Lake Huron (/ˈhjʊərɒn,-ən/HURE-on, -ən) is one of the fiveGreat Lakes ofNorth America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province ofOntario and on the south and west by the U.S. state ofMichigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it for the indigenous people they knew asHuron (Wyandot) inhabiting the region.Hydrologically, Lake Huron comprises the eastern portion ofLake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation asLake Michigan, to which it is connected by the 5-mile-wide (8.0 km), 20-fathom-deep (120 ft; 37 m)Straits of Mackinac. Combined, Lake Michigan–Huron is the largestfreshwater lake by area in the world.[11][12][13] TheHuronian glaciation was named from evidence collected from the Lake Huron region. The northern parts of the lake include theNorth Channel andGeorgian Bay.Saginaw Bay is located in the southwest corner of the lake. The main inlet is theSt. Marys River fromLake Superior, and the main outlet is through theSt. Clair River towardLake Erie. Lake Huron has a fairly large drainage basin covering parts of Michigan and Ontario. Water flows through Lake Huron faster than the other Great Lakes with a retention time of only 22 years.
By surface area, Lake Huron is the second-largest of the Great Lakes, with a surface area of 23,007 square miles (59,590 km2)—of which 9,103 square miles (23,580 km2) lies in Michigan and 13,904 square miles (36,010 km2) lies in Ontario—making it thethird-largest fresh water lake on Earth (or the fourth-largest lake, if theCaspian Sea is counted as a lake).[8] By volume however, Lake Huron is only the third largest of the Great Lakes, being surpassed byLake Michigan andLake Superior.[14] When measured at the low water datum, the lake contains a volume of 850 cubic miles (3,500 km3) and a shoreline length (including islands) of 3,827 mi (6,159 km).[8]
The surface of Lake Huron is 577 feet (176 m) abovesea level.[8] The lake's average depth is 32fathoms 3 feet (195 ft; 59 m), while the maximum recorded (by sonar) depth is 125 fathoms (750 ft; 229 m).[8] It has a length of 206statute miles (332 km; 179 nmi) and a greatest breadth of 183 statute miles (295 km; 159 nmi).[8] A large bay that protrudes northeast from Lake Huron into Ontario, Canada, is calledGeorgian Bay. A notable feature of the lake isManitoulin Island, which separates theNorth Channel and Georgian Bay from Lake Huron's main body of water. It is the world's largestlake island.[15] A smaller bay that protrudes southwest from Lake Huron into Michigan is calledSaginaw Bay.
Historic high waterThe lake fluctuates from month to month with the highest lake levels in October and November. The normal high-water mark is 2.00 feet (0.61 m) above datum (577.5 ft or 176.0 m). In the summer of 1986, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their then highest level at 5.92 feet (1.80 m) above datum.[16] The high-water records were broken for several months in a row in 2020.[17]
Historic low waterLake levels tend to be the lowest in winter. The normal low-water mark is 1.00 foot (30 cm) below datum (577.5 ft or 176.0 m). In the winter of 1964, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their then lowest level at 1.38 feet (42 cm) below datum.[16] As with the high-water records, monthly low-water records were set each month from February 1964 through January 1965. During this twelve-month period, water levels ranged from 1.38 to 0.71 feet (42–22 cm) below Chart Datum.[16] The all-time low-water mark was eclipsed in January 2013.[18]
Counting its 30,000 islands, Lake Huron has the largest shore line length of any of the Great Lakes.[11] It is separated from Lake Michigan, which lies at the same level, by the 5-mile-wide (8.0 km), 20-fathom-deep (120 ft; 37 m) Straits of Mackinac, making them hydrologically the same body of water (sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron and sometimes described as two 'lobes of the same lake').[11] Aggregated, Lake Huron-Michigan, at 45,300 square miles (117,000 km2), "is technically the world's largest freshwater lake".[11] Lake Superior, at 21 feet higher elevation, drains into the St. Marys River which then flows into Lake Huron. The water then flows south to the St. Clair River, atPort Huron, Michigan, andSarnia, Ontario. TheGreat Lakes Waterway continues thence toLake St. Clair; theDetroit River andDetroit, Michigan; intoLake Erie and thence – viaLake Ontario and theSt. Lawrence River – to the Atlantic Ocean.
Like the other Great Lakes, it was formed by melting ice as the continental glaciers retreated toward the end of thelast ice age. Before this, Lake Huron was a low-lying depression through which flowed the now-buriedLaurentian and Huronian Rivers; the lake bed was criss-crossed by a large network of tributaries to these ancient waterways, with many of the old channels still evident on bathymetric maps.
