The deepest lake in Eurasia: the characteristic of Baikal

The Earth is a unique planet, dominated by the water element. The continuous chain of the World Ocean surrounds it from all sides. However, there are internal reservoirs, surrounded by continental firmament from all sides. Among them there are many surprising in their properties and characteristics of geographical objects. The main freshwater storage on Earth will be described in this article.

Geographic characteristics of the lake

The deepest lake in Eurasia, as well as other geographic objects of this type - these are reservoirs that appeared in natural depressions and are not connected with the World Ocean.

Scientists distinguish many types of lakes, depending on their origin. The results of the studies proved that the tectonic reservoirs are the largest. They are formed as a result of the mobility of the earth's crust, mainly in the places of its faults. That's why they differ in size and rocky shores. This type includes the deepest lake on the continent of Eurasia.

Volcanic lakes are water bodies formed in the craters of non-active volcanoes. The most famous representatives of this variety are the lakes of Java.

Another type of lakes by origin is glacial ponds. They are formed under the influence of glaciers on the earth's surface. Over time, glaciers are washed in it with depressions that fill with water, and then become lakes.

Characteristics of Baikal

When passing the topic "Inner Waters" at the lessons of geography in the school, the question arises: "Which lake is the deepest in Eurasia?" At the answer it is necessary to mention its characteristics: the area, volume, width, and also to specify the representatives of flora and fauna living in it. Let us indicate which is the deepest lake in Eurasia. The name and depth of it - Baikal, 1642 m.

Let us turn to his detailed description. Baikal is one of the largest lakes in the world, not only in depth, but also in terms of the total surface area, which is 32 thousand square kilometers. Age of the reservoir has not yet been determined reliably. Estimated data - from 25 to 35 million years.

As mentioned above, Baikal is a unique repository of fresh water, the largest on Earth. Its volume allows you to accommodate 19% of the world's reserves of this natural resource. Such reserves will be enough for mankind for 40 years, and thanks to the extensive coastline, more than 50 thousand people can drink water from the lake at the same time.

The purity of Lake Baikal is impressive: large stones can be seen at a depth of about 40 m, and the amount of mineral salts contained in its waters is extremely small. In addition, the oxygen content is great both at the depth and near the surface of the lake, because of what many endemic species of plants and animals inhabit it.

Interesting facts about Lake Baikal

The deepest lake in Eurasia is constantly fed by 336 rivers and streams. It should be noted that all the rivers flow into Baikal, and only one flows from it - the Angara.

The lake is full of mysteries. One of them is the icy rings of Lake Baikal. Some of them are so large that their existence was established only with the development of space technologies. Photographs from the satellite showed that the ice rings, the so-called "hills", are about 5-7 km in diameter. They appear not every year and in different places of the reservoir. It is especially interesting that the ice in these rings is not transparent, but has a dark gray hue. Scientists suggest that this natural phenomenon is caused by gas emissions from the bottom of Lake Baikal.

The territory on which the deepest lake of Eurasia and the world is located is a seismically active zone. No wonder the lake belongs to the category of tectonic by origin. The mobility of the earth's crust in this region is very high, which often leads to earthquakes. As a rule, their strength does not exceed 1-2 points, but there are exceptions. So, in 1862 there was a ten-point Kudara earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people.

Animal world of the lake

The deepest lake in Eurasia is unique in its fauna. The variety of species of animals that live in this area is huge. Among them, the seal, a mammal, which usually does not live in fresh water, stands out. Another living thing is a small fish, a golomyanka, a body that contains about 30% fat. It migrates daily from lake depths to shallow water. Crustacean epishura is the "filter" of Baikal. It cleans the water of all sorts of garbage, so it remains so clean.

Research of Baikal

Scientists from the second half of the XX century are trying to explore the bottom of the lake. Since 1977, several dives of the inhabited "Paysis" device were carried out, which eventually resulted in success - in 1991 the device reached the bottom of the reservoir.

Other research expeditions were also organized. Their goal was to study the bottom of Baikal, for which 52 submerged submersible devices "Mir" were manufactured.

The Legend of Baikal

The deepest lake in Eurasia, of course, has gathered around itself a lot of rumors and legends. The most famous myth of the reservoir is the story of why all the rivers flow into it, and only one flows away. They say that in ancient times the beautiful Angara was the daughter of a terrible Baikal. The father loved her and did everything to protect her. But soon Angara fell in love with the beautiful Enisei and ran to him. Enraged Baikal struck the mountain, which split and fell on the throat of his daughter. Later, the fragment of this rock was named Shaman stone. The pagans brought rich sacrifices there and performed rituals in order to appease the gods.