How does the lake differ from the sea? Now we find out

Due to the fact that many lakes, which now exist in nature, are mistakenly called seas, people often get confused in these two terms. In order to be able to accurately classify a particular pond into one of the categories, it is necessary to know what the lake differs from the sea from the scientific, geographic and geological point of view. So now we'll look at the main features of both, and then compare them with each other.

Short definition of the lake

So, the lake is called the closed land from all sides formation, which is a deep hollow. It is filled with water and is not connected with other water bodies of the planet (rivers, seas, glaciers and other). Lakes are referred to as inland waters, which can have different origins and characteristics. For example, the largest lake is the Caspian (it is often called the sea), filled with salt water. The deepest reservoir of the planet is Baikal - a freshwater source located in the zone of the purest air.

Tectonic lake

To understand what the lake differs from the sea, it is important to know the history of the origin of this reservoir. We will consider them in an illustrative example and compare them. Breaking a tectonic plate or its deformation is the right way to the appearance of a depression that can be filled with water. It was during such lithospheric changes that the notorious Baikal formed, as well as the Caspian Sea. A number of tectonic lakes can be attributed to the Aral Sea, which today is almost completely dried up. A number like educated lakes is traced on every continent. In Africa, the rupture of tectonic plates spawned reservoirs called Edward, Albert, Malawi and others. In Israel there is also a giant salt tectonic lake - the Dead Sea.

Lakes of highlands

It is easier to understand what the lake differs from the sea, you can, considering this pond in a mountainous area. In such regions, the so-called lagoon lakes are popular, which are formed by the collapse of rocks and large stones. Thus, the path of rivers and other sewage ponds in the gorge ceases, and a closed deaf lake is formed. You can find similar miracles of light in every area of mountain ranges. They are in Canada, and in the States, and in Russia, and most of them are concentrated in Asia, between numerous elevations. In this topic, we also note that there are also forbidden lakes for swimming, which are located in craters of volcanoes. They have unearthly beauty, but the water contains a lot of gases and acids.

Definition

To finally comprehend, than the lake differs from the sea, consider the encoding of the second. The sea is part of one of the oceans of the planet. It can only be salt water, it is directly connected with "fatherly" large waters. The sea separates from the ocean by islands that rise above its level, or underwater ridges. In the sea can be different from the ocean current, flora and fauna, as well as climate. Seas are divided into internal and external. The first are tightly clamped by the continent, have access to the ocean only through the strait. This is the Azov, Black, Mediterranean seas. The latter are located on the map in the form of bays of one of the oceans, surrounded by islands. This Okhotsk, Caribbean, Andaman.

Let's sum up the results

So, the main difference of the lake from the sea is that the first belongs to the waters of the land, the second - to the waters of the World Ocean. It can also be noted that in the seas we meet exclusively saline waters, while lakes can be both fresh sources and mineralized ones. Well, the difference is in the quantity. Today there are 63 seas on the planet, but how many lakes there are - still unknown.