The Alpena-Amberley Ridge is an ancient ridge beneath the surface of Lake Huron, running fromAlpena, Michigan, southwest toPoint Clark, Ontario.[19]
About 9,000 years ago, when water levels in Lake Huron were approximately 100 m (330 ft) below today's levels, the Alpena-Amberley Ridge was exposed. Thatland bridge was used as a migration route for large herds ofcaribou. Since 2008, archaeologists have discovered at least 60 stone constructions along the submerged ridge that are thought to have been used as hunting blinds byPaleo-Indians.[19] That a trade network brought obsidian from Oregon almost ten thousand years ago to be used for toolmaking was confirmed by a 2013 underwater discovery along the ridge.[20]
On the eve of European contact, the extent of development amongEastern Woodlands Native American societies is indicated by the archaeological evidence of a town on or near Lake Huron that contained more than one hundred large structures housing a total population of between 4,000 and 6,000.[21] The French, the first European visitors to the region, often referred to Lake Huron as La Mer Douce, "the fresh-water sea". In 1656, a map by French cartographerNicolas Sanson refers to the lake by the nameKaregnondi, aWyandot word that has been translated variously, as "Freshwater Sea", "Lake of the Hurons", or simply "lake".[22][23] Generally, the lake was labeled "Lac des Hurons" (Lake of the Huron) on most early European maps.[23]
By the 1860s, many European settlements on the shores of Lake Huron were becomingincorporated, including Sarnia, the largest city on Lake Huron.[24] On October 26, 2010,[25] theKaregnondi Water Authority was formed to build and manage a pipeline from the lake toFlint, Michigan.[26]
More than a thousand wrecks have been recorded in Lake Huron. Of these, 185 are located in Saginaw Bay, and 116 are found in the 448-square-mile (1,160 km2)Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, which was established in 2000. Georgian Bay contains 212 sunken vessels.[27]
Purportedly the first European vessel to sail the Great Lakes,Le Griffon also became the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. It was built in 1679 on the eastern shore ofLake Erie nearBuffalo,New York.Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle navigated across Lake Erie, up theDetroit River,Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River out into Lake Huron. Passing the Straits of Mackinac, La Salle made landfall onWashington Island, off the tip of theDoor Peninsula on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan. La Salle filledLe Griffon with pelts and in late November 1679 sentLe Griffon back to the site of modern-day Buffalo, never to be seen again. Two wrecks have been identified asLe Griffon, although neither has gained final verification as the actual wreck. Blown by a fierce storm after leaving,Le Griffon ran aground before the storm. The people of Manitoulin Island say that the wreck inMississagi Strait at the western tip of the island is that ofLe Griffon.[28][29][30] Meanwhile, others nearTobermory, say that the wreck onRussell Island, 150 miles (240 km) farther east in Georgian Bay, is that ofLe Griffon.[29][31]
View of Lake Huron from East Tawas State Park at the head of Saginaw Bay
Harrisville Beach on Lake Huron
View of rocky shore of Lake Huron from east of Port Dolomite, Michigan, in the upper peninsula
On November 9, 1913, theGreat Lakes Storm of 1913 in Lake Huron sank 10 ships, and more than 20 were driven ashore. The storm, which raged for 16 hours, killed 235 seamen.[32]
Matoa—a propeller freighter measuring 2,311gross register tons—had passed between Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario, just after midnight. On November 9, just after six in the morning,Senator pushed upstream. Less than an hour later,Manola—a propeller freighter of 2,325gross register tons also built in Cleveland in 1890—passed through. Captain Frederick W. Light ofManola reported that both the Canadian and the American weather stations had storm flag signals flying from their weather towers.[33] Following behind at 7:00 a.m. that Sunday,Regina steamed out of Sarnia into the northwest gale. The warnings had been up for four hours.[34]Manola passedRegina off Port Sanilac, 22 statute miles (19 nmi; 35 km) up the lake. Captain Light determined that if it continued to deteriorate, he would seek shelter atHarbor Beach, Michigan, another 30 statute miles (26 nmi; 48 km) up the lake. There, he could seek shelter behind the breakwater. Before he reached Harbor Beach, the winds turned to the northeast and the lake began to rise. It was noon when he reached Harbor Beach and ran for shelter.
