variety of animals, plants and birds.

St. Clair

The Great Lakes of North America listed above may also include this body of water. Lake St. Clair occupies one thousand one hundred and fourteen square kilometers. Its depth is noticeably inferior to others and even in the maximum version does not exceed eight meters. The main river bears the same name and links St. Clair with Huron. In addition, the Thames, Sydenham and Clinton flow into this. The Detroit River connects the lake to Erie. For the first time, Europeans found themselves on these shores in August 1679, on the day of St. Clare. In the southwest is Detroit, a city in the United States of America, and Windsor - it belongs to Canada. Goes straight across the lake

Manitou

Listing the lakes of North America, the list cannot be supplemented with this name. Manitou is a unique lake. It is located on Manitoulin Island. The island, in turn, is located in Lake Huron. Thus, Manitou ends up inside him. At the same time, he himself has impressive dimensions with a length of twenty kilometers and a width of six. An interesting fact is that Manitou also has islands. They also have lakes. The most complex system distinguishes this place from others. In addition, Manitou has incredibly salty water. Even those who decided to do it for the first time can lie down and swim. Around the lake is located which can be visited from May to October.

Nipigon

In the northwest of the province of Ontario, there is another reservoir associated with the Great Lakes system. This is Nipigon. The area of \u200b\u200bthe lake is almost five thousand kilometers, and the maximum depth is one hundred and sixty-five meters. The river of the same name flows from Nipigon, which flows into Lake Superior near the city of Thunder Bay. The area is famous for the many caribou deer living along the banks. Once the lake was much larger and was called Agassiz. The modern name is associated with the word "continuous water" used by the local inhabitants of the Ojibwe tribe. This is an ideal holiday destination perfect for fishermen - here you can catch pike, whitefish, trout or walleye. Fishing is controlled by special services of a commercial nature, so there is no need to be afraid of causing serious harm to the environment.

Nipissing

This lake is also located in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located above sea level - at an altitude of one hundred and ninety-five meters. Along the coastline there are small islands of alluvial origin. B occupies almost eighty kilometers, and thirty wide, with a maximum depth of fifty-two meters. The name translates as "little water" - the reservoir is the eleventh largest in the province. There are excellent conditions for the habitat of fish, of which more than forty species live here. The list includes pikes, perches, zanders, whitefishes. The largest city is North Bay. Nipissing was first seen by a French explorer in 1610, over the next two hundred years the lake acquired a transport significance, which means that people began to settle around it. When the Canadian Pacific Railway was built nearby, the population skyrocketed. Now about fifty thousand people live here. In addition, many tourists come here during the warm season. They are attracted here by national conservation parks: Manitou Islands, West Sandy Island, Mashkinonge and South Bay.

Other major lakes

It is worth mentioning a few more reservoirs that do not belong to the Great system, but are still worth a visit. For example, the Great Salt is the largest non-fresh body of water in the United States. This lake is located in Utah. Connoisseurs of extreme conditions can go to Alaska. There is Lake Iliamna. It is also interesting to look at the largest reservoir in the country, Oahe, which is located on the border of North and South Dakota. Another is located in Louisiana and is called Pontchartrain. In California, a body of water with similar properties is called the Salton Sea. Champlain, Rainy Lake and Lesnoe are located along the Canadian-American border - after getting to know them, you can also go to the Great Lakes, which are located very close, in the same province of Ontario or the state of New York.

The Great American Lakes are a system of freshwater lakes in North America, in the United States and Canada. It includes a number of large and medium-sized reservoirs connected by rivers and straits. The area is about 245.2 thousand km2, the volume of water is 22.7 thousand km3. The five largest lakes are the Great American Lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario. Tectonic processes have the greatest influence on the formation of lake basins. The mass of the glacier pushed through the earth's crust, and after the glacier melted, a slow reverse process began. Shipping and fishing are developed in the Great American Lakes. With the help of canals, a waterway for sea vessels with a length of about 3000 km was formed.

Lakes are one of the largest accumulations of fresh water on Earth, however, even taken all together, they are inferior to Lake Baikal in this indicator. The Great American Lakes are interconnected by rivers and canals, and therefore the water seems to flow from one to another.

Lake Superior is the largest and deepest lake in the American Great Lakes system. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world (82.7 thousand km2). The lake is located on the border of Canada and the United States. Lake Superior is located at an altitude of 183 m above sea level. The maximum depth is 406 m, the volume of water is 11.6 thousand km3. The coastline is indented, there are large bays - Kivino, Whitefish. In the north, the coasts are high (up to 400 m) and rocky, while in the south they are mostly low-lying and sandy.

