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A map of the Great Lakes Basin showing the five sub-basins. Left to right they are: Superior (magenta); Michigan (cyan); Huron (green); Erie (yellow); Ontario (red). Though the five lakes lie in separate basins, they form a single, naturally interconnected body of fresh water, within the Great Lakes Basin. As a chain of lakes and ...
Explore the geography and features of the Great Lakes with various maps, including political, satellite, bathymetry and temperature. Learn about the lakes' names, size, depth, islands, shipping, and more.
- 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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16. Mai 2021 · Learn about the five interconnected freshwater lakes in North America, their formation, climate, wildlife, and human settlements. See a map of the Great Lakes region and its islands, peninsulas, and rivers.
- Diptarka Ghosh
1. Jan. 2024 · Explore the five interconnected lakes that form the largest freshwater system in the world. Download free maps of Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario with detailed, physical, and simple options.
7. Dez. 2020 · Explore the geography, hydrology, and ecology of the Great Lakes, the most extensive freshwater system in the world. See maps of the lakes, their watersheds, islands, depths, volumes, and more.
7. Nov. 2023 · Find lakes, cities, towns, states, rivers and roads in the Great Lakes area on this map. You can download, print or use the map for educational, personal and non-commercial purposes with attribution.