The waves were so violent thatManola touched bottom entering the harbor. With help from atugboat,Manola tied up to the break wall with eight lines. It was about 3:00 p.m. whenManola was secured and the crew prepared to drop anchor. As they worked, the cables began to snap from wind pressure against the hull. To keep from being pushed aground, they kept their bow into the wind with the engines running half to full in turns, yet the ship still drifted 800 feet (240 m) before its movement was arrested.[35] Waves breaking over the ship damaged several windows, and the crew reported seeing portions of the concrete break wall peeling off as the waves struck it.[36] Meanwhile, fifty miles farther up the lake,Matoa and Captain Hugh McLeod had to ride out the storm without a safe harbor.[37]Matoa was found stranded on thePort Austin reef when the winds subsided.[38]
It was noon on Monday before the winds let up and not until 11:00 p.m. that night before Captain Light determined it to be safe to continue his journey.[39] AlthoughManola survived the storm, she was renamedMapledawn in 1920, and on November 24, 1924, she became stranded onChristian Island[40] in Georgian Bay. It was declared a total loss. Salvagers were able to recover approximately 75,000 bushels of barley.[41]
Lake Huron has alake retention time of 22 years. Like all of the Great Lakes, the ecology of Lake Huron has undergone drastic changes in the last century. The lake originally supported a native deepwater fish community dominated bylake trout, which fed on several species ofciscos as well assculpins and other native fishes. Severalinvasive species, includingsea lamprey,alewife andrainbow smelt, became abundant in the lake by the 1930s. The major native top predator, lake trout, was virtually extirpated from the lake by 1950 through a combination ofoverfishing and the effects of sea lamprey. Several species of ciscos were also extirpated from the lake by the 1960s; the only remaining native ciscoes arebloater and cisco (lake herring). Non-nativePacific salmon have been stocked in the lake since the 1960s, but are less abundant since a profound food web change that took place in 2003. Lake trout have also been stocked for decades in an attempt to rehabilitate the species and today are largely self-sustaining, especially in the northern half of the lake.
Lake Huron contains many species of algae and seaweed, including thecurly-leafed pondweed, a tall, kelp-like seaweed with small curly leaves able to grow up to 5 metres (16 ft);spiked water-milfoil, a tall kelp-like seaweed with pine-like leaves, often growing in bushes, reaching heights of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft);water silk, a smooth, silk-like algae that often grows on rocks; andmuskgrass, a seaweed with a skinny stem and flower-like leaves. It is important to note that spiked water-milfoil and curly-leafed pondweed are both invasive species that can remove resources from native algae species.[42]
Lake Huron has suffered recently by the introduction of a variety of new invasive species, includingzebra andquagga mussels, thespiny water flea, andround gobies. Thedemersal fish community of the lake was in a state of collapse by 2006,[43] and a number of drastic changes have been observed in thezooplankton community of the lake.[44]Chinook salmon catches have also been greatly reduced in recent years, andlake whitefish have become less abundant and are in poor condition. These recent changes may be attributable to the new exotic species. Some native species, however were beneficiaries of these chances (principally a result of the almost complete disappearance of the invasive Alewife in the lake). These native species include Lake Trout andWalleye. The Walleye population inSaginaw Bay area of Lake Huron reached recovery targets in 2009.
^National Geophysical Data Center (1996)."Bathymetry of Lake Michigan". National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.doi:10.7289/V5B85627. RetrievedMarch 23, 2015. (only small portion of this map)
^National Geophysical Data Center (1999)."Bathymetry of Lake Ontario". National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.doi:10.7289/V56H4FBH. RetrievedMarch 23, 2015. (only small portion of this map)
^National Geophysical Data Center (1999)."Bathymetry of Lake Superior". National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. RetrievedMarch 23, 2015. (the general reference to NGDC because this lake was never published, compilation of Great Lakes Bathymetry at NGDC has been suspended). (only small portion of this map)
^"Hydrological Components".Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior(PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. August 2007. p. 6. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on October 15, 2008.Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac
^Nash, Gary B. (2015). "Chapter 1".Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early North America. Los Angeles. p. 8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Parker, Jack (1986).Shipwrecks of Lake Huron . . . The Great Sweetwater Sea. Au Train, Michigan: Avery Color Studios. pp. 65–77.
^Allen, Durward L. (September 1959)."Lasalle's Griffin?".Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. pp. 19,76–77.
^ab"Mississagi Lighthouse". Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. RetrievedJuly 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Barcus, Frank (1986).Freshwater Fury: Yarns and Reminiscences of the Greatest Storm in Inland Navigation. Great Lakes Books Series. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. p. 72.ISBN9780814318287.
^Riley, Stephen C.; Roseman, Edward F.; Nichols, S. Jerrine; O'Brien, Timothy P.; Kiley, Courtney S.; Schaeffer, Jeffrey S. (November 2008). "Deepwater demersal fish community collapse in Lake Huron".Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Vol. 137, no. 6. pp. 1879–1880.doi:10.1577/T07-141.1.
^Barbiero, Richard P.; Balcer, Mary; Rockwell, David C.; Tuchman, Marc L. (April 2009). "Recent shifts in the crustacean zooplankton community of Lake Huron".Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Vol. 66, no. 5. pp. 816–828.doi:10.1139/F09-036.
.jpg)
.jpg)
