The great lakes were formed by the glaciers. The Term glacier means a huge block of ice that pushed soil and minerals down to the South Pole millions of years ago. Actually it all started with a little snow. Later on avalanches started to slide down to the South Pole. When they melted they formed the great lakes. The St. Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The Saint Lawernce River makes it possible to transport goods from the Great Lakes area to anywhere in the world. Even though the great lakes are connected to the Atlantic Ocean they are not as salty.

Here is a good way to remember the five great lakes:

H=Huron

O=Ontario

M=Michigan

E=Erie

S=Superior

This spells out HOMES, so remember HOMES.

Believe it or not there are more minerals now than if the glaciers did not slide down the earth. Two of these minerals are lignite and coal. Both of these are very important to society. Coal is used to heat homes and make trains move.

One interesting fact about the great lakes is their depths. Lake Erie is the smallest, 112 feet deep. Then Lake Huron which is 752 feet deep. Lake Ontario is the third smallest, 804 feet deep. Lake Michigan is 925 feet deep. The largest is 1333 feet deep this lake is Lake Superior. The different sizes and depths of the Great Lakes was caused by the different glaciers that passed over the area where they are now. As the glaciers moved and melted they removed soil and then deposited it when they melted. As the glaciers melted they filled up the holes they left in the land with water.