At what point is a lake a sea?

Boundaries are one of the most important ways to define a sea or a lake. Many lakes gain water from rainfall and streams, and they can feed into rivers that flow into the ocean. Seas are bounded by land to some extent, but they are still part of the ocean.



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Some bodies of salt water that are called seas are really lakes. These bodies of water were part of prehistoric oceans or seas. Tectonic shifts blocked their access to larger bodies of water, and they are now completely surrounded by land.

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Lakes exist at many different elevations. One of the highest is Lake Titicaca, in the Andes Mountains between Bolivia and Peru. It is about 3,810 meters (12,500 feet) above sea level. The lowest lake is the Dead Sea, between Israel and Jordan.

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The story of the Great Lakes began over 1 billion years ago, when the ancient supercontinent Laurentia began splitting in half. Over the course of about 10 million years, the Midcontinent Rift System opened a massive fissure on its way to becoming a new ocean basin.

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Geology of Lake Inferior Lake Inferior is an underground lake that is located beneath Lake Superior. It is believed to be formed by a process known as karstification, which is the dissolution of limestone and dolomite rock. This process creates sinkholes, caves, and underground rivers and lakes.

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A sea is defined as a division of the ocean which is enclosed or partially enclosed by land. With that said, the Caspian Sea, Dead Sea, and Aral Sea are actually saltwater lakes, because they lack an outlet to the ocean.

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It is estimated that there are over 550 shipwrecks in Lake Superior. Most of these shipwrecks are undisturbed.

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But those new to the area may not know that underneath the waters of Millerton Lake was the original town of Millerton. According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Millerton Lake was created following the construction of the Friant Dam. But to create the lake, the town underneath had to be flooded.

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Most Canadian lakes are of glacial origin. Movements of the Earth's crust, ie, folding and faulting, can create basins later filled by lakes. Lake Superior has been formed by glacial and tectonic processes.

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The Welland Canal lock system connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, enabling vessels to bypass Niagara Falls. And the St. Lawrence Seaway lock system has tamed the St. Lawrence River, enabling ships to sail from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean since 1959.

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Since there was no channel linking Lake Huron to prehistoric Lake Erie, researchers believe Erie was in inland sea, with its water level controlled by the balance between the inflow from rivers draining into it, as well as precipitation and evaporation.

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True tides—changes in water level caused by the gravitational forces of the sun and moon—do occur in a semi-diurnal (twice daily) pattern on the Great Lakes. Studies indicate that the Great Lakes spring tide, the largest tides caused by the combined forces of the sun and moon, is less than five centimeters in height.

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