Baikal is a large lake in Russia, in the south of Eastern Siberia, located in a basin surrounded by mountain ranges. Administratively, it is located within the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia.
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Exactly this deep lake in the world, its greatest depth reaches 1642 meters. It is also the world's largest natural reservoir of fresh water. The lake basin is of tectonic origin and is a rift.
Lake Baikal is one of the most interesting natural attractions in Russia. Since 1996 it has been an object World Heritage UNESCO.
The size of this reservoir is truly impressive. The length of the lake from southwest to northeast is 620 km, and its width varies from 24 to 80 km. The area of the reservoir is 31,722 square meters. km, and its length coastline– 2100 km.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world with a greatest depth of 1642 meters. Moreover, the average depth of this unique reservoir reaches 744 meters. The volume of water is 23,615 cubic meters. km, which is approximately 19% of the total volume of fresh lake water in the world. The water surface is located at absolute levels of 456-457 m.
More than 300 different watercourses flow into Lake Baikal, the largest of which are the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, etc. The only river flowing from the lake is the Angara.
There are 27 islands on Lake Baikal, the largest of which is Olkhon. Its area is 729 square meters. km. The length of this island is more than 70 km, and the width is up to 15 km.
The water level in Baikal is subject to fluctuations. Difference between largest and smallest annual levels usually does not exceed 23 centimeters. However, these seemingly small fluctuations lead to an increase or decrease in the volume of lake water by approximately 3 cubic kilometers. The level of Lake Baikal depends mainly on the amount of precipitation falling in its catchment area.
Baikal climate
During the cold period, it is always a little warmer near the lake, and in warm period– cooler than the surrounding area. In this respect, the Baikal climate is similar to the sea.
Mirror Baikal (Yuri Samoilov / flickr.com)
As in the case of the sea, such climate features are associated with the fact that in the summer a gigantic volume of lake water accumulates a huge amount of heat, and then, in autumn and winter, releases this heat back. This is how the lake’s softening effect on the sharply continental climate of Eastern Siberia, characterized by strong contrast, is manifested.
The warming effect of the lake extends approximately 50 km from its shores. In the cold season, the temperature on the coast of Lake Baikal can be 8-10 degrees higher than far from the lake, and in the warm season it can be just as much lower than the temperatures of the surrounding area. Typically, this difference is about 5 degrees. Baikal smoothes out not only annual, but also daily temperature fluctuations.
To a large extent, the climate of Baikal is determined by its inland location, as well as the altitude of the lake above sea level.
Average annual temperature and precipitation
The average annual temperature varies from 0.7 degrees below zero (in the south) to 3.6 degrees below zero (in the north). The highest average temperature is recorded in Peschanaya Bay in the west of the reservoir. It is 0.4 degrees above zero, which makes this bay the warmest place in all of Eastern Siberia.
The maximum amount of precipitation is characterized by the mountain slopes of the eastern and south-eastern coasts of Lake Baikal (1000 - 1200 mm), and the minimum - the western shore of the lake, Olkhon Island and the lower reaches of the Selenga (less than 200 mm).
Ice on Baikal
Baikal is under ice for about five months of the year. The timing of ice cover varies from the last week of October (shallow-water bays) to the beginning of January (deep-water areas).
Winter evening on Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia (Thomas Depenbusch / flickr.com)
Spring ice drift begins at the end of April, and the lake is completely free of ice only in the first half of June.
The ice thickness by the end of winter is about one meter, in the bays - up to two meters. The ice of Lake Baikal is interesting because during particularly severe frosts it breaks into separate ice fields with cracks. The width of such cracks reaches 2-3 m, and their length is many kilometers.
The cracking of the ice cover is accompanied by loud, booming sounds. In addition, the Baikal ice is famous for its amazing transparency.
Wind
A characteristic feature of the Baikal climate is its winds, each of which has its own name. The most powerful wind of Lake Baikal is the sarma, whose speed reaches 40 m/s, and sometimes up to 60 m/s. This is a strong squally wind blowing in the central part of the lake, from the valley of the Sarma River. Other winds of Baikal: Barguzin, Verkhovik, Mountain, Kultuk and Shelonnik.
