According to satellite measurements, Lake Michigan holds one quadrillion gallons of water. It’s so vast that you would need to drain about 400 billion gallons from it just to lower the level by one inch.
How long would it take to drain Lake Michigan?
The water replacement time is 62 years. Excluding the water removed from Lake Michigan at Chicago, the water enters and exits Lake Michigan in the same area, the Mackinac Straits. When one drop of water enters Lake Michigan there, it takes more than one half century for it to leave Lake Michigan.
Does Lake Michigan drain into the ocean?
Lake Michigan receives most of its water from the Michigan side of its basin. On its southwest flank, most of the surface water drains into the Illinois River and then to the Gulf of Mexico, rather than into the lake.
Will Lake Michigan ever dry up?
Lake Michigan and Huron are forecast to continue to fall another 12 inches by January 2022. If we stay dry and the lakes fall to the lower end of the possibilities, the lakes will only be about six inches above the long-term average water level.
What would happen if the Great Lakes were drained?
Without Lake Superior, areas near the lake would see far less snow each winter, and the distribution of snow in the central and eastern regions around the lake would be far different. The effects would not be limited to snow. Duluth, for example, averages 52 foggy days per year.
Why is Lake Michigan so deep?
The lake’s formation began 1.2 billion years ago when two tectonic plates moving in opposite directions left a giant scar—an event now known as the Midcontinent Rift. Less than 15,000 years ago, melting glaciers filled the giant basin, and Lake Michigan came to be. The lake’s maximum depth is 925 feet.
How deep is the deepest part of Lake Michigan?
About the Lakes
Averaging 279 feet in depth, the lake reaches 925 feet at its deepest point. The lake’s northern tier is in the colder, less developed upper Great Lakes region, while its more temperate southern basin contains the Milwaukee and Chicago metropolitan areas.
Can you drink water from Lake Michigan?
However, despite its small size, the Illinois portion of the Lake Michigan watershed is home to half of the total population of Illinois and the lake itself is the largest public drinking water supply in the state, serving nearly 6.6 million people (of a total of over 10 million lake-wide).
What state owns Lake Michigan?
Lake Michigan is the world’s largest lake by area in one country. Located in the United States, it is shared, from west to east, by the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.
| Lake Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 307 mi (494 km) |
| Max. width | 118 mi (190 km) |
| Min. width | 91 mi (146 km) |
Has anyone swam across Lake Michigan?
Hyde Park Swimmer, 93, Celebrates 60 Years After Becoming First Person To Swim Across Lake Michigan. Ted Erikson is an accomplished swimmer who conquered the English Channel, among other feats — but it’s Lake Michigan that always calls him back.
How long until the Great Lakes are gone?
All the Great Lake water levels remain above their long-term average. Except for Lake Superior, all the Great Lakes are expected to remain above their long-term averages for the next five years.
Will Lake Michigan rise with global warming?
Climate change is fueling more extreme Lake Michigan Water levels, along with stronger winds and heavier storms. These conditions exacerbate erosion, beach loss, and damage along the shore.
Can you drink water from the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes are an extremely important water source to Canadians and Americans, as well as to the world. It is very important that the lakes be protected, so that they can continue to provide safe drinking water for the 35 million people in the Great Lakes region, as well as sustainable industry and agriculture.
Is there a lake underneath Lake Superior?
As we determined this past week with several arduous dives, the caves lead to a vast underground lake. This is undoubtedly Sir Duluth’s ‘Lac d’Enfer,’ and the same lake which swallowed poor William Bitter in 1870.
Will Lake Erie dry up?
It’s not like the Great Lakes are going to up and disappear in a season, or a year, or a decade or a century — but they are at risk for being depleted and that has severe environmental and economic effects.
Is Lake Superior drying up?
The lake was nearly a foot below water levels in August last year, falling 11 inches. The decline has been driven by abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions across the Lake Superior basin.
What is the deepest lake in United States?
Crater Lake
At 1,943 feet (592 meters), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depths were first explored thoroughly in 1886 by a party from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Will Chicago go underwater?
The city of Chicago is sinking, geologically speaking. Tony Briscoe at The Chicago Tribune reports that the Windy City and all of the towering structures built on its iconic skyline are at least four inches lower than they were a century ago. In the next 100 years, the city will continue sinking at the same rate.
Can you swim in Lake Michigan?
Swimming Safety Tips
Use caution when swimming in Lake Michigan. The bottom is uneven with holes and deep drop-offs. These inshore holes are very dangerous to small children and non-swimmers. The only beach with lifeguards is West Beach.
Whats the biggest fish in Lake Michigan?
Lake sturgeons are the only sturgeon species endemic to the Great Lakes basin and are the largest freshwater fish indigenous (native) to that system.
What is on the bottom of Lake Michigan?
While scanning underneath the waters of Lake Michigan for shipwrecks, archeologists found something a lot more interesting than they bargained for: they discovered a boulder with a prehistoric carving of a mastodon, as well as a series of stones arranged in a Stonehenge-like manner.