Great Slave LakeThe deepest lake in North America
The deepest point of any North American lake.
- Surface area
- 28,568 km²
- Water volume
- 1,580 km³
- Max depth
- 614 m
See its true size
One shared area scaleBoth outlines share one area scale. The bars compare water volume.
Reference data: Encyclopædia Britannica: jezioro Bajkał (2024).
Simplified outlines: Natural Earth (public domain), reprojected to one shared scale.
among the 18 lakes in this section
It is the deepest lake on the continent, even though its western section is shallow. The contrast shows how much depth can vary within a single lake.
The map intuition
Just another large Canadian lake on the Shield.
About the lake
Great Slave Lake has a branching shape with a long eastern arm that reaches 614 m. This is the deepest point in any North American lake and lies below the bottom of every Great Lake.
Its western part, by contrast, is shallow and murky. That asymmetry means its 28,568 km² surface holds about 1,580 km³ of water. For five winter months its ice is thick enough to carry trucks.
- Mean depth
- 41 m
- Surface elevation
- 156 m a.s.l.
- Location
- Canada
- Type
- glacial lake (on a fault)
Where the lake is
Great Slave Lake: Questions
It reaches 614 m in the eastern arm. That makes it North America's deepest lake, 208 m deeper than Lake Superior, the deepest Great Lake.
Yes. Winter roads have been marked across parts of the frozen lake for trucks serving destinations including mines.
About 1,580 km³ across 28,568 km². The maximum depth occurs in the eastern arm, while the western section is much shallower.
Sources and data year
Outline: Natural Earth, public domain. Simplified and reprojected.