Another interesting feature of the local climate is the very big number clear days a year, the number of which is even greater than on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
Nature of Baikal: flora and fauna
The Baikal flora is very diverse and rich, it includes more than 1000 plant species. The slopes of the mountains located along the shores of the lake are usually covered with taiga.
Baikal cow, Siberia, Russia (Daniel Beilinson / flickr.com)
In the local forests they are found in abundance Siberian cedar and larch. Birch, poplar, aspen, currant, etc. grow along the rivers. As for aquatic plants, there are approximately 210 species of algae. The fauna of Baikal is represented by more than 2,600 species and subspecies, more than a thousand of which are endemic. The 27 species of fish that live in the lake do not live in any other body of water in the world.
There are many species of fish in Baikal. The most unusual thing is the viviparous fish golomyanka, which is endemic to Lake Baikal. The main commercial fish is the Baikal omul. More than 80% of the biomass of all zooplankton is made up of another endemic species - the epishura crustacean. This crustacean purifies water, playing the role of a filter, and also serves important part diet of the Baikal omul and other organisms.
Nerpa on Baikal (Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com)
Another well-known endemic of the lake is the Baikal seal, which is the only freshwater seal in the world. The largest rookeries of this most interesting animal are located on the Ushkany Islands, in the central part of Lake Baikal.
There is still debate among scientists about how the Baikal seal entered the lake, which is so far from the oceans. It is assumed that it penetrated into Baikal from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara during the Ice Age. Among the animals that live in the Baikal forests, we can note the brown bear, wolverine, musk deer, wapiti, elk, fox, squirrel, etc.
Baikal is home to 236 species of birds, of which 29 species are waterfowl. IN large quantities There are ducks and seagulls here. You can also see geese, screaming swans, gray heron, black-throated loon, golden eagle, etc.
Ecology
The unique nature of Baikal is distinguished by its fragility. All living organisms here react very sensitively to the slightest changes in conditions environment. The process of decomposition of pollutants in the lake proceeds very slowly. The ever-increasing anthropogenic load cannot but affect this fragile ecosystem.
Boat on Baikal (-5m / flickr.com)
Of the enterprises located directly on the shores of the reservoir, the most famous is the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, founded back in the 1960s.
Bottom runoff from the Baikal pulp and paper mill spreads along the underwater slope of the Baikal depression. The area of the pollution spot covers about 299 square meters. km. Due to the bottom runoff from the pulp and paper mill, the bottom ecosystems of Lake Baikal are degraded, and emissions from this enterprise into the atmosphere negatively affect the adjacent taiga.
Despite many protests by environmentalists and activists, the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill continued to produce pulp until the end of 2013. Now the plant has ceased operations, however, it will take many more years to eliminate its waste and restore the environment.
The pollution of this unique reservoir did not end with the closure of the pulp and paper mill. A major source of pollution of the lake is its most important tributary - the Selenga River, in the basin of which there are such large cities as Ulaanbaatar and Ulan-Ude, as well as numerous industrial enterprises Mongolia and Buryatia.
Partial pollutants even come from the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory, from settlements located along the tributaries of the Selenga. Most of treatment facilities in small settlements of Buryatia they are not fully able to cope with wastewater treatment.
Poachers cause serious damage to the flora and fauna of the reservoir.
Tourism
Lake Baikal is one of the most popular tourist sites in Russia, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The starting points for most trips to the deepest lake in the world are Irkutsk (southwestern part of the reservoir), Ulan-Ude (east of the lake) and Severobaikalsk (northern tip). From these cities it is most convenient to start your route directly to the lake.
Old motorcycle against the backdrop of Lake Baikal (Vladislav Bezrukov / flickr.com)
South of Irkutsk, at the mouth of the Angara, is the village of Listvyanka, which is the most popular resort on Lake Baikal. There is a developed tourist infrastructure here, in addition, numerous excursions are organized from here. The cities of Slyudyanka and Baikalsk are also located on the southwestern coast of the reservoir. On the eastern coast there is the recreational zone Baikal Harbor.
Another well-known center of attraction for tourists is Olkhon Island, characterized by a variety of natural landscapes. You can get to Olkhon by ferry from the village of Sakhyurta; The largest settlement on the island is the village of Khuzhir, where there is a fairly developed tourist infrastructure.
Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Olkhon Island, Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Olkhon Island (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Jason Rogers / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Martin Lopatka / flickr .com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Water surface of Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Khoboy Cape, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com White sturgeon (Heaven Ice Day / flickr.com) Heaven Ice Day / flickr.com LA638 / flickr.com
There are many places on earth that amaze with their beauty and uniqueness. Lake Baikal is one of these. This rich reservoir embodies all the ideas of primordial nature. It can be calm when there is calm on its surface, or it can be fierce and cruel when a storm breaks out.
When asking the question of what attracts attention to Baikal, the answer is quite simple. Peculiarities geographical characteristics giant reservoirs attract tourists from thousands of kilometers away.
The water surface of Lake Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)
The greatest depth of Lake Baikal is impressive. The maximum depth point of the lake is located from the surface of the water at a distance of 1642 meters.
This indicator brings Baikal to a leading position among lakes on the planet. Following the Russian Baikal, African Tanganyika is in a significant gap. The difference between the maximum depths of these majestic reservoirs is about 160 meters.
The average depth over the entire lake area also deserves attention. Most of Baikal has a depth of about 730 meters. As for the area of this reservoir, here, for understanding, we can give an example of the area of Belgium or Denmark. Equating the size of the lake to the territory of one of these countries, one can only imagine its boundless expanses.
Olkhon Island (Jason Rogers / flickr.com)
The reason for the incredible depth and length of Lake Baikal is the countless number of rivers and streams flowing into it. There are more than 300 of them: large and small streams and full-flowing powerful river streams. Despite the fact that only the Angara takes its source from the lake.
It is worth noting that Lake Baikal is considered the world's largest natural reservoir of clean fresh water. Its volumes exceed even the famous American Great Lakes. If you add up the volumes of Michigan, Erie, Huron, Ontario and Lake Superior, their sum will still not reach equality with the capacity of Lake Baikal, which is over 23,600 cubic kilometers.
The enormous depth, impressive expanses of the reservoir, the length and width of the mirror-like surface are the reason why residents often call Baikal the sea. Located in the southeast of Eurasia, the powerful lake is famous for storms and tides (similar to sea tides).
Why is the lake called Baikal?
The history of the name of the lake is associated with several legends known to the local people. According to the first version, translated from Turkic it means “rich lake”, and in original language sounds like Bai-Kul.
Khoboy Mys, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)
The second variant of the origin of the name, according to the guess of historians, is associated with the Mongols - in their language the reservoir was called Baigal (rich fire) or Baigal dalai (large sea). There is a third version of the name, according to which the neighboring Chinese called the lake the “northern sea”. In Chinese it sounds like Bei-Hai.
Lake Baikal is one of the oldest bodies of water on the earth’s surface. This orographic unit went through quite a complex and long process formations in the earth's crust.
More than 25 million years ago, the reservoir began its formation, which continues to this day. Recent geological studies prove that Baikal can rightfully be considered the beginning of another ocean, which, of course, will not appear in the near future, but scientists are almost certain that this will happen.
The shores of the lake are expanding significantly every year, the water space is increasing before our eyes, so in a few million years, according to researchers, there will be an ocean in the place of the lake.
Lake research
Unique distinctive feature Baikal waters are characterized by their amazing transparency. At a depth of forty meters, you can easily see every pebble at the bottom.
Olkhon Island, Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com)
This is explained by simple chemical laws. The fact is that almost all rivers flowing into Baikal pass through crystals of poorly soluble rocks.
Hence the low level of mineralization of Baikal. It is about 100 milligrams per liter of lake water.
Thanks to the maximum depth of Baikal and the high coastline, which exceeds the surface of the ocean by 450 meters, the bottom of the reservoir is rightfully considered the deepest depression not only on this continent, but also among other continents.
Thanks to the fact that scientists have figured out the exact location maximum depth lake, several years ago a dive was made to this very point.
It is located within the Olkhon Island. The modern deep-sea device sank to the bottom for more than 1 hour. Over the course of some time, scientists filmed and collected samples for a detailed study of the bottom composition of the water and the rocks present.
During this experiment, researchers were able to discover new microorganisms and identify the source of oil pollution in Lake Baikal.
