Upper lake. Upper (lake) Upper lake where

Upper Lake - this is how the pioneers called the largest of the lakes on the North American continent.

This body of water is the northernmost of the Great Lakes, it ranks second in the world ranking in terms of area and third in terms of fresh water reserves.

Lake Superior is one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the United States of America and Canada.

Great Lakes

The description of Lake Superior must begin with a description of the Great Lakes system. This is the name of a long and powerful chain of reservoirs spread in the northern part of North America.

The huge chain consists of lakes such as Huron, Michigan, Ontario, Erie, Superior and smaller water bodies. Michigan is territorially owned exclusively by the United States of America. The coastlines of the other four largest of the Great Lakes somehow cross the US-Canadian border. The upper lake on the mainland of North America is also no exception, it is also located on the border of two states.

The Great Lakes are an important part of the transport network of the two countries, as well as a place of pilgrimage for a huge number of tourists, primarily, of course, American and Canadian, because famous natural parks are located here. In addition to being of great importance in the modern economy, the Great Lakes played a big role in the history of the United States, in particular, it was here that the famous naval battles between the Americans and the British took place.

The original name of this giant water body has survived to this day. The Ojibwe Indians, who inhabited the shores of the lake before the arrival of Europeans, gave it the name "Gichi Gami", which can be translated as "big water". This historical name is the best suited to this impressive size of the reservoir.

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes system. In the longest part it reaches 616 meters, and in the widest part - 257 meters. The area of ​​Lake Superior is huge, it is approximately 82.4 thousand square kilometers of water surface. This fact makes it the second largest on the planet after the Caspian Sea, which is now considered a lake.

The upper lake has a total volume of more than 11.5 thousand cubic kilometers (the maximum volume is more than 12 thousand cubic kilometers). This allows hydrologists to say that the reservoir contains a tenth of the world's fresh water reserves (third place in the world after our Baikal and Tanganyika in Africa). To imagine how huge this figure is, we can cite the following fact: if you distribute all the water of the Upper, spilling it over a huge plane, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is equal to North and South America, you get a layer of water of 0.3 meters. The volume of water in this body of water exceeds the combined volume of all the other Great Lakes combined.

The upper lake, despite its name, does not belong to the category of high mountains. It is located at an altitude of only 183.5 meters above sea level.

Also, the Upper Lake is outside the category of the deepest. In terms of its depth, the reservoir claims only 36th place in the world ranking. Its average depth is 147 km, and the maximum depth is 406 meters. For comparison, the depth of Baikal is 1642 meters.

On the shores of the lake is located on one side of the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the other side of the US states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Coastline The Upper Lake stretched for more than 4,000 kilometers.

Hydrological regime

More than two hundred rivers and streams carry their waters into the lake. Among the largest are such as the Pidgeon River, Nipigon, Peak, St. Louis, White and many others.

The large St. Marys River flows from the Upper, feeding the Huron, the second of the Great Lakes chain.

Despite the fact that the average annual water temperature of the Upper is 4 degrees above zero, due to the great depth and strong and frequent unrest (severe storms often occur here in autumn and winter), the water surface almost never freezes completely. The last case of complete freezing was noted in the 70s of the twentieth century. The rest of the time, only the coastal strip of water is covered with an ice crust. The coastal ice period lasts from December to April.

Geographical position Lake Superior contributes to moderate water level fluctuations. The maximum level falls on the summer months during the period of heavy rains, and the minimum - in the winter months.

Geological history

Upper is a relatively young American lake by geological standards. It was formed approximately 4-10 thousand years ago during the Ice Age. A powerful glacier, which at that time covered fairly large areas of the North American continent, managed to push through the rocks of the stable Canadian shield, thus forming a powerful and extensive recess in the earth's surface. According to geologists, later the glacier melted, with its melt waters giving rise to a giant reservoir that spilled over the entire area on which all the Great American Lakes are now spread. The pond, which had an impressive size, gradually decreased, the contours of the modern lake chain began to appear, including the coastline of Lake Superior.