Lake Huron - located east of Lake Michigan, connected to it by the Strait of Mackinac. The Huron area is about 59.6 thousand km2. The surface height above sea level is about 176 m, the depth is up to 229 m. The states of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario have access to the lake. Manitoulin is located on Huron - the largest island in the world, located in a fresh lake. The name of the lake, introduced by the French, comes from the name of the Huron Indian tribe.

Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is entirely within the United States. Located south of Lake Superior, connected to Lake Huron by the Mackinac Strait, to the Mississippi River system - the Chicago-Lockport Canal. The area of Michigan is about 57,750 km2, about 500 km long, and about 190 km wide. The surface height above sea level is 177 m, the depth is up to 281 m. It is covered with ice for about four months a year.

Lake Erie. With an area of 25,700 km2, Lake Erie ranks 13th in this parameter among the world's lakes (including the Caspian and Aral Seas). The lake washes the shores of the American states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. Numerous islands are located in the southwestern part of the lake. The water temperature varies from 0-2 degrees in winter to 24 degrees in summer. The coastal part freezes from December to March-April.

Lake Ontario is the lowest in the Great Lakes system.

The area is 19.5 thousand km².

Height above sea level - 75 m.

The length of the coastline is 1146 km.

Length - 311 km.

Width - 85 km.

Maximum depth - 244 m.

Average depth - 86 m.

The Niagara River flows into the lake, and the St. Lawrence River flows out. Shipping channels link Ontario with Lake Erie and the Hudson River. The lake is the 14th largest lake in the world. Ontario has developed shipping.

First of all, lakes are fresh water reserves, fishing, mining, transportation and sources of electricity. These lakes are an important source of water supply, it is no coincidence that large cities and industrial enterprises of the USA and Canada are located on their shores, the center of ferrous metallurgy, automotive, engineering, chemical industries -
Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto and others.

Water is used by more than 250 cities in which over 25 million people live. Approximately 18 billion liters of water are taken from the lakes every day. Canada has the largest reserves of fresh water.

The Great American Lakes are also of great interest in terms of fisheries. Although, in general, their productivity is low - 2.5 kg / ha. Commercial fish here are herring, whitefish, pike, American perch, lake trout.

In the lakes, muskrat and nutria, valuable fur animals, take root well. Their main food is aquatic plants, as well as forbs of coastal meadows. The muskrat is harmless for fishing, hunting and agriculture.

Clays, sand, gravel-pebble reflections also accumulate in the lakes, which are used as a building material and for the manufacture of expanded clay, bricks and concrete.

On the North American continent there is a beautiful corner of nature known as the Great Lakes. The basin of these reservoirs is considered one of the largest drainage systems on our planet. It occupies a rather impressive territory - 768 thousand km². It contains almost 18% of the world's fresh water! Information about where the Great Lakes are located, their origin and description can be found in this article.

History of occurrence

Scientists believe that about 12 thousand years ago there was an icy desert on the site of North America. The origin of the Great Lakes is associated with the formation of tectonic depressions, which were subsequently plowed and deepened by a giant glacier, slowly moving from north to south. Huge masses of ice crushed the soil, consisting mainly of soft sandstone and shale. They easily crushed mountains and moved huge blocks from their place, as a result of which even deeper depressions and moraines were formed. Thus, wide pits were formed, which, after the melting of glaciers, were gradually filled with water.

General information

This largest drainage system is located in North America, in the St. Lawrence River basin, on the border of two states - the United States and Canada. The Great Lakes are a group of the five largest bodies of water, which includes the Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario. The total length of their coastline is approximately 18 thousand km. They contain more than 22 thousand km³ of water, and their surface area is 245.3 thousand km². Lake Michigan is located in the United States. As for the rest of the reservoirs and the rivers connecting them, the border with Canada passes through them.

The Great Lakes system itself is special, as it is arranged in steps. The difference in the height of the placement of the Upper, Huron, Michigan and Erie is no more than 9 m. But as for the lake. Ontario, then it is almost 100 m lower than the rest. All of the above reservoirs are interconnected by small, but rather full-flowing rivers. So, Upper and Huron are connected via the St. Marys River 112 km long, and Ontario and Erie - through Niagara, which forms the world-famous waterfall of the same name, whose height is about 50 m. In addition, Huron is connected to Erie by the 43-kilometer St. Clair, and with Lake Michigan - the Strait of Mackinac, the width of which is at least 3 km.

