Just How Big is Lake Superior?

Comments (21)

Comment Feed

Wrong Tower

It is the SEARS Tower.

dan more than 3 years ago

Sears & Willis

It is the same tower, apparently. Had a name change in 2009, though many people still know it by the Sears tower. Thanks for the note!

Lake Superior Magazine more than 3 years ago

Sears

Chicagoans often fiercely defend the old name, so they’ll consider Willis Tower to be incorrect.

Fred more than 2 years ago

volcanic material

How thick is the volcanic material beneath Lk Superior? I think I read its like 600 mi thick. That is why the depression was made and filled with water.

dcmrn more than 7 years ago

Re: volcanic material

This article will tell you all about Lake Superior's volcanic past: http://www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/natural-world/243-lake-superior-basin-fiery-beginning/

Lake Superior Magazine more than 7 years ago

Average water Temperature

I heard that the average water temperature of Lake Superior is around 45 Degrees. Is that correct?

David THOR more than 7 years ago

Re: Average water Temperature

That's correct, according to data from Minnesota Sea Grant.

Lake Superior Magazine more than 7 years ago

That Superior Name

Nice article, and yes, it's Superior because it's awesome in so many ways. But the actualfacts reason the French first gave it that name was because it was the furthest north of the big lakes: "Lac Superieur" mostly meaning it was on the top.

Will more than 7 years ago

Shoreline

That's 1,826 miles of deep-luxuriant-sand-crystal-clear-waves-pounding-in-to-shore-abundant-driftwood-for-sunset-campfires-smooth-colorful-rocks-tall-white-pines-majestic-hemlocks-lined shoreline, thank you very much:)

Julie more than 7 years ago

Depth

I believe they have the maximum depth wrong. I've seen maps of the lake that show the deepest point to be 1,330 feet.

John more than 7 years ago

Re: Depth

The 1,330 number (sometimes 1,333 on maps) is a very old estimate. The Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth re-measured the Lake a few years back. We use their number: 1,276 feet.

Lake Superior Magazine more than 7 years ago

UMD

I wake up every morning looking out at Lake Superior

Justin L Segner more than 4 years ago

UMD

That would make you a lucky person! Enjoy the Big Lake.

Lake Superior Magazine more than 4 years ago

All the lakes?.

Is Lake Saint Clair not one of the great lakes?.

james more than 7 years ago

Re: Lake St. Clair

It's so many times smaller that, no, it's not designated a Great Lake.

Lake Superior Magazine more than 7 years ago

Q about Illustration & story

LOVE this article but am confused by the illustration showing Lake Superior covering avast portion of the east coast and the "31,700 sq.miles" reference to Maine. Maine is so tiny!
Help!

Carolyn more than 7 years ago

Re: Maine

Maine, which isn't shown in the East Coast graphic, isn't a huge state, but it's definitely not tiny. Maine's 30,843 square miles of land make it the 39th largest state, between #38 Indiana and #40 South Carolina.

Lake Superior Magazine more than 7 years ago

Re:Maine

I am still confused. The surface area of Lake Superior is about the same as the surface area of Maine, which is about the same as a huge hunk of the Eastern United States stretching all of the way from Virginia to Northern Massachusetts?

Tim more than 7 years ago

Re: Maine

Indeed. Lake Superior really is that large. Amazing, isn't it?

Lake Superior Magazine more than 7 years ago

Re: Maine

Yes, it is.

Tim more than 7 years ago

Maine

Tiny is RI or CT even NH and VT or MA in the northeast.

Randy Borst more than 6 years ago

LSM Newsletters
Keep up with the magazine, news and happenings around the Big Lake. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

September

Sorry, no events.

October

Sorry, no events.

November

Sorry, no events.

December

Sorry, no events.

January

Sorry, no events.

February

Sorry, no events.

March

Sorry, no events.

Superior Notes (right)

LSM on Twitter

large_lake_lsm-videos_hdr_R