- deepest lake. Depth of Baikal about 1700 meters. In the world only one lake can be compared in depth with Lake Baikal. This lake Tanganyika in East Africa. Its depth is about 1400 meters. Depth of Lake Baikal comparable to the depth of the Arctic Ocean, whose average depth is 1220 meters.
Baikal - the most big lake in Asia. Water surface area Lake Baikal more than 30 thousand square kilometers.
Lake Baikal water- its main value. Lake Baikal – the most large fresh water storage facility in the world. Baikal contains approximately one-fifth of the world's reserves.
Deepest Bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The depth of the Barguzinsky Bay is almost 1300 meters.
The largest bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The area of the bay is 725 square kilometers.
The youngest bay of Baikal– Proval Bay. Proval Bay was formed after a powerful earthquake in 1862. A part of the Selenga delta with an area of about 200 square kilometers went under water. This earthquake also caused the formation the youngest cape of Baikal- Cape Oblom.
The largest island Lake Baikal- Olkhon. The island is located in the middle part Baikal and divides lake to the Big and Small Seas. The length of the island is 71 kilometers, the width reaches 12 kilometers.
At Cape Kotelnikovsky there are the most. The water temperature in the mineral springs of Cape Kotelnikovsky is plus 81 degrees Celsius.
Basin of Lake Baikal – deepest continental depression. Bottom of Lake Baikal lies approximately 1200 meters below sea level.
Biggest influx Lake Baikal- Selenga River. The Selenga has a length of about 1000 kilometers. About half of all water that flows into lake, it is Selenga that brings.
Most large peninsula Lake Baikal- Holy Nose. The peninsula measures about 50 kilometers long and about 20 kilometers wide.
Depth of Lake Baikal
Baikal basin consists of three rather separate parts. The middle basin is the deepest. It is here on the eastern shore of Olkhon Island depth of Lake Baikal reaches almost 1700 meters. Depth southern basin Lake Baikal approximately 1432 meters. Largest measured depth northern part Lake Baikal 890 meters. Average lake depth is also very large - more than 700 meters. The biggest depth Small Sea - near the northwestern coast of Olkhon Island. It is approximately 250 meters. The smallest depth in the open Baikal- about 30 meters. Northern and middle basins Lake Baikal divides the underwater Academic Ridge. Lake depth in these places it is about 260 meters. Between the middle and southern basins Lake Baikal The Selenginskaya jumper is located. The smallest depth here 360 meters.
Where is Baikal?
Baikal is located in the middle of Asia in the south of Eastern Siberia between the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region Russian Federation. Close to lakes The cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude are located.
Length, extent, width of Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal- this is a fault earth's crust, filled with water. Water in lake carry several hundred large and small streams. Lake Baikal stretches from south to northeast: length or length of Baikal about 640 kilometers. Greatest width of Baikal 80 kilometers. Small earthquakes constantly occur in the vicinity of the lake. Large ones happen occasionally. Shores Baikal moving away from each other at a rate of 2 centimeters per year – Baikal growing!
Address: Russia, Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk region
Square: 31,722 km²
Greatest depth: 1642 m
Transparency: 40 m
Coordinates: 53°43"36.9"N 108°27"32.4"E
The purest and, without a doubt, the most beautiful Lake Baikal, rightfully took its place in the list of 7 wonders of Russia, according to a vote held in 2008.
The lake, fascinating with its pristine nature and mystery, is located almost in the very center of Asia on the border of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. The water surface, which shimmers with a mystical light, stretches for 620 (!) kilometers from northeast to southwest.
If you look at photographs of Lake Baikal taken from space, you will notice that it has the shape of a crescent. The width of the lake in its various places ranges from 24 to 79 kilometers. Such dimensions allow local residents and many tourists to call Baikal not a lake, but a sea.
No matter how much one would like to call this majestic reservoir of fresh water a sea, it is still a lake that is surrounded on almost all sides by the most picturesque mountains and hills of extinct volcanoes. By the way, the fresh water reserve in Lake Baikal is 90% of the total reserve drinking water Russia and almost 20% of the entire supply of the purest and, according to the results of many scientific experiments, healing water in the world. Speaking about Lake Baikal, one cannot help but say that it is considered the deepest in the world: the mirror of the lake is located 453 meters above the level of the World Ocean, and its bottom is almost 1170 meters lower. True, many researchers are skeptical that Baikal is the deepest lake on our planet. When calculating the depth of lakes, many scientists forget about those fresh water reservoirs that are located under eternal ice Antarctica, one of which is called Vostok. True, it is hidden by an almost 4-kilometer layer of ice, and the calculation of the depth of lakes and oceans under glacial conditions should be carried out using completely different parameters.