Proximity of settlements

The Great Lakes (this is clearly visible on the map) are replenished by several hundred small streams, and the flow is carried out along the St. Lawrence River, which flows from Ontario directly into the Atlantic Ocean. These waters have very low mineralization - only up to 0.13 g/l. About 170 different species of fish are found in the system of these lakes, including salmon, perch, trout, carp, whitefish and many others.

It must be said that the Great Lakes region in the southern and southeastern parts is adjacent to the very densely populated and industrialized, and from the west and north - to the agrarian and raw materials territories of Canada and the United States. So, in the USA, on the banks of Michigan, there are two largest cities - Milwaukee and Chicago, near Erie - Cleveland and Buffalo, and near Ontario - Canadian Toronto. In addition, the lakes communicate with the Mississippi basin with the help of a whole system of navigable canals.

Upper

Lake Superior is the largest fresh water body in North America. In terms of the amount of fresh water, this giant ranks third after Russian Baikal and African Tanganyika. The average depth of the largest American lake is 147, and the maximum is 406 meters. It contains over 11 thousand km³ of water.

The northern shore of Lake Superior is located in the province of Ontario (Canada). The rest of the coast is located in the United States. The lands of Minnesota extend from its western part, Michigan from the south, and Wisconsin from the southwest. The total length of the coastline is 4387 km. The width of this freshwater giant reaches 260, and the length is 560 km. This reservoir is located at an altitude of 182 m above sea level.

It is worth noting that the coastline of Lake Superior is quite heavily indented by numerous bays and bays. The south coast has a flat landscape and sandy beaches. This picturesque place was chosen by the inhabitants of the North American continent, who tend to come here with their families on vacation. As for the northern coast, it consists entirely of rocks and cliffs.

All the Great American Lakes are fed by a large number of medium and small rivers. For example, approximately two hundred flows into the Upper, and the largest is the river. Nipigon. In addition, the lake has its own islands. The largest of them is Isle Royal, which is 72 km long and 14 km wide. Now on the territory of this island there is a national park connected to the mainland by ferries constantly running back and forth.

Huron

For some time now, some geographers have been trying to combine this lake with the third largest body of water - Michigan. Such attempts are explained by the fact that they are on the same level. These rather impressive water masses are very similar to two communicating vessels with similar characteristics. The Huron is the second largest body of water in the Great Lakes. It occupies an area of almost 6 thousand km². With regards to the volume of fresh water, it is inferior to Lake Michigan and amounts to 3.538 thousand km³. Huron is located 177 m above sea level.

The average depth of the lake does not exceed 60, and the maximum reaches 230 m. Its coastline is 6.157 thousand km, while the length is 332, and the width is 295 km. In the northern part of Huron is a large island called Manitoulin. It is considered the largest of all that are located in fresh water. Its area is 2.766 thousand km². In addition, people live on it. The population of this island is approximately 13 thousand people.

The Great Lakes of North America have always been famous for their large number of rare fish species. Over time, they began to breed in other fresh water bodies around the world. Take at least lake trout. She lives at a depth of 20 to 60 m. Unfortunately, in the mid-1950s, this species of fish was almost completely destroyed. And the point is not only in its excessive catch, but also in the appearance of the sea lamprey in the waters of Huron, which came here as a result of the opening of a new channel in 1925.

This lake is extremely famous, first of all, for the fact that frequent storms and storms arose on it, after which numerous ship cemeteries were formed. Judge for yourself, since the beginning of the 18th century, its waters have swallowed up more than one thousand ships! According to the documents, the first ship to sink was the Griffin. His downfall took place in September 1679. He was walking with a large load of furs. But the most widely known event is the Great Storm that hit the Great Lakes in 1913. It was a real hurricane, rampaging in the area for four days. Huron suffered the most from this element. In its waters, the elements found 36 ships, most of them washed ashore, but 10 ships sank along with their crews. The victims of the Great Storm were 235 sailors.

On Lake Huron there is a small bay of Saginay, located in the southwestern part of the reservoir. Here at the bottom rests 185 sunken ships. Another large ship graveyard is located near Manitoulin Island. 212 ships are buried there. Almost all of them were trucks carrying furs, grain or other goods, so the damage from their crashes amounted to more than one million dollars.

Michigan

This lake is the third largest freshwater body of water and, unlike its counterparts, located entirely within the United States. As mentioned above, all the Great Lakes of North America are located in steps. This reservoir is, like the Huron, 177 m above sea level. Its average depth is 85, and the maximum is 281 m. Lake Michigan occupies about 58 thousand km². Its coastline is 2636 km long, 190 km wide and 494 km long. Beaver is the largest island in Lake Michigan. Its length is 21, and its width is 10 km. It is part of the archipelago of the same name with many smaller islands.

