About Lake Erie

Created 7,000 to 32,000 years ago by giant glaciers during the Ice Age, the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada comprise the largest area of inland sea on this planet. Lake Erie, the southernmost of the Great Lakes, is the fourth largest of the five lakes and is 240 miles long and up to 60 miles wide in some areas.

Lake Erie is made up of three separate basins: the eastern basin extends from Buffalo, NY to Erie, Pennsylvania; the central basin reaches from Erie, PA to Cedar Point, Ohio, and the western basin stretches from Cedar Point to Toledo, Ohio. The average depth of the lake is as
low as 35 feet in the western basin of Lake Erie, increasing to over 120 feet in the eastern basin. The difference in the depths of the water is due to the movement of ancient glaciers that carved through the composition of the basins: a hard limestone in the west in contrast to softer  shale deposits on the eastern side of the lake.

 On the Pennsylvania shores of Lake Erie, one can find interesting pieces of shale, sandstone, limestone, and sometimes granite. Flattened and smoothed over the years by the movement of water, sand, and the elements, these are perfect stones for “skipping” across the waves.

In shallow, clear water, stones appear magnified underneath the ripples in hues of warm grays and tans to rusty orange-red against the sand. They range in size from pebbles to large “stepping stones”. The carved silhouettes and softened edges of lake stones have an energy of their own as they are tumbled upon the shoreline. These are the stones Crowspirit gathers for creating naturally energizing pieces of art.