Averaging 279 feet deep, the lake reaches 925 feet at its deepest point. Lake Michigan is approximately 118 miles wide and 307 miles long and boasts more than 1,600 miles of shoreline, including many sandy beaches.
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The lake's formation began 1.2 billion years ago when two tectonic plates moving in opposite directions left a giant scar—an event now known as the Midcontinent Rift. Less than 15,000 years ago, melting glaciers filled the giant basin, and Lake Michigan came to be. The lake's maximum depth is 925 feet.
At the bottom of Lake Michigan, you will find non-fish inhabitants of the lake, such as worms, mollusks, amphipods, and insect larvae. These small creatures provide food for non-native fish such as whitefish, round goby, and perch.
The Lake Sturgeon - Michigan's Biggest Creature You may be a little startled if it decides to swim past your feet, as the Lake Sturgeon is rather big in size. On average, they can be anywhere between six and three feet in length. They will also weigh anywhere between 30-100lbs.
In 2007, a row of stones paralleling an ancient shoreline was discovered by Mark Holley, professor of underwater archeology at Northwestern Michigan College. This formation lies 40 feet (12 m) below the surface of the lake. One of the stones is said to have a carving resembling a mastodon.
At 1,943 feet (592 meters), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depths were first explored thoroughly in 1886 by a party from the U.S. Geological Survey.
There are nearly 1,500 shipwrecks sprawled across Lake Michigan's sandy floor, many dating back to the early 1800s! Swallowed by the water from ferocious storms, high waves, or fire, what remains of them now are wooden ribs, frames, and memories.
The blue in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is sediment brought to the surface when strong winds churned the lakes. The green in Lake Erie and in Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay is algae, which builds on the surface when winds are calm.
Lake Michigan wrecks: the oldest and the mostestLake Michigan contains more shipwrecks than any of the other Great Lakes, as well as the oldest recorded one: the French ship Griffon, the first European vessel to sail the Lakes.
While certain states have given up some shoreline ownership to private citizens, the public always has access to the water. In Michigan, private shoreline property stretches to the water's edge, but private beaches are treated like thoroughfares, with foot traffic allowed up to the natural high water mark.
Singapore's demiseWithout the protective tree cover, the winds and sands coming off Lake Michigan quickly eroded the town into ruins and within four years had completely covered it. The town was vacated by 1875. Today, Singapore lives on only in the name of the Singapore Yacht Club, which is at one end of town.
Lake Michigan TunnelsThe solution was to intake water further offshore through a system of cribs that connected to the water supply via tunnels under the lake. The first tunnel was completed in 1867, connecting to an intake crib two miles offshore to the pumping station at Chicago and Michigan Avenues.
Amphipods, worms, insect larvae, and mollusks live at the bottom of Lake Michigan. These small deepwater creatures are familiar in many lakes around the country.
Climate change is fueling more extreme Lake Michigan Water levels, along with stronger winds and heavier storms. These conditions exacerbate erosion, beach loss, and damage along the shore.
Drinking Water - State of the Great Lakes. The 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement states that “the Waters of the Great Lakes should be a source of safe, high quality drinking water”. Approximately 8.5 million Canadians and 19.5 million Americans get their drinking water from the surface waters of the Great Lakes.
Alligators are rarely found in the Great Lakes. Although some alligators thrive in freshwater, it's just too cold in the north for them to survive. They don't typically live farther north than North Carolina. It's unclear how the alligator arrived to Lake Michigan.