Lake Erie
A broad sheet over a shallow floor.
Where the lake is
The pulsing dot marks the lake's position (USA / Canada).
among the 18 lakes in this section
The fourth largest Great Lake, so plenty of water.
Erie holds the least water of all the Great Lakes. With a mean depth of 19 m, its large surface contains less than one third of the volume held by the smaller Lake Ontario.
About the lake
Erie covers 25,700 km² and ranks fourth among the five Great Lakes by area. Its mean depth is only 19 m and its maximum depth is 64 m, making it the shallowest Great Lake.
That shallow basin holds only 484 km³ of water, the least of any Great Lake and less than one third of Lake Ontario's volume. Erie warms quickly in summer and develops the most extensive ice cover of the five in winter.
Lake Erie: Questions
It is very shallow, averaging about 19 m. Across 25,700 km², that yields only 484 km³, the least of any Great Lake.
Yes. As the shallowest Great Lake, it cools fastest and can become almost completely ice covered during severe winters.
About 484 km³, the least of the Great Lakes. Erie has a larger surface than Ontario, but Ontario holds more than three times as much water.