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Lake Michigan–Huron: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 45°48′50″N 84°45′14″W / 45.814°N 84.754°W / 45.814; -84.754
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| cities = [[Milwaukee]], [[Chicago]], [[Cheboygan, Michigan|Cheboygan]], [[Port Huron, Michigan|Port Huron]]
| cities = [[Milwaukee]], [[Chicago]], [[Cheboygan, Michigan|Cheboygan]], [[Port Huron, Michigan|Port Huron]]
}}
}}
'''Lake Michigan–Huron''', sometimes '''Lake Huron–Michigan''', is, geologically, the [[List of lakes by area|largest lake]] in the world and the largest of the North American [[Great Lakes]]. Traditionally considered to be two separate lakes, [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Huron]], it is a single body of water connected at the [[Straits of Mackinac]].
'''Lake Michigan–Huron''', sometimes '''Lake Huron–Michigan''', is, geologically, the [[List of lakes by area|largest freshwater lake]] in the world and the largest of the North American [[Great Lakes]]. Traditionally considered to be two separate lakes, [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Huron]], it is a single body of water connected at the [[Straits of Mackinac]].


The [[Royal Canadian Geographical Society]] states, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan-Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref name=CG>''Canadian Geographic'', 2004, 124:96.</ref> {{#tag:ref|Similarly, the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] states, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac."<ref>Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "[http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/glscf/hydrology.html Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models]." NOAA, 2006.</ref>|group="nb"}} The straits are {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} wide and {{convert|120|ft|m}} deep,<ref>"[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001804.html Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two]?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.</ref> small in comparison to the body of water as a whole. Lakes Huron and Michigan lie at the same elevation, {{convert|577|ft|m|0}}, rise and fall together, and the flow of water between them at times reverses from eastward to westward.{{#tag:ref|According to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref>U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "[http://www.edisonsault.com/CustServ/USACOE%20LS%20WATER%208%2007.pdf Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior]." August 2007.</ref>|group="nb"}}
The [[Royal Canadian Geographical Society]] states, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan-Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref name=CG>''Canadian Geographic'', 2004, 124:96.</ref> {{#tag:ref|Similarly, the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] states, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac."<ref>Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "[http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/glscf/hydrology.html Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models]." NOAA, 2006.</ref>|group="nb"}} The straits are {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} wide and {{convert|120|ft|m}} deep,<ref>"[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001804.html Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two]?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.</ref> small in comparison to the body of water as a whole. Lakes Huron and Michigan lie at the same elevation, {{convert|577|ft|m|0}}, rise and fall together, and the flow of water between them at times reverses from eastward to westward.{{#tag:ref|According to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac."<ref>U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "[http://www.edisonsault.com/CustServ/USACOE%20LS%20WATER%208%2007.pdf Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior]." August 2007.</ref>|group="nb"}}

Revision as of 11:46, 29 July 2012

Lake Michigan–Huron
Map highlighting Lake Michigan–Huron.
LocationUnited States, Canada
GroupGreat Lakes
Coordinates45°48′50″N 84°45′14″W / 45.814°N 84.754°W / 45.814; -84.754
TypeGlacial
Primary inflowsSt. Marys River
Primary outflowsSt. Clair River
Basin countriesUnited States, Canada
Surface area45,410 sq mi (117,600 km2)
Max. depth922 ft (281 m)
Water volume2,029 cu mi (8,460 km3)
Residence time100 years
Shore length15,463 mi (8,792 km)
Surface elevation577 ft (176 m)
SettlementsMilwaukee, Chicago, Cheboygan, Port Huron
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Michigan–Huron, sometimes Lake Huron–Michigan, is, geologically, the largest freshwater lake in the world and the largest of the North American Great Lakes. Traditionally considered to be two separate lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, it is a single body of water connected at the Straits of Mackinac.

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society states, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan-Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac."[1] [nb 1] The straits are 5 miles (8 km) wide and 120 feet (37 m) deep,[3] small in comparison to the body of water as a whole. Lakes Huron and Michigan lie at the same elevation, 577 feet (176 m), rise and fall together, and the flow of water between them at times reverses from eastward to westward.[nb 2]

At 45,410 square miles (117,600 km2), Lake Michigan–Huron is 48% of the total surface area of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior holds more water, 3,000 cubic miles (12,500 km3) compared to Michigan–Huron's 2,000 cubic miles (8,300 km3), which makes Michigan–Huron the fourth largest lake by volume in the world after lakes Baikal, Tanganyika, and Superior.

During the last ice age, what is now Huron–Michigan was indeed two lakes, with what is now Lake Huron (known to geologists as Lake Stanley) separate from what is now Lake Michigan (Lake Chippewa). Before that Lake Chicago occupied the southern tip of the Lake Michigan basin, at the southern extent of the glaciers.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Similarly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac."[2]
  2. ^ According to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac."[4]

References

  1. ^ Canadian Geographic, 2004, 124:96.
  2. ^ Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. "Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models." NOAA, 2006.
  3. ^ "Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two?" Pearson Education, Inc: Information Please Database, 2007.
  4. ^ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior." August 2007.
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