Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is the third largest Great Lake by surface area and the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world. Since Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are connected by the Straits of Mackinac, they are considered one lake hydrologically. If they were considered a single lake, its surface area would cover 45,000 square miles and would replace Lake Superior as the largest freshwater lake.
Surface Area: 22,300 square miles
Volume: 1,180 cubic miles
Length: 307 miles
Width: 118 miles (Petoskey is the widest point)
Shoreline: 1,659 miles
Maximum Depth: 925 feet
Average Depth: 279 feet
Total Basin Drainage: 45,600 square miles
Retention/Replacement Time: 99 years
Outlet: Straits of Mackinac to Lake Huron
Major Diversions: Chicago diversion from Lake Michigan into the Mississippi River Basin through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Point of Interest: Home to the world’s largest freshwater dunes system
Surface Area: 22,300 square miles
Volume: 1,180 cubic miles
Length: 307 miles
Width: 118 miles (Petoskey is the widest point)
Shoreline: 1,659 miles
Maximum Depth: 925 feet
Average Depth: 279 feet
Total Basin Drainage: 45,600 square miles
Retention/Replacement Time: 99 years
Outlet: Straits of Mackinac to Lake Huron
Major Diversions: Chicago diversion from Lake Michigan into the Mississippi River Basin through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Point of Interest: Home to the world’s largest freshwater dunes system
