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Why is Lake Superior not considered a sea?

Lake Superior contains fresh water, is uphill from the ocean by far more than the tides can reach (its mean elevation is 600 feet or so), and is downhill from a number of fresh-water inputs in a well watered part of the US and Canada.



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While lakes are fully surrounded by land, a sea is only partly surrounded by land, according to National Geographic(Opens in a new window). The Caspian Sea is fully surrounded by land, but it contains saltwater, which is not typical for lakes. However, it's by no means the only saltwater lake in the world.

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Water flows downhill, and the ocean is at the bottom of the hill, right? But Great Salt Lake sits at the bottom of a closed basin. It's a terminal lake. The only way water can leave is through evaporation.

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For this reason, all seas are saline, or salty. Some seas are called bays (like the Bay of Bengal, between India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Indonesia), while some lakes are called seas (like the Caspian Sea, shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan). There are more than 50 seas on Earth.

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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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With a salinity level over 40 percent, Don Juan is significantly saltier than most of the other hypersaline lakes around the world. The Dead Sea has a salinity of 34 percent; the Great Salt Lake varies between 5 and 27 percent. Earth's oceans have an average salinity of 3.5 percent.

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According to a recent study by Brigham Young University, it's possible that Great Salt Lake could dry up completely in the next five years.

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While there have been past “sightings,” most have turned out to be pranks or misidentifications. The reality is that the largest of the Great Lakes (Lake Superior and Michigan) are extremely deep lakes that are too cold for sharks.

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Consequently, the Great Lakes are considered to be non-tidal. Water levels in the Great Lakes have long-term, annual, and short-term variations.

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Lawrence Seaway (the Highway H2O): Opened to deep draft navigation in 1959. Distance from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota via Lake Superior is 2,038 nautical miles and takes 8.5 sailing days.

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Spanning nearly 32,000 square miles, Lake Superior is not only the largest freshwater lake in the world (by surface area) but it is also one of the largest lakes in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea.

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Yes, Lake Superior is safe for swimming. Lake Superior has the lowest drowning rate among all the Great Lakes.

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Although whoever enters the water immediately floats, you should keep in mind that it is still possible to drown in the Dead Sea. This happens when swimmers get caught in strong winds, flip over and swallowing the salty water. Always make sure to only enter proclaimed beaches, in the presence of a lifeguard.

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The Dead Sea's extreme salinity excludes all forms of life except bacteria. Fish carried in by the Jordan or by smaller streams when in flood die quickly.

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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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The deepest point in Lake Superior (about 40 miles north of Munising, Michigan) is 1,300 feet (400 meters) below the surface.

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