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Lake Superior
*** Shopping-Tip: Lake Superior
Image:DSCN4831 lakesuperiorbeach e.jpg 200px|right|thumb|Lake Superior, viewed from [[Au Train Bay in
Alger County, Michigan]]
'''Lake Superior''' (known as ''Gichigami'' in an
Ojibwa Ojibwe Ojibwe language language), bounded by
Ontario and
Minnesota to the north and
Wisconsin and
Michigan in the south, is the largest of
North America's
Great Lakes.
Name
In the
Ojibwa Ojibwe Ojibwe language language, the lake is called "Gichigami" ("big water"), but it is better known as "Gitche Gumee" as recorded by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in
The Song of Hiawatha.
Lake Superior is also immortalized in the "The Wreck of the
Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot.
The lake was named ''Lac Supérieur'' by
French people French explorers because it was the furthest north of all the Great Lakes.
Geography
Image:Great Lakes Lake Superior.png thumb|left|200px|Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes
Lake Superior is the largest
Fresh water freshwater lake in the world by surface area with
Lake Baikal in
Siberia larger by volume (
Lake Tanganyika in central
Africa is estimated to contain a volume of
1 E13 m³ 18,900 km³, and the
Caspian Sea while larger, contains salt water.)
Lake Superior (48°00’N, 88°00’W) has a surface area of 31,700 sq. mi. (
1 E10 m² 82,100 square kilometre km²)--which is larger than
South Carolina. It has a maximum length of 350 mi (563 km) and maximum breadth of 160 mi (257 km). Its average depth is 483 ft (147 m) with a maximum depth of 1,332 ft (406 m). Lake Superior contains
1 E12 m³ 2,935 cubic mi (12,232 cubic km) of water. The shoreline of the lake stretches 2,726 miles (4385 km) (including islands). The lake's elevation is 602 ft (183 m) above sea level.
The lake is fed by over 200 rivers. The largest include the
Nipigon River, the
Saint Louis River St. Louis River, the
Pigeon River (Minnesota-Ontario) Pigeon River, the
Pic River, the
White River (Ontario) White River, the
Michipicoten River and the
Kaministiquia River. Lake Superior drains into
Lake Huron by the
St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario) St. Marys River. The rapids on the river necessitate the
Soo Locks Sault Locks (pronounced "soo"), a part of the
Great Lakes Waterway, to move boats over the 25 foot height difference from Lake Huron.
The largest island in Lake Superior is
Isle Royale.
The larger towns on Lake Superior include: the twin ports of
Duluth, Minnesota and
Superior, Wisconsin;
Thunder Bay, Ontario;
Marquette, Michigan;
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; and
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Among the scenic places on the lake are: the
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore;
Isle Royale National Park;
Pukaskwa National Park;
Lake Superior Provincial Park;
Grand Island National Recreation Area; and
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Geology
The land surrounding the lake in Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan has proved to be rich in
minerals.
Copper,
iron,
silver,
gold and
nickel are or were the most frequently
mining mined. Many
towns are either current or former mining areas, or engaged in processing or shipment. The sparsely populated Lake Superior country with its rugged shorelines and
wilderness attract
tourists and
adventurers, making
tourism a large modern
industry.
Lake Superior is an important shipment route for iron ore and is part of the
Great Lakes Waterway.
Water levels, including diversions of water from the
Hudson Bay watershed, are governed by the
International Lake Superior Board of Control which was established in 1914 by the
International Joint Commission.
History
The
Anishinaabe Anishinabe, also known as the
Ojibwe or
Chippewa, have inhabited the Lake Superior region for over five hundred years, and were preceded by the
Lakota Dakota,
Fox (tribe) Fox,
Menominee, Nipigon, Noquet,
Wyandot and
Gros Ventres.
According to an old sailor's tale, Lake Superior never gives up her dead. This is due to the temperature of the water. Normally bacteria feeding off a sunken decaying body will generate gas inside the body, causing it to float to the surface after a few days. The water in Lake Superior however, is cold enough year-round to inhibit bacterial growth, meaning bodies tend to sink and never surface.
The last major shipwreck on Lake Superior was that of the
SS Edmund Fitzgerald in
1975.
American
Limnology limnologist J. Val Klump was the first person to reach the lowest depth of Lake Superior on
July 30,
1985 as part of a scientific expedition.
Ecology
Although part of a single system, each lake is different. In volume, Lake Superior is the largest. It is also the deepest and coldest of the five. Superior could contain all the other Great Lakes and three more Lake Eries. Because of its size, Superior has a retention time of 191 years.
External links
-
International Lake Superior Board of Control
-
EPA's Great Lakes Atlas
{{greatlakes}}
Category:Great Lakes Superior, Lake
Category:Lakes of Ontario Superior, Lake
Category:Lakes of Wisconsin Superior, Lake
Category:Great Lakes Waterway
Category:Upper Peninsula of Michigan
zh-min-nan:Superior Ô·
cs:Hořejšà jezero
da:Øvre sø
de:Oberer See
et:Ülemjärv
es:Lago Superior
fr:Lac Supérieur
gl:Lago Superior
id:Danau Superior
he:ימת סופיריור
la:Lacus Superior
nl:Bovenmeer
ja:スペリオル湖
pl:Jezioro Górne
pt:Lago Superior
ru:Озеро Верхнее
simple:Lake Superior
sk:Horné jazero
fi:Yläjärvi
sv:Övre sjön
vi:Hồ Superior
zh:�必利尔湖
*** Shopping-Tip: Lake Superior