Unique ecosystem
Alas, modern science cannot yet accurately answer the question of how old Baikal is, as well as other questions that this amazing lake constantly poses to scientists. At the moment, it is generally accepted that Baikal, whose area is almost 32,000 square kilometers, originated no less than 25 million years ago. There are more daring assumptions; some scientists believe that the age of the lake exceeds 35 million years. This is a long period of time, even by the standards of the existence of our planet. True, these are the numbers that put new task: How did the lake remain almost in its original form for so many years? The thing is that any lake does not “live” for more than 15, maximum 20,000 years. Its bottom is covered with silt and over time it turns into an ordinary swamp. This is not observed in Lake Baikal. Perhaps it is worth paying special attention to the point of view of the authoritative scientist Tatarinov, who in 2009 put forward the idea that Baikal has existed “for now” for “only” 8,000 years.
Which theory is considered reliable, everyone decides for himself: the conclusions of most experts say that the whole point is in the unique ecosystem of the lake in its inflows and the only outflow, as well as in constant earthquakes, as a result of which a vacuum arises at the depths, filled with “fresh » groundwater.
Due to its purity, Lake Baikal and its surroundings are a favorite habitat for a huge number of species of birds and mammals. Many of the animals, birds and fish are endemic, meaning that they live only in this ecosystem and are not found anywhere else in the world. Special attention Ichthyologists are attracted to the golomyanka fish, which belongs to the viviparous family. And this fish is another mystery of Lake Baikal. Firstly, the entire body of this fish consists of more than 30% fat, and secondly, this fish lives at very great depths and goes to shallow water to feed. This is not at all typical for deep-sea fish, because sudden changes in pressure in almost all species lead to death. Another representative of the ichthyofauna is the smallest crustacean, called epishura. This is also endemic to the lake. Without it, life in Baikal would probably have perished, because it is the main food for many fish and it is he, who reproduces in incredible quantities, that filters the water of Baikal, clearing it of organic matter. Maybe it is in this crustacean that the secret of such a long “life” of the lake lies...
Lake Baikal water
Even elementary school students know about the purity of Lake Baikal water. Teachers talking about the nature of our planet often emphasize that you can drink water from Lake Baikal without even boiling it. By the way, the opinion is quite controversial. Naturally, there are many places where the water in the lake not only does not pose a threat to human health, but is also considered healing. The tourism infrastructure, which is constantly developing and thousands of tourists wanting to see the great Baikal, like many other lakes around the world, is becoming larger and larger. Only an experienced guide who lives near the lake can indicate in what place it is completely safe to drink from Baikal. Surprisingly, despite the presence of rock deposits and tributaries at the bottom, which includes the Selenga River, which is constantly polluted in Mongolia, the water in Baikal contains practically no dissolved salts and minerals. Simply put, it is almost identical to distilled water that undergoes multi-level purification in special laboratories.
The lake is so transparent that, according to some researchers, in some parts of the lake you can see the bottom in great detail from a boat at a depth of 40 meters.
Such transparency of water can be observed after the ice melts: usually in early spring the water of Lake Baikal becomes bright of blue color. In summer and autumn, when the water warms up, it begins to small quantities microplankton and algae develop: naturally, at this moment it is already quite difficult to distinguish underwater rocks at a depth of 40 meters, however, the transparency even at these times of the year is amazing. True, its color changes: it does not turn into a cloudy green, on the contrary, it becomes soft turquoise.
Immerse yourself in affectionate and clearest waters Baikal... - a dream! True, the dream is only for those who know very little about this lake. The thing is that the water here does not warm up above +9 degrees Celsius even in summer. Only in small and shallow bays can one expect that the water will warm up to +16 under the sun. Therefore, you can swim in Baikal and see the underwater world through the crystal clear water only in a wetsuit. In winter, the water surface is almost completely covered with thick ice, so thick that in the 19th century sleepers were installed on the ice and steam locomotives were transported across Baikal using horses. The ice on the lake is an amazing sight: during severe frosts, cracks run through it, sometimes 30 (!) kilometers long and 3 meters wide.
