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m (Created page with "===Volume=== The Great Lakes make up 20 percent of the Earth's available (not in the ice caps) surface fresh water and half of that water is stored by Lake Superior. Superior is ...") |
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*Gemstone rich: agates, amethyst, greenstone, thomsonite and even some diamonds | *Gemstone rich: agates, amethyst, greenstone, thomsonite and even some diamonds | ||
*Not only is Lake Superior the largest of the Great Lakes, it also has the biggest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world. It holds about 3,000 cubic miles of water - enough to fill all the other Great Lakes plus Lake Erie three times over. | *Not only is Lake Superior the largest of the Great Lakes, it also has the biggest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world. It holds about 3,000 cubic miles of water - enough to fill all the other Great Lakes plus Lake Erie three times over. | ||
===Depth and Weather=== | |||
The average depth of Superior is about 500 feet. It is the deepest (1,335 feet) of the Great Lakes. If you go swimming there in the hottest part of the summer, you'll soon learn that Lake Superior is also the coldest of the Great Lakes - brrr, icy cold at an average temperature of 40° F (4°C). The water temperature sets the climate for the area, making winters warmer and summers cooler. Fall is the season for "northeasters" or strong winds and rain. This is what caused most of Lake Superior's 350 shipwrecks. The lake weather also causes "lake effect" snowfalls along the shores of Wisconsin and Michigan because the air cools and releases moisture as it rises - dropping more snow in addition to typical Midwestern weather patterns. Also during most winters, the lake is 40 to 95 percent covered by ice. Wind usually keeps the center of the lake open. It occasionally frezes over completely. | The average depth of Superior is about 500 feet. It is the deepest (1,335 feet) of the Great Lakes. If you go swimming there in the hottest part of the summer, you'll soon learn that Lake Superior is also the coldest of the Great Lakes - brrr, icy cold at an average temperature of 40° F (4°C). The water temperature sets the climate for the area, making winters warmer and summers cooler. Fall is the season for "northeasters" or strong winds and rain. This is what caused most of Lake Superior's 350 shipwrecks. The lake weather also causes "lake effect" snowfalls along the shores of Wisconsin and Michigan because the air cools and releases moisture as it rises - dropping more snow in addition to typical Midwestern weather patterns. Also during most winters, the lake is 40 to 95 percent covered by ice. Wind usually keeps the center of the lake open. It occasionally frezes over completely. | ||