Since Lake Michigan's waves are caused by the wind, when there's a strong wind from the north traveling down the more than 300 miles of Lake Michigan, the waves hitting the south shore can become gigantic.
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But what is the tallest wave ever recorded on Lake Michigan? Records show that the highest wave recorded reached 23 feet. It came in September 2011 and was recorded by a buoy that has measured waves since 1981. The largest wave was taller than some houses!
The lakes have more coastline than the East and West coasts combined! While ocean waves are created by distant storm systems, waves on the Great Lakes are formed by localized winds.
“The waves hit you every three to five seconds in the Great Lakes, where in the ocean it might be 10 to 12 seconds between waves,” said Guy Meadows, a Michigan senior research scientist.
Not only is this lake massive - spanning 307 miles in either direction - but its shores also run parallel, causing unique wave shapes. The shapes of these waves are what contribute to rip tides, which are one of the most dangerous things swimmers can encounter in the water.
SOUTH CHIPPEWA BASINIt is so named because it is the main site of the former Lake Chippewa. Depths in excess of 275m, deepest of Lake Michigan, are reached near the southern end of this basin, where a large segment of the floor of Lake Michigan extends below sea level.
Thankfully, though, a REAL tsunami is VERY unlikely on the Great Lakes, as there are no major fault lines that run underneath them that could cause earthquakes. But that doesn't mean, big waves aren't out of the question on them.
While the terminology tsunami does not technically apply in the Great Lakes (it is an ocean phenomenon), a large, rogue wave or set of waves crashing along our freshwater shores are not unheard of. In 2013, just such a wave occurred along one Lake Erie beach, sweeping several people up and taking them out to sea.
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.
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.
According to the article, the most dangerous creature in Michigan lakes is the Sea Lamprey. I has a round, sucker-like mouth and really harsh, sharp teeth put together in circular rows.
The primary reason for shipwrecks on the Great Lakes is stormy weather, specifically in the upper portions of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior. In the late fall and early winter, weather can be particularly treacherous. Most Great Lakes shipwrecks occurred in the late fall.
How did the Great Lakes get so deep? The Great Lakes are deep due to the heavy glaciers slowly moving north over time. The weight of these glaciers caused the now Great Lakes to become deeper as they moved.