Islands

Isle Royal is the largest of the upper lake islands. It justifies its "royal" name and reaches a length of 72, and a width of 14 kilometers. An interesting fact is that this island is often called "matryoshka".

Why, you ask? It's simple: it has a fairly large lake, which also has an island. On this relatively small island there is a small pond, on which smaller islands are scattered. Such is the bizarre natural "architecture".

Attractions

Specially protected natural areas can be attributed to the important sights of the Upper Lake region. They include the famous American national park Isle Royal, located on the island of the same name, and no less famous Canadian national park Pukasqua. Tourists and travel enthusiasts come here, because the lake, despite the fact that it has long been discovered by man, has retained its virgin beauty and the comparative purity of the water. Since valuable species of fish are found in the Upper Lake, this indicates a good ecological state of the area.

Shipping

The largest and most significant of the ports on the lake are the American ports of Ashland and Duluth, as well as the Canadian port of Thunder Bay.

The Upper region is the most important shipping area for the two states.

Since the lake is characterized by a violent and restless temper, severe storms and tempests, a huge number of ships crashed on it.

Cape Belaya Ryba, which is sometimes called the "tomb", became especially notorious in connection with this. It was here that many ships sank for certain reasons.

• Local residents claim that the lake is reluctant to give up its drowned people, who almost never float to the surface. Apparently, this is due to the extremely low water temperature and the low content of microorganisms in it.
• Several dozen valuable species of ichthyofauna live in Verkhny, many of which are commercially caught (including sturgeon, smelt, salmon, trout, carp, whitefish, freshwater herring, pike perch and others). At the beginning of the 17th century, Europeans who visited here reported about a three-meter sturgeon and a two-meter pike.
• About sixty species of orchids grow in the lake area.

The upper lake is a fresh water reservoir with the maximum area. It is located in North America. The total size of the lake is 82.4 thousand square kilometers. This lake is on the 3rd place in terms of its volume of fresh water on our land, on the first and second - Baikal and Tanganyika. Fresh water in the lake has 11.6 thousand cubic kilometers. The average depth is 147 meters, the maximum is 406 meters. Lake Superior is located between Canada and the United States. (Find out at the same time). It is one of the Great Lakes, a link in a string of freshwater reservoirs located in the eastern part of North America between the USA and Canada. This system includes five lakes: Ontario, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Superior. And only Michigan belongs entirely to the United States. The rest of the lakes are divided by the border.

On Canadian territory, the lake is located in a province called Ontario. On the western side of the lake is a state called Minnesota. From the southwestern part - the state of Wisconsin. The southern part of the coast is located in the state of Michigan.

The upper lake is also united with the Canadian lake called Nipigon, and they are united by a small river. The appearance of Lake Chasha looks like a depression of tectonic origin. Due to frequent earthquakes, the deepest faults were formed. The lake bottom was able to level the glaciers. According to researchers, about 30,000 years ago in the eastern part of North America was all under the glaciers that came to these places from the north. Such glaciers were not permanent. The movement took place either to the North, leaving huge bowls from itself, then again returning back. Read about the waterfall here.

New formations

At the moment when the glaciers finally left the eastern territories of the mainland, a lake was formed in this area, which is called Algonquin in modern science. According to its area, it was considered very huge and, according to all assumptions, for a long time exceeded the size of Lake Baikal by 10 times. It didn't last very long. Over time, a large amount of water was lost, filling the St. Lawrence River. And when millennia passed, the Great Lakes could appear in this area.

These famous lakes are among the colossal wonders of the world. They are considered unique. These lakes form a hydrographic community. They were located 500 km from the Atlantic itself, as well as 700 km. from the Hudson Strait. It is the largest lake system in North America and is located in the middle and upper part of the St. Lawrence river basin. Sea Route - The Great Lakes are the most important shipping routes in eastern North America. In order to get from the port of Duluth, which is located on Lake Superior to the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River, you need to overcome the path of more than 2000 km. The upper lake is the highest mountain height, it has 183.6 m. This body of water is fed by atmospheric precipitation and water that is carried by rivers.

