The authors of the study wrote in the paper: "The plume was under the Great Lakes during 300–200 Ma and probably caused lithosphere thinning and low topography needed for forming the Lakes ...

heated and stretched the crust under the spot that would eventually become the Great Lakes. This process, which happened over tens of millions of years, led to a low spot in the topography of the ...

Photo courtesy of Matt Zuro. Image from NWS webpage. The Laurentian Great Lakes, as the world's largest unfrozen surface freshwater system, hold paramount significance in maintaining the ecological ...