Lake Ontario
The smallest Great Lake sheet, but not the least water.
Where the lake is
The pulsing dot marks the lake's position (USA / Canada).
among the 18 lakes in this section
The smallest Great Lake, so the least water too.
The reverse: despite a smaller sheet, Ontario holds over three times more water than the larger-area Erie, because it is four times deeper.
About the lake
Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by area (18,960 km²), a compact oval below Niagara Falls, which separates it from Erie and bridges a 99 m drop in level.
Though smaller in area than Erie, Ontario is far deeper (86 m mean) and holds over three times more water: 1,640 km³ against Erie's 484 km³. It is the sharpest proof that depth decides volume.
Lake Ontario: Questions
By area yes (18,960 km²). But by volume it beats Erie more than threefold because it is much deeper.
Niagara Falls and the Niagara River, which drop the 99 m difference in level between the two lakes.
About 1,640 km³ across 18,960 km². That exceeds the 484 km³ held by the larger Lake Erie.