How deep is Lake Baikal?
Lake Baikal reaches a maximum depth of 1,642 meters, making it the deepest lake in the world. Its floor lies 1,186.5 meters below sea level, and beneath that floor lies approximately 7 kilometers of accumulated sediment.
Questions about Lake Baikal
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How much of the world's fresh water does Lake Baikal contain?
Lake Baikal contains approximately 22 to 23 percent of the world's fresh surface water, or about 23,615 cubic kilometers. That is more freshwater than all of the North American Great Lakes combined.
How old is Lake Baikal?
Lake Baikal is estimated to be 25 to 30 million years old, making it the most ancient lake in geological history. It formed in a rift valley where the Earth's crust is slowly pulling apart at about 4 millimeters per year.
What animals are endemic to Lake Baikal?
Lake Baikal is home to thousands of endemic species, including the Baikal seal (nerpa), the translucent golomyanka fish, more than 350 endemic amphipod species, roughly 200 endemic ostracod species, over 140 endemic flatworm species, and sponges of the family Lubomirskiidae. More than half of the lake's native fish species are found nowhere else on Earth.
When did Russia first reach Lake Baikal?
Kurbat Ivanov became the first European to see Lake Baikal and Olkhon Island in 1643, traveling up the Lena River. Russian expansion into the Buryat territory around the lake took place between 1628 and 1658 as part of the broader Russian conquest of Siberia.
What environmental threats face Lake Baikal today?
Lake Baikal faces pollution from industrial sources, tourism waste, and invasive algae. Since 2010, more than 15,000 metric tons of toxic waste have entered the lake, and local ships dispose of up to 25,000 tons of liquid waste annually. The endemic omul fish population is declining, and endemic sponge species are dying across the lake floor.