Four states adjoin this reservoir: Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. About 12 million people live along the entire coastline. The largest coastal cities are Milwaukee and Chicago. Lake Michigan in the summer is very popular with vacationers. It is famous for its beaches with clean, soft and slightly creaking sand underfoot. It owes this feature to the high content of quartz. In addition, the formation of sand dunes has been observed along the Michigan coast. As for the local water temperature, it remains warm even at the end of summer.

From the north, lake shores are often covered with whole colonies of stones of coral origin. Often their surface is covered with rather original and peculiar patterns, which distinguishes these natural formations from the well-known ordinary pebbles. Almost the entire east coast of Lake Michigan is covered with rocks, while the south coast is covered with dunes. This feature can be explained by the predominance of westerly winds in these places. It is they who in winter contribute to the formation of a rather impressive layer of ice on the surface of the lake.

Erie

This is the fourth largest body of water, one of the five Great Lakes. It covers an area of 25.7 thousand km². Erie stretches for 388 km, and its width is a little over 90 km. This is the shallowest reservoir, the average depth of which is only 64 m. This lake is located on the territory of three US states - Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in the province of Ontario (Canada). Numerous islands are located in its southwestern part. There are several large cities along the coast of Erie, such as Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo and others.

As you know, the Great American Lakes together and separately are unique corners of nature. Eri was no exception. The climate here is really unusual. This is the so-called snow effect. It occurs due to the circulation of cold air masses in the winter months over warm lake water. Reaching Buffalo, he literally brings down a huge amount of snow on the city. The snow effect is a short-lived phenomenon that disappears when Erie freezes.

Ontario

Its area is 19.5 thousand km². It is the smallest of the Great Lakes. Its average depth is 86, and the maximum is 244 m. Despite its relatively small size, Ontario is the most important transport artery for both Canada and the United States. Due to its great depth, this lake never completely freezes over, so ships ply here all year round.

Since Ontario is located below all the Great Lakes, that is, only 75 m above sea level, a large number of locks have been equipped for convenient navigation, which have a limited width. This could lead to a significant reduction in the volume of freight traffic. To prevent this from happening, they developed the so-called lake trucks, which are the largest river vessels in the world, reaching a length of up to three hundred meters.

Ontario, like all of the above Great Lakes, has a special climate. The local conditions contribute to the successful development of agriculture, as the spring flowering of plants is delayed here, and ripened fruits, such as peaches, plums, apples and cherries, are stored until late autumn. Even on this coast, grapes grow well, from which they make a delicious and fragrant drink.

abuse

The large-scale and reckless use of these unique reservoirs in the United States and Canada could not but lead to rather serious socio-economic and environmental problems, and above all, to pollution of not only surface, but also groundwater.

Especially detrimental to the Great Lakes was the intensively developing economy of the United States after the Second World War. It was during this period that the unprecedented growth of American industry began. Industrial, domestic and other effluents poured into these water bodies without any treatment. The result of such actions was a sharp decrease in the oxygen content, and as a result, the mass death of fish.

By that time, the use and further disposal of toxic chlorine compounds and synthetic fertilizers had led to their entry into food products. By the end of the 60s of the last century, about 40% of all water systems in the United States became unsuitable for both fishing and bathing due to extreme pollution. Moreover, quite large volumes of toxic liquids fell into the Great Lakes. The United States has thus become the main cause of the ecological catastrophe in the area.

By the way, already in the 70s of the last century, Lake Erie turned out to be practically “dead” due to intensive discharges of the chemical industry. All this happened through the fault of enterprises that did not pay due attention to high-quality wastewater treatment. As a result, the waters of Lake Erie were oversaturated with phosphorus, causing excessive algal blooms and, as a result, a significant reduction in the fish population.

Ecological situation

Once on the shores of the largest freshwater lakes of the North American continent, many different animals lived, and their waters literally teemed with a variety of fish species. James Fenimore Cooper wrote about all this in great detail and fascinatingly in the not so distant past in his works Deerslayer and Pathfinder, or On the Shores of Ontario. Since then, herds of noble wild deer, thickets of dense deciduous forests have disappeared, and with them the Indian tribes. The American lakes themselves have become an ecologically unfavorable zone.

Despite the fact that the governments of the United States and Canada are making great efforts to protect the natural resources of the Great Lakes, yet this does not bring any significant changes for the better. As long as various enterprises of the metallurgical, chemical and oil refining industries exist near this water system, they will inevitably destroy the ecosystem of these unique reservoirs.