Jonathan Nelson, age 11, of Dayton, Ohio, for his question:

WHICH GREAT LAKE IS THE SHALLOWEST?

Shallowest of the Great Lakes Is Lake Erie, the southernmost of the group of large lakes. At its deepest point, it is only 210 feet deep.

Lake Erie is larger than Lake Ontario but it is smaller than Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior. It is about 241 miles long and 57 miles wide. It covers an area of 9,910 square miles. The surface of the water is 572 feet above sea level.

Lake Erie receives its water from the three larger Great Lakes through the St. Clair River, Lake St. Class end the Detroit River.

Important cities on the shores of Lake Erie include Cleveland, Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio; Erie, Pa.; and Buffalo, N.Y.

Lake Erie was opened to large oceangoing ships when the St. Lawrence Seaway was completed in 1959.