Baikal is not only a lake, but also a unique natural phenomenon. This reservoir is an object of endless interest from researchers, travelers and writers. Hundreds of works have been written about Baikal and dozens of films have been shot. Everyone from the school bench knows that this lake is a real asset not only of Russia, but of the whole world. In the end, Baikal is definitely the place where you should visit at least once in your life. In the meantime, we offer you 10 of the most interesting facts about this legendary lake.
10. Baikal is the deepest lake on our planet
And for the seed, here's a well-known fact that is familiar to each of the lessons of geography. Indeed, Baikal is not only soda, but also the deepest of the lakes located on our planet. In a kind of ranking table, Baikal is in the lead, ahead of its predecessor (Lake Tanganyika) by 172 meters. The deepest point of the great Russian reservoir is located at the level of 1642 meters below the horizon. This fact was first established in 1983 during a study of the bottom of the lake, after which, in 2002, when compiling a bathymetric map of Lake Baikal, the maximum depth was confirmed.
9. The lake is so big that it would fit about a hundred Azov seas
Many people, especially locals (we recall that the object of our current interest is located in the Irkutsk region) tend to call Lake Baikal not a lake at all, but a whole sea. Well, this is quite justified, especially against the background of the fact that Baikal is much larger in volume than some water bodies that are nominally considered seas. The greatest contrast can be seen when comparing the lake with the Sea of Azov. The volume indicators of these two reservoirs vary by almost a hundred times! It is not at all surprising, given that the maximum depth of the Sea of Azov is only 13.5 meters. Look at the point above - yeah, here's our little honeycomb and found.
8. The water temperature of the upper layers in the summer is only 8-10 degrees
However, Baikal can compete with the seas (warm, of course, as we all love) only in the volume of water. After all, the lake is very cold. Is it a joke if during the freezing period (which lasts 4 months, from January to May), Baikal turns into a giant piece of ice with only one ice-free section. Water does not warm up to a comfortable bathing temperature even in the middle of summer - the temperature of the upper layers of the lake does not rise above 10 degrees. The record maximum happened once when the water in some parts of Lake Baikal warmed up to 23 degrees, but this was a big exception. Well, what did you want from the Siberian lake?
7. The lake is located in a seismically active zone
The territory on which the lake is located (Baikal rift zone) is marked by high seismological activity. Earthquakes regularly occur here, although in most cases the power of the shocks does not exceed 2 points. However, there are cases of real natural disasters. The Tsagan earthquake, which occurred in 1862, when the tremors reached 10 points, and literally washed away as many as 200 “squares” of land along with residents, is considered the largest in the world. Over the past 100 years, 6 earthquakes were recorded in the Baikal region, the average power of which fluctuated within 9 points.
6. The water is so clear that in some places you can see the bottom at a depth of 38 meters
Everyone is used to the fact that the water in our seas and lakes, frankly, is not the most transparent. But Baikal is absolutely not concerned. Here you can look through the water surface, as if it does not exist at all. Indeed, in some areas in spring visibility reaches 40 meters. Imagine, you see the bottom or stones just like you see asphalt from the roof of a 12-story building. A real fantasy! However, this only happens in the first few weeks after freezing. In summer and autumn, as many living organisms nucleate in warm (relatively of course) Baikal water, visibility begins to decline and stops at around 8 meters, which in general is also very good.
5. Age is about 25 million years
In fact, the origin and age of Lake Baikal is a cause for debate by many scientists. Some are inclined to believe that the lake is quite young and its deepest parts are only 150,000 years old, others call the number 35 million years old, while others are not in a hurry with loud conclusions and adhere to the traditional version. It says that Baikal appeared about 25 million years ago. It is extremely difficult for a person whose life span is about a century to estimate time on such a scale. Nevertheless, even if taken at least 150,000 years, Baikal is still a unique lake, since water bodies of glacial origin usually exist for no more than 15,000 years.
4. 336 rivers flow into Baikal, and only one river flows out - the Angara
This scientifically proven fact is traditionally taken as the basis for all kinds of legends about Lake Baikal. The most familiar plot of the myth is as follows. Baikal had 336 sons, all of them nourished and filled their father. But Baikal also had one and only daughter of Angara, who fell in love with the Yenisei and gave him father water. For this, the father cursed his daughter, throwing a Shaman-stone at her (this rock is considered the beginning of the Angara). Judging by the current state of affairs, this did not stop her daughter. One way or another, Baikal from all sides is filled with 336 water arteries, the largest of which are Selenga, Barguzin, Kichera and Tyya. Only Angara flows out of the lake.
3. On the coast grow 700-year-old larches and 600-year-old cedars
Baikal is not only a giant lake, but also an equally large-scale source of life for various representatives of flora and fauna. The territory of Baikal is one of the few places on the planet where truly virgin nature is located, not touched by man and not subordinate to him. The average age of the trees dotted with the coast of the lake varies within 6 centuries. Just think about how much has happened during the existence of these larches and cedars! And they continue their quiet and calm life on the shore of Lake Baikal-father. By the way, cedars even continue to bear fruit.
2. Water contains almost no minerals
However, it’s already enough to stagnate on the shore, because the main object of research and discussion is Baikal water - the lake after all. Above we touched on the topic of its unique transparency. There is a logical explanation for this phenomenon - the water in Baikal is extremely poor in minerals, and there are practically no organic impurities in it. In addition, the liquid has a rather low salt content - there are not more than 100 milligrams per liter. But Baikal water is very rich in oxygen, as a result of which every summer and autumn life here is really bubbling.
1. In Baikal, 10% of the reserves of all fresh water on Earth are concentrated
The volume of water in Baikal is so great that meticulous analysts were not too lazy and made the following calculations. If we conditionally divide all the water from the lake between the inhabitants of Russia, then each will have 150,000 tons of liquid (this is approximately 2,700 railway tanks of 60 tons each). To say that it is a lot is to say nothing. The uniqueness of Lake Baikal is that this lake is filled with fresh water. Therefore, every drop represents a global supply of this precious liquid. According to official figures, a tenth of the freshwater resource on our planet is located in Baikal.