What is the Upper Lake sewage or endorheic? Let's deal with this issue. This lake is sewage, its flow goes along the St. Marys River. Starting from December and ending with April, freezing occurs in coastal areas. The water level in the lake is getting lower. Precipitation is rare during this period of time, sufficient water volume to maintain the level in the lake. The lowest level is from March to April. After that, the air temperature becomes higher and the coastal snows thaw. The rivers rapidly begin to fill with water, and thus this leads to an increase in its level in the lake itself. The most significant water volume in Lake Superior can be observed in summer time during this period there is heavy rainfall.

• Dimensions: 563x257 km
• Square: 82700 sq. km
• Volume: 12 thousand cubic meters km
• Coastline: 4385 km
• Maximum depth: 406 m
• Average depth: 147 m
• Type of mineralization: insipid
• Inflowing river: Nipigon
• Flowing river: st maris

Many people know about the system of the Great Lakes of North America: from school, from books about Indians, movies, or from traveler stories. One of the most legendary reservoirs of our planet attracts both scientists and tourists to its shores. So what is it, the Upper Lake: sewage or drainless, salty or fresh, where, on what continent is it located on the world map and which sea basin does it belong to? Let's try to understand these issues.

Description of Lake Superior

This name belongs to the largest and deepest freshwater body among the five Great Lakes. The geographical position of Lake Superior is North America, the eastern part of the border and the USA. The northern coast of the reservoir washes the Canadian province of Ontario. The western and southern shores lie already in the territory of the United States.

This is the second lake in the world in terms of fresh water reserves and the first in terms of mirror area. The area of ​​Lake Superior is approximately 82.7 thousand square meters. km. It is believed that it is only five times smaller than the legendary Caspian Sea! The reservoir was formed during the second ice age and is relatively “young”: it is about 10 thousand years old.

Why is the lake called Upper?

In the local language, the name of the lake is translated as "big water". The first French settlers called it "the highest lake". To understand which of the lakes - Superior or Michigan - is located to the north, just look at the map - it clearly illustrates the name of Lake Superior.

What is interesting about this place?

The length of the entire coastline is 4385 m. The coastline is strongly indented in places, and two largest bays can also be distinguished: Whitefish and Kivino. The mirror of the freshwater lake is decorated with several islands: Apostle, Isle Royal (the largest with its lake in the center), Madeleine and Mishipikoten. The Canadian shores are mostly high and rocky, sometimes sheer (up to 400 m in height). In addition to the landscapes of Lake Superior, which will give you wonderful photos and long memories, this reservoir differs significantly from its neighbors in its data.

The main characteristics of the Upper Lake:

1. Temperature the center is always +4 ° С, the Upper Lake never freezes due to severe storms in winter. Near the coast, ice can be observed from December to early May. The water is always cold and very clear. In summer, off the coast, the surface of the water can warm up to +12 °C.
2. Depth(largest) Lake Superior - 406 m: few fresh water reservoirs can boast of such data. However, the average depth is about 147 m. Scientists have calculated the approximate total volume of water - 11.6 thousand cubic meters. km. This is approximately 10% of the total supply of drinking water in the world.
3. Coordinates Lake Superior: 48° north latitude and 87° west longitude.
4. The reservoir is at the 183 m above sea level. The origin of the basin in which Lake Superior was formed is the deformation of the crystalline rocks of the Canadian Shield by a glacier.
5. Length Lake Superior is about 616 km, width - 257 km.
6. Salinity The upper lake is less than 1‰ (fresh water).

