Facts about Lake Superior

It is also the second-largest lake on Earth after the Caspian Sea. Lake Superior's surface area is 82,000 km2 (31,700 sq mi). Its maximum length is 560 km (350 mi), and maximum width 260 km (160 mi).

The lake has 12,100 km³ (2,900 cu mi) of water, which is about 10% of all the fresh water on Earth.

The lake's average depth is 147 m (483 ft), with the lake's deepest point at 406m (1,333 ft).

Today, the waters of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are filtered because of the invasive quagga mussels that live there. Thus, both lakes surpass Lake Superior in clarity.

Most large tributary rivers are located in the northern part of the lake. The only large in the south is St. Louis. Largest ones are Nipigon, St. Louis, Pigeon, Kaministikwia, Pic, White and Michipicoten.

It is made of ancient, Precambrian granites that emerged pushed up by magma between 4,5 billion and 540 million years ago.

Even 9m (30 ft) high waves have been recorded in history, but such large ones rarely form.

This was when the first people appeared on the shores of the lake. They belonged to the Plano culture, a hunter-gatherer people known for caribou hunting and the manufacture of Plano Point projectiles.

The lowest level occurs in March and April, the highest in October and November.

Its surface area is 535,4 km2 (206,7 sq mi). It is located in the northwestern part of the lake. Surrounded by over 400 smaller islands, it hosts an Isle Royale National Park. Park was established on April 3, 1940 and declared a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. It is visited by about 25 thousand tourists annually, making it the least-visited national park in the contiguous United States.

Isle Royale National Park most popular animals are 

• moose, 
• deer mice,
• river otter,
• snowshoe hare,
• red squirrel. 

The island's conditions favor some of the animals, so the bat population there is really impressive. Seven species of bats live on the Isle Royale.

The woodland caribou population used to be very numerous but was extirpated with the last specimen seen in 1925.

The Canadian Lynx suffered the same fate and disappeared from the island in the 1930s. They can occasionally be seen on the island if they can cross the ice bridge from Canadian territory.

Most orchids grow in the wetlands, marshes and swamps, a habitat where we would not expect to find them, but native orchids have adapted to this harsh weather and acidic and sandy soils.

The lake's average temperature is only 2 °C (36 °F).

The previous record was 92,5% coverage recorded on March 6, 2014, but if Global Warming isn't stopped soon, by 2040 Lake Superior may become an ice-free body of water.

The most popular native fish of the lake are

• bloater,
• burbot,
• cisco,
• lake sturgeon,
• lake trout,
• pumpkinseed,
• rock bass,
• walleye,
• yellow perch.

That's almost the same distance as between Chicago and Las Vegas.

That is how long it would take to replace all the lake water with a new one.

The boat was used to transport goods and passengers, mainly to mining settlements around the lake.

The Soo Locks has been built to sail from one lake to another. The first locks were constructed in 1855, and today there are two of them:

• MacArthur Lock, built in 1943,
• Poe Lock, built in 1896.

In 2009 a proposal to build another modern lock has been made. Construction is about to finish around 2030.

About 10 thousand ships pass through the locks every year.

It is estimated that over 10 thousand people have drowned in its waters. The lake is known for not giving up its dead. Because of the low temperatures, the bacteria responsible for decomposing the bodies are not as active as they would be in warmer conditions. Because of the microorganisms' limited activity, drowned bodies tend to sink to the bottom instead of floating on the surface, lifted by the gases produced during decomposition.

During his travels, he encountered many native tribes and learned their language to become one of the first tribal interpreters. Brûlé died under unclear circumstances, probably killed by members of the Huron tribe for treason.

Iron ore has been mined here since the middle of the 19th century. Silver, nickel and copper are also mined around the lake.