The origin of Lake Baikal is tectonic. It is located in Siberia; is the deepest in the world. The lake and all adjacent territories are inhabited by quite diverse and unique species of animals and plants. An interesting fact is that in the Russian Federation Baikal is called the sea.
At the moment, there is debate about how old the pond is actually. As a rule, everyone adheres to the framework: 25-35 million years. However, it is precisely with regard to accurate calculations that discussions are underway. Such a "life span" for the lake is very uncharacteristic, as a rule, all the lakes become swampy after 10-15 thousand years of existence.
General geographic information
Lake Baikal is located in the center of Asia, it stretches from the southwest to northeast. Its length is 620 km, the minimum width is 24 km, and the maximum is 79 km. The coastline stretches for 2 thousand km. The hollow of the lake is surrounded by hills and mountain ranges. In the west, the coast is steep, rocky. In the east, the coastline is gentle.
This pond is the deepest in the world. The total area of Lake Baikal is 31 thousand km 2 . The average depth of the reservoir is 744 meters. Due to the fact that the basin lies 1 thousand meters below the level of the World Ocean, the basin of this lake is one of the deepest.
Fresh water supply - 23 thousand km 3 . Among the lakes Baikal takes second place in this figure. It is inferior to the Caspian Sea, but the difference is that the latter has saline waters. An interesting fact is that the reservoir has more water than the entire Great Lakes system .
In XIX it was established that 336 water flows flow into Baikal. At the moment, there is no exact figure, and scientists call constantly different data: from 544 to 1120.
Climate and waters of Baikal
The description of Lake Baikal allows us to understand that the water of the reservoir contains a lot of oxygen, few minerals (suspended and dissolved) and organic impurities.
Due to the climate, the waters here are quite cold. In summer, the temperature of the layers does not exceed 9 degrees, less often - 15 degrees. The highest temperature was +23 degrees in some bays.
When the water is blue (as a rule, it becomes such in the spring), the bottom of the lake is visible if its depth in this place does not exceed 40 meters. In summer and autumn, the pigment that stains water disappears, transparency becomes minimal (no more than 10 m). There is also little salt, so you can use water as distilled.
Icing
Freezing lasts from early January to the first decade of March. Ice covers the entire surface of the reservoir, except that located in the hangar. From June to September, Baikal is open for shipping.
The thickness of the ice, as a rule, does not exceed 2 meters. When severe frosts occur, cracks crack the ice into several large pieces. As a rule, gaps occur in the same areas. At the same time, they are accompanied by a very loud sound that resembles shots or thunder. The problems of Lake Baikal are not entirely obvious, but this is the main one. Thanks to cracks, fish do not die, since water is enriched with oxygen. Due to the fact that ice transmits sunlight, algae grow well in water.
The origin of Lake Baikal
Questions about the origin of Lake Baikal still do not have an exact answer, and scientists are discussing this. Now there is evidence that the current coastline is no more than 8 thousand years old, while the reservoir itself has existed for much longer.
Some researchers suggest that the origin of Lake Baikal is associated with the presence of a mantle plume, others - a zone of transform fault, and others - a collision of the Eurasian Plate. At the same time, the reservoir is still changing due to constant earthquakes.
Certainly, it is only known that the hollow in which Baikal is located is a rift. Its structure is similar to the structure of the Dead Sea basin.
The origin of the basin of Lake Baikal was in the Mesozoic period. However, some are of the opinion that this happened 25 million years ago. Since the reservoir has several basins, they all differ both in the time of formation and in structure. The emergence of new ones is ongoing. Thanks to a strong earthquake, a part of the island went under water and a small bay was formed. In 1959, due to the same natural disaster, the bottom of the reservoir fell several meters down.
Underground heating of the bowels is constantly happening, this greatly affects the origin of the basin of Lake Baikal. It is these areas of land that are able to raise the crust of the earth, break it, deform. Most likely, it was such a process that became decisive in the formation of the ridges that surround the entire body of water. At the moment, tectonic depressions surround Lake Baikal from almost all sides.
Many people are aware of the fact that each year the shores of the lake are 2-3 cm apart from each other. The origin of Lake Baikal affected the seismic activity in this area. Now there is not a single volcano in the reservoir area, however, volcanic activity is still present.
The relief of the lake developed under the influence of the ice age. In some moraines, their effect is observed. Lumps up to 120 meters in size fell into the reservoir. It is also possible that the origin of Lake Baikal was associated with melting ice floes. But it is known for sure only that the reservoir is not covered with ice for a long time, so that life is saved in it.
Flora and fauna
Baikal is rich in fish and plants. 2 thousand species of marine animals live here. Most of them are endemic, that is, they can live only in this reservoir. Such a large number of lake residents is due to the fact that the water has a sufficient oxygen content. Often there are copepod crustaceans. They play an important role in the life of the whole Baikal, as they perform a filtering function.
Stages of the study and settlement of the lake
According to documents that were found as a result of exploring Lake Baikal, the Buryats occupied the adjacent territories until the 12th century. They first mastered the west coast, and later reached Transbaikalia. Russian settlements appeared only in the XVIII century.
Ecological situation
Baikal has a unique ecology. In 1999, official regulations were adopted that protect the pond. A regime has been established that controls all human activities. The problems of Lake Baikal are associated with the felling of trees, which has a strong effect on the environment. People who do such things are prosecuted.
origin of name
This question is still unclear, and the data provided by scientists vary widely. To date, there are more than ten explanations and conjectures. Some are based on the version, which consists in the origin of the name from the Turkic language (Bai-Kul), others - the Mongolian (Bagal, also Baigal Dalai). Those people who lived on the shore of the lake itself were called completely different: Lamu, Beihai, Beigal Nuur.
You can get to Baikal from any direction. As a rule, tourists visit it in Severobaykalsk, Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude.
A few kilometers from Irkutsk is Listvyanka - a village near the reservoir itself. It is he who leads in the number of tourists. Here you can spend your holidays quite actively and enjoy the beauty of the lake.
On the northern shore of Lake Baikal is the resort of Khakusy. In addition, you can meet ecological trails.