During the formation of such a crack, a powerful sound is heard throughout the entire vicinity of Lake Baikal, which can only be compared to a howitzer shot or a clap of thunder from lightning striking the ground several meters from a person. This phenomenon was provided for by nature itself; thanks to the formation of such cracks, the water is constantly saturated with oxygen and the flora and fauna of Baikal does not die in severe frosts.
Origin of the name of the lake
As with the age of Lake Baikal, there has been confusion in scientific circles with its name. In any case, some historians agree that the name “Baikal” comes from one of the Asian languages: Mongolian, Yakut, or Turkic. However, there are also versions that the lake was first seen and named... by the Chinese. The Chinese word that sounds like “Bei-Hai” literally translates to “North Sea”. This opinion also deserves attention: after all, isn’t the majestic lake similar to the North Sea? Most experts trying to solve the mystery of the origin of the name of the deepest lake in the world believe that it came from the Buryat language.
The Buryats called the endless water surface“Baigal”, but members of the Russian expedition who took part in a trip to the lake back in the 17th century had difficulty coping with the letter “g” and, without thinking twice, replaced it with “k”. This is how the name of Lake Baikal came about. Although, as mentioned above, none of the listed versions is recognized by the scientific world as reliable and proven.
On Baikal
No matter how many legends and myths are associated with this lake, no matter how many scientific disputes there are about its name and origin, all this instantly loses its meaning when you find yourself in front of the amazing mirror of Baikal. It is sometimes calm, and sometimes it rises up in waves. The surrounding nature is beyond description; here on a calm day, despite the singing of birds and the barely audible blow of the wind, one comes to realize what real silence, peace and tranquility are. It seems that Baikal communicates on a subconscious level with everyone who comes to see this majestic lake. It is not without reason that many travelers who have explored Lake Baikal are looking forward to the moment when they can return to this amazing world, which is more than 25 million years old.
You can find entire volumes of information about Baikal, both on the Internet and in various magazines and book publications. The lake is not deprived of attention from tourists, researchers and politicians. From year to year, stunning events are associated with Lake Baikal. scientific discoveries, expeditions are constantly being equipped for thorough research. I decided to devote this topic to the most interesting facts and events related to Lake Baikal. I will try to save you from boring geographical terms; only the most interesting things will be here. Most of the photos in the topic are clickable (open by clicking)
– one of the oldest lakes on the planet and the deepest lake in the world. Baikal is one of the ten largest lakes in the world. Its average depth is about 730 meters, the maximum is 1637 meters. In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List
Scientists disagree about the origin of Lake Baikal, as well as about its age. Scientists traditionally estimate the age of the lake at 25-35 million years. This fact also makes Baikal a unique natural object, since most lakes, especially those of glacial origin, live on average 10-15 thousand years, and then fill with silty sediments and become swampy
There is also a version about the relative youth of Baikal, put forward by Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Alexander Tatarinov in 2009, which received indirect confirmation during the second stage of the “Worlds” expedition on Baikal. In particular, the activity of mud volcanoes at the bottom of Lake Baikal allows scientists to assume that the modern shoreline of the lake is only 8 thousand years old, and the deep-water part is 150 thousand years old.
Baikal contains about 19% of the world's fresh water. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes combined and 25 times more than, for example, in Lake Ladoga
The water in the lake is so transparent that individual stones and various objects can be seen at a depth of 40 m. The purest and most transparent water of Baikal contains so few mineral salts (100 mg/l) that it can be used instead of distilled water. 
Baikal is home to 2,630 species and varieties of plants and animals, 2/3 of which are endemic, that is, they live only in this body of water. This abundance of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the entire thickness of Baikal water 
Photo of Baikal from space 
The most interesting fish in Baikal is the viviparous golomyanka fish, whose body contains up to 30% fat. She surprises biologists with her daily feeding migrations from the depths to shallow waters 
The second, after the golomyanka, is a miracle of Baikal, to which it owes its exceptional purity, the crustacean epishura (there are about 300 species). Baikal epishura is a copepod, 1 mm long, a representative of plankton, found throughout the entire depth (it is not found in bays where the water warms up). Baikal would not be Baikal without this copepod, barely noticeable to the eye, amazingly efficient and numerous, managing to filter all the Baikal water ten times or even more in a year 
A typical marine mammal lives here - the seal, or Baikal seal. 
Baikal's water reserves would be enough for 40 years for the inhabitants of the entire Earth, and at the same time 46 x 1015 people could quench their thirst
Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. Thus, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, characteristic only of Lake Baikal. For example, “hills” are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. Appearance they resemble ice tents, “open” in the direction opposite to the shore. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature “mountain ranges”
Satellite images clearly show dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 km on the ice of Lake Baikal. The origin of the rings is unknown. Scientists believe that rings on the ice of the lake may have appeared many times already, but it was impossible to examine them due to their enormous size. Now using latest technologies this has become possible, and scientists will begin to study this phenomenon. Such rings were first discovered in 1999, then in 2003, 2005. As you can see, rings do not form every year. The rings are also not located in the same place. Scientists were especially interested in the reason for the shift of the rings to the southwest in 2008, compared to 1999, 2003 and 2005. In April 2009, such rings were discovered again, and again in a different place than last year. Scientists suggest that the rings are formed due to the release of natural gas from the bottom of Lake Baikal. However, the exact reasons and mechanisms for the formation of dark rings on the ice of Lake Baikal have not yet been studied and no one knows their exact nature
The Baikal region (the so-called Baikal Rift Zone) is an area with high seismicity: earthquakes regularly occur here, most of which are one or two points on the MSK-64 intensity scale. However, strong ones also happen, so in 1862, during the ten-magnitude Kudarin earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta, a land area of 200 km went under water? with 6 uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, and Proval Bay was formed
A unique deep-sea neutrino telescope NT-200, built in 1993-1998, was created and operates on the lake, with the help of which high-energy neutrinos are detected. On its basis, the NT-200+ neutrino telescope with an increased effective volume is being created, the construction of which is expected to be completed no earlier than 2017
The first dives of manned vehicles on Lake Baikal were made in 1977, when the bottom of the lake was explored on the Canadian-made Paisis deep-sea vehicle. In Larch Bay, a depth of 1,410 meters was reached. In 1991, "Pysis" on the eastern side of Olkhon sank to a depth of 1,637 meters.
In the summer of 2008, the Foundation for Assistance to the Conservation of Lake Baikal conducted a research expedition “Worlds” on Baikal. 52 dives of the deep-sea manned vehicles “Mir” were carried out to the bottom of Lake Baikal. Scientists delivered water samples to the Scientific Research Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after P. P. Shirshov. soil and microorganisms raised from the bottom of Lake Baikal
In 1966, production began at the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM), as a result of which the adjacent bottom areas of the lake began to degrade. Dust and gas emissions negatively affect the taiga around the BPPM, and the forest becomes dry and dry. In September 2008, the plant introduced a closed water circulation system designed to reduce the discharge of wash water. According to the source, the system turned out to be inoperative and less than a month after its launch, the plant had to be stopped 
There are many legends associated with. The most fascinating of them is connected with the Angara River:
In the old days, mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind. He deeply loved his only daughter Angara. There was no more beautiful woman on earth. During the day it is light - brighter than the sky, at night it is dark - darker than a cloud. And no matter who drove past the Angara, everyone admired it, everyone praised it. Even migratory birds: geese, swans, cranes - descended low, but the Angaras rarely landed on the water. They said: “Is it possible to blacken something light?”
Old man Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart. One day, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young man Yenisei. The father woke up and splashed his waves angrily. A fierce storm arose, the mountains began to weep, forests fell, the sky turned black with grief, animals scattered in fear all over the earth, fish dived to the very bottom, birds flew away to the sun. Only the wind howled and the heroic sea raged. The mighty Baikal hit the gray mountain, broke off a rock from it and threw it after the fleeing daughter. The rock fell right on the beauty's throat. The blue-eyed Angara begged, gasping and sobbing, and began to ask:
“Father, I’m dying of thirst, forgive me and give me at least one drop of water.”
Baikal shouted angrily:
- I can only give you my tears!
For thousands of years, the Angara has been flowing into the Yenisei like tear-water, and gray, lonely Baikal has become gloomy and scary. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called the Shaman Stone. Rich sacrifices were