Only in surface area is smaller on Lake Ontario. Its surface area is 7,320 square miles, but because it so much deeper, its volume is 393.5 cubic miles (1,640 km³).
Erie, on the other hand does indeed have a larger surface area of 9,940 sq miles (25,744 km²), but because it is much shallower, its volume is far less than half of Ontario, at 115.2 cubic miles (480 km³).
I believe that is why Erie is always listed as the smallest Great Lake.
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Only in surface area is smaller on Lake Ontario. Its surface area is 7,320 square miles, but because it so much deeper, its volume is 393.5 cubic miles (1,640 km³).
Erie, on the other hand does indeed have a larger surface area of 9,940 sq miles (25,744 km²), but because it is much shallower, its volume is far less than half of Ontario, at 115.2 cubic miles (480 km³).
I believe that is why Erie is always listed as the smallest Great Lake.