The Great Lakes 1

The Great Lakes are one of the world’s youngest natural features. They consist of five large lakes, and they connect with each other by either tiny ducts or small rivers. These lakes are located in North America on the Canadian-American border. They are considered a symbol for the two countries. One of the interesting things about the lakes is that it can be seen easily and clearly from outer space. If you could stand on the moon, you could see the lakes and recognize the familiar wolf head shape of Lake Superior, or the mitten bounded by lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie.










The lakes cover over 94,000 square miles and drain more than twice as much land, so they are considered the largest body of fresh water in the world. 20%, one-fifth, of the world's fresh surface water is located in the great lakes. This freshwater holds about 6 quadrillion gallons of water; It is enough water to cover the contiguous 48 states.

The lakes and their formation:

These lakes were formed 10,000 years ago at the end of the ice age. When the glaciers had moved, they dug and carved large holes in the land that formed the shapes of the lakes. As the glaciers melted, the large amounts of fresh water filled the holes. The geological topographical terrain formed five main bodies of water. The first one which is the largest by volume and depth is Lake Superior, which occupies a larger area than Scotland or South Carolina. The second largest one by volume is Lake Michigan, and it is the third-largest one by area. The third one is Lake Huron, which is the third-largest by volume and the second largest in area. The fourth lake is Lake Erie which is the smallest one by volume and shallowest of all the great lakes. The fifth one is Lake Ontario, which is the second-smallest one in volume and in area, yet much lower elevation than the rest.