Lake Huron | |
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Lake Huron shorelines
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Map of Lake Huron and the other Great Lakes
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Location | North America |
Group | Great Lakes |
Coordinates | 44°48′N 82°24′W / 44.8°N 82.4°WCoordinates: 44°48′N 82°24′W / 44.8°N 82.4°W |
Lake type | Glacial |
Primary inflows | Straits of Mackinac, St. Marys River |
Primary outflows | St. Clair River |
Catchment area | 51,700 sq mi (134,100 km2) |
Basin countries | United States, Canada |
Max. length | 206 mi (332 km) |
Max. width | 183 mi (295 km) |
Surface area | 23,007 sq mi (59,588 km2) |
Average depth | 195 ft (59 m) |
Max. depth | 750 ft (229 m) |
Water volume | 850 cu mi (3,543 km3) |
Residence time | 22 years |
Shore length1 | 1,850 mi (2,980 km) plus 1,980 mi (3,190 km) for islands |
Surface elevation | 577 ft (176 m) |
Islands | Manitoulin |
Sections/sub-basins | Georgian Bay, North Channel |
Settlements | Bay City, Alpena, Cheboygan, St. Ignace, Port Huron in Michigan; Goderich, Sarnia in Ontario |
References | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lake Huron (French: Lac Huron) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as its westerly counterpart, to which it is connected by the 5-mile-wide (8.0 km), 20-fathom-deep (120 ft; 37 m) Straits of Mackinac. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the state of Michigan in the United States. The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it for the Huron people inhabiting the region. The Huronian glaciation was named due to evidence collected from Lake Huron region. The northern parts of the lake include the North Channel and Georgian Bay. Across the lake to the southwest is Saginaw Bay. The main inlet is the St. Marys River and the main outlet is the St. Clair.
By surface area, Lake Huron is the second-largest of the Great Lakes, with a surface area of 23,007 square miles (59,590 km2) — of which 9,103 square miles (23,580 km2) lies in Michigan; and 13,904 square miles (36,010 km2) lies in Ontario — making it the third-largest fresh water lake on Earth (and the fourth-largest lake, if the Caspian Sea is counted as a lake). By volume however, Lake Huron is only the third largest of the Great Lakes, being surpassed by Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. When measured at the low water datum, the lake contains a volume of 850 cubic miles (3,500 km3) and a shoreline length (including islands) of 3,827 mi (6,159 km).