The origin of Lake Baikal is tectonic. It is 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 are disputes about how old the reservoir actually is. As a rule, everyone adheres to the framework: 25-35 million years. However, it is precisely about the exact calculations that discussions are underway. Such a "lifespan" for the lake is very uncharacteristic, as a rule, all lakes become swampy after 10-15 thousand years of existence.
General geographical information
Lake Baikal is located in the center of Asia, it stretches from southwest to northeast. Its length is 620 km, the minimum width is 24 km, and the maximum width 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. coastline to the eastgently sloping.
This reservoir is the deepest in the world. The total area of Lake Baikal is 31 thousand km2. 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 reserve - 23 thousand km3. Among the lakes, Baikal ranks second in this figure. It is inferior to the Caspian Sea, but the difference is that the latter has s alty waters. An interesting fact is that the reservoir has more water than the entire Great Lakes system.
In the 19th century, it was found that 336 water streams flow into Baikal. At the moment, there is no exact figure, and scientists constantly give different data: from 544 to 1120.
Climate and waters of Lake Baikal
The description of Lake Baikal makes it clear that the water of the reservoir contains a lot of oxygen, few minerals (suspended and dissolved) and organic impurities.
Because of 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 blue in the spring), you can see the bottom of the lake, if its depth in this place does not exceed 40 meters. In summer and autumn, the pigment that colors the water disappears, the transparency becomes minimal (no more than 10 m). There are also few s alts, so you can use water as distilled water.
Freeze up
Freezing continues from the beginning of January to the first decade of March. The entire surface of the reservoir is covered with ice, except for the one located in the Angara. 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 appear, cracks break 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 one is the main one. Thanks to the cracks, the fish do not die, as the water is enriched with oxygen. Due to the fact that the ice transmits the sun's rays, algae grow well in the water.
Origin of Lake Baikal
Questions about the origin of Baikal still do not have an exact answer, and scientists are discussing this issue. Now there is evidence that the current coastline is no more than 8 thousand years old, while the reservoir itself has existed much longer.
Some researchers admit the idea that the origin of Lake Baikal is associated with the presence of a mantle plume, others - with a transform fault zone, and still others - with a collision of the Eurasian plate. At the same time, the reservoir is still changing due to constant earthquakes.
The only thing known for certain is that the basin in which Baikal is located is a rift one. Its structure is similar to that of the Dead Sea basin.
The origin of the basin of Lake Baikal fell on the Mesozoic period. However, someare 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. Currently, the emergence of new ones continues. Due to a strong earthquake, a section 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 sank several meters down.
Underground is constantly heating up the bowels, this greatly affects the origin of the basin of Lake Baikal. It is these areas of the earth that are capable of lifting the earth's crust, breaking it, deforming it. Most likely, it was this process that became decisive in the formation of the ridges that surround the entire reservoir. At the moment, tectonic depressions surround Baikal from almost all sides.
Many people know the fact that every year the shores of the lake move away from each other by 2-3 cm. The origin of Lake Baikal has affected the seismic activity in the area. Now there is not a single volcano in the reservoir zone, but volcanic activity is still present.
The relief of the lake developed under the influence of the Ice Age. In some moraines, their influence is observed. Blocks up to 120 meters in size fell into the reservoir. It is also possible that the origin of Lake Baikal was associated with the melting of ice floes. But what is known for sure is that the reservoir is not covered with ice for a long time, thanks to which life is preserved in it.
Flora and fauna
Baikal is rich in fish and plants. 2 thousand species live heresea animals. Most of them are endemic, that is, they can live only in this reservoir. Such a large number of inhabitants of the lake is due to the fact that there is a sufficient oxygen content in the water. Epishura crustaceans are often found. They play an important role in the life of the entire Baikal, as they perform a filtering function.
Stages of studying and settling the lake
According to the documents that were found as a result of the inspection of Lake Baikal, until the 12th century, the adjacent territories were inhabited by Buryats. They first mastered the western coast, and later reached Transbaikalia. Russian settlements appeared only in the 18th century.
Environmental situation
Baikal has a unique ecology. In 1999, official regulations were adopted that protect the reservoir. A regime has been established that controls all human activity. The problems of Lake Baikal are associated with cutting down trees, which has a strong impact on the environment. People doing this sort of thing are prosecuted.
Origin of the name
This question is still unclear, and the data provided by scientists varies greatly. To date, there are more than ten explanations and conjectures. Some are based on the version, which lies in the origin of the name from the Turkic language (Bai-Kul), others - Mongolian (Bagal, also Baigal Dalai). Those people who lived on the shore of the lake itself called it completely differently: Lamu, Beihai, Beigal-Nuur.
Baikal can be reached from any direction. As a rule, tourists visit it in Severobaikalsk, 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 vacation quite actively and enjoy the beauty of the lake.
On the northern shore of Lake Baikal is the Khakusy resort. In addition, you can meet ecological trails.