What rivers flow into Lake Superior? The most significant tributary of all 300 rivers and streams is the Nipigon, but there are no particularly large and full-flowing tributaries. There is also only one runoff at the reservoir - the St. Marys River, which flows into Lake Huron after 112 km. The upper one is rich in fish. Here you can meet the king fish - medium and large sturgeon, beloved by many varieties of the so-called "red" fish: trout, whitefish, as well as pike, etc.

The direction and extent of Lake Superior is from west to east. The reservoir plays an important energy and shipping role in its region. The largest port in Canada is. Lake Superior is one of the stages of the route of the waterway through the locks to the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of St. Lawrence).

How to get there?

Most on Lake Superior begin in the cities of Thunder Bay and. You can get to them by highway 17 or 129 respectively. These are large cities where you can get from and to by intercity bus. You can also take part in an amazing group excursion tour across the Great Lakes.

The largest fresh water body in terms of area is located in North America. This is Lake Superior. The area of ​​the water mirror is 82.4 thousand square meters. km. In terms of the volume of fresh water, the water giant occupies the 3rd place on the planet, second only to Baikal and Tanganyika in this indicator. It contains 11.6 thousand cubic meters. km of water. The average depth of the American giant is 147 meters, and the maximum is 406 meters.

Lake Superior (Canadian shore)

The lake is located on the border of the USA and Canada. In the north, these are the lands of the Canadian province of Ontario, which occupies the eastern regions of a vast country. From the west, the reservoir is "supported" by the lands of the state of Minnesota. Wisconsin is located at the southwestern tip of the lake. And the entire south coast belongs to the state of Michigan. The length of the coastline is 4387 km.

The length of the freshwater giant is 560 km. The maximum width reaches 260 km. The reservoir is located at an altitude of 182 meters above sea level. The coastline is heavily indented with bays and coves. Rocks and cliffs stretch along the northern coast. But on the south coast, a flat landscape prevails. The coast is sandy in many places and serves as a vacation spot for Americans during the summer months.

Lake Superior on a map of North America

Lake Superior is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is not only the largest, but also the most western of all. It is in a huge body of water that the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean ends deep into the American continent. All lakes are interconnected by rivers and canals.

Our reservoir has an inseparable connection with Lake Huron through the St. Marys River. Its length is 112 km. This is a lot of rapids and rifts that are not suitable for navigation. The total water drop reaches 7 meters. Therefore, channels are made to bypass the thresholds. Up to 10,000 ships a year pass through them. And this, despite the fact that from January to March shipping stops due to ice. A railway bridge has also been laid across St. Marys, which further facilitates the transportation of goods.

Lake Superior from space

Water surface temperature The lake changes with the seasons. But at a depth it is kept almost constant and is equal to 4 degrees Celsius. There are often storms on the vast water surface. At the same time, the height of the waves sometimes reaches 6 meters. Therefore, the central regions of the lake do not freeze in winter. Ice is observed only in the coastal strip.

More than 200 rivers flow into the Upper. The largest of them is Nipigon. In length, this water stream reaches 48 km with a width of 50 to 200 meters. The St. Louis River also flows into the reservoir. Its length is 192 km. She begins her journey in Minnesota. You can also name such rivers as Pigeon, Belaya, Stony, Brul. All of them do not exceed 100 km in length, but make a certain contribution to the nutrition of the reservoir.

On the reservoir there are islands and some of them are quite large. The largest island is Isle Royale. Its length reaches 72 km, and its width is 14 km. In the Great Lakes region, it ranks second in size, second only to Manitoulin Island on Lake Huron. Isle Royale is now a national park. This piece of land is connected to the mainland by ferries.

In the northern part of the lake is the island of Mishipikoten. Its length is 27 km, and its width reaches 10 km. This is a realm of wildlife, where beavers, caribou and birds feel comfortable. The state of Wisconsin owns a group of 22 islands called the Apostle Islands. You can also call Madeline Islands and Grand Island, which is part of National Zone recreation of Michigan.

Vacationers on the Lake (Michigan Shore)

I found a place near the reservoir and a lot of major cities . This is the city of Duluth (Minnesota) with a population of 87 thousand people. It is located at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes and is a port. But the city of Thunder Bay belongs to Canada. It is home to 109 thousand people. This is the largest settlement on the shores of a huge freshwater lake. The city of Marquette in Michigan has 22 thousand inhabitants. This is the south coast. But in the eastern part of the coast there are two cities of Sault Ste. Marie. One of them belongs to the USA, and the second to Canada. These settlements are considered sister cities.

Lake Superior has localized maritime climate. The reservoir is surrounded by hills and mountains, which keep moisture and fog above its surface. This is especially true for autumn. The air temperature in summer and winter is moderate. At the surface of the water, it ranges from 0 to 13 degrees Celsius. In recent decades, the effect of lake warming has been observed. The temperature of its water surface has risen by 2.5 degrees since 1979.

Concerning stories reservoir, the first people appeared in these places 10 thousand years ago. This was due to the retreat of the glaciers. Directly Indian cultures settled here at the end of the 1st millennium. The Sioux, Iroquois, and Ojibwe lived in these places. After the appearance of the French, the Ojibwe tribes occupied a dominant position, as they found support from the Europeans. The reason for this friendship was the fur trade. Today is of great importance for local population has tourism. The lake and the lands adjacent to it are notable for their original exotic nature. It naturally attract people from all over the world.

Yuri Syromyatnikov

Upper Lake Superior Upper in the Great Lakes system. Coordinates: Coordinates ... Wikipedia

UPPER LAKE, a lake in North America (USA, Canada), in the Great Lakes system. The area is 82.4 thousand km2 (the largest freshwater lake in terms of water area in the world), the depth is up to 393 m. The flow into Lake Huron along the St. Marys River. Ports: Duluth, Thunder Bay… Modern Encyclopedia

upper lake- UPPER LAKE, a lake in North America (USA, Canada), in the Great Lakes system. The area is 82.4 thousand km2 (the largest freshwater lake in terms of water area in the world), the depth is up to 393 m. The flow into Lake Huron along the St. Marys River. Ports: Duluth, Thunder Bay. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Lake Superior) in the USA and Canada, in the Great Lakes system. The largest fresh lake in the world. 82.4 thousand km & sup2, depth up to 393 m. Huron along the river. Saint Marys. National parks Isle Royal (USA), Pucasqua (Canada). Main ports: Duluth, Thunder… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Lake Superior) copper ore region in the USA, pcs. Michigan. It includes a group of deposits of native copper (developed since 1845) and cuprous sandstones (discovered in 1865, developed since 1915) with total reserves of approx. 9 million tons of copper (1979).… … Geological Encyclopedia

- (Lake Superior), in the USA and Canada, in the Great Lakes system. The largest fresh lake in the world. 82.4 thousand km2, depth up to 393 m. Flow into Lake Huron along the river. Saint Marys. National parks Isle Royal (USA), Pucasqua (Canada). Main ports: Duluth, Thunder… … encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Lake Superior), the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater in terms of area in the world. Sev. east h is located in Canada, app. and south. in USA. Located at an altitude of 183 m. Pl. 82.7 thousand km², max. depth 406 m, water volume 11.6 thousand ... Geographic Encyclopedia

- (Lake Superior) the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes (See Great Lakes) of North America and the largest freshwater lake in the world. Its northeastern part is in Canada, the western and southern part is in the USA. Located at an altitude of 183 m ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

upper lake- (Superior, Lake)Superior Lake, one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the largest freshwater lake in the world; maximum depth 405 m; sq. 84243 sq. km, sq. on the Canadian side 29888 sq. km. The cities of Duluth (USA) and … Countries of the world. Dictionary

In North America (Lake Superior), the most significant freshwater on the globe, inside with. American mainland; length up to 600 km, max. width 290 km, surface area 83600 sq. km, altitude y. m. 191 m, maximum depth 296 m. Belongs to ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron