Lake Huron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lake Huron | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | Glacial |
| Primary sources | St. Marys River |
| Primary outflows | St. Clair River |
| Basin countries | Canada, USA |
| Max. length | 206 mi (332 km) |
| Max. width | 152 mi (245 km) |
| Surface area | 23,010 sq miles (59,596 km²)[1] |
| Average depth | 195 ft (59 m) |
| Max. depth | 750 feet (229 m)[1] |
| Water volume | 849 cu mi (3,540 km³) |
| Residence time (of lake water) | 22 years |
| Shore length1 | 3,825 mi (6,157 km) |
| Surface elevation | 577 feet (176 m)[1] |
| Islands | Manitoulin |
| Settlements | Bay City, Michigan Alpena, Michigan Cheboygan, Michigan St. Ignace, Michigan Port Huron, Michigan Goderich, Ontario Sarnia, Ontario |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Huron, bounded on the west by the state of Michigan, USA, and on the east by the province of Ontario, Canada, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it based on the Huron people inhabiting the region.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Lake Huron (44.8° N, 82.4° W) is the second-largest of the Great Lakes, with a surface area of 23,010 square miles (59,596 km²)—nearly the size of West Virginia, making it the third largest fresh water lake on earth (4th largest lake if the saline Caspian Sea is included). It contains a volume of 850 cubic miles (3,540 km³), and a shoreline length of 3,827 miles (6,157 km).
The surface of Lake Huron is 577 feet (176 m) above sea level. The lake's average depth is 195 feet (59 m), while the maximum depth is 750 feet (229 m). It has a length of 206 miles (332 km) and a breadth of 183 miles (245 km).
Major cities on Lake Huron include: Bay City, Michigan; Alpena, Michigan; Cheboygan, Michigan; St. Ignace, Michigan; Port Huron, Michigan; Goderich, Ontario; and Sarnia, Ontario.
A notable feature of the lake is Manitoulin Island, which separates the North Channel and Georgian Bay from Lake Huron's main body of water. It is the world's largest freshwater island.
[edit] Geology
Lake Huron is separated from Lake Michigan, which lies at the same level, and connects by the narrow Straits of Mackinac, making them geologically and hydrologically the same body of water (sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron). Lake Superior is slightly higher than both. It drains into the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie which then flows southward into Lake Huron. The water then flows south to the St. Clair River, at Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.
The Great Lakes Waterway continues thence to Lake St. Clair; the Detroit River and Detroit, Michigan; into Lake Erie and thence--via Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River--to the Atlantic Ocean.
Like the other Great Lakes, it was formed by melting ice as the continental glaciers retreated.
[edit] History
Since its French discoverers knew nothing as yet of the other lakes, they called it La Mer Douce, the fresh-water sea. A Sanson map in 1656 refers to the lake as Karegnondi.
Lake Huron was generally labeled "Lac des Hurons" (Lake of the Huron Indians) on most early maps.
[edit] Ecology
Lake Huron has a lake retention time of 22 years.
Major industries that drain into Lake Huron include: iron and steel mills, automobile manufacturing, heavy machinery, paper mills, metalworking, and shipbuilding. Lake Huron is home to a variety of fish and plant life, many of them being home to the other Great Lakes such as carp, chinook salmon, a variety of panfish, bass, pike, and catfish. Lake Huron along with the other great lakes have suffered recently due the introduction of various invasive species.
[edit] See also
- Georgian Bay
- Saginaw Bay
- Mackinac Island
- Thunder Bay
- Les Cheneaux Islands
- Drummond Island
- Sauble Beach
- Wasaga Beach
- Hurricane Huron
- Great Lakes Areas of Concern
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Wright, John W. (ed.); Editors and reporters of The New York Times (2006). The New York Times Almanac, 2007, New York, New York: Penguin Books, 64. ISBN 0-14-303820-6.
| This article does not cite any references or sources. (August 2006) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
[edit] External links
- Fish Species of Lake Huron
- Lake Huron Data
- EPA's Great Lakes Atlas
- Lake Huron Binational Partnership 2006-2008 Action Plan
- Michigan DNR map of Lake Huron
- Lake Huron GIS
| North American Great Lakes |
|---|
| Superior · Michigan · Huron · Erie · Ontario |
zh-min-nan:Huron Ô͘ cv:Гурон (кӳлĕ) cs:Huronské jezero da:Lake Huron de:Huronsee et:Huroni järv es:Lago Hurón eo:Hurona Lago eu:Huron Lakua fa:دریاچه هیوران fr:Lac Huron gl:Lago Huron ko:휴런 호 hi:ह्यूरॉन id:Danau Huron it:Lago Huron he:ימת יורון la:Lacus Huronorum lv:Hūrons lt:Huronas mk:Хјурон nl:Huronmeer ja:ヒューロン湖 no:Huronsjøen nn:Huronsjøen pl:Huron (jezioro) pt:Lago Huron qu:Huron qucha ru:Гурон (озеро) simple:Lake Huron sk:Hurónske jazero fi:Huronjärvi sv:Huronsjön vi:Hồ Huron tr:Huron Gölü uk:Гурон zh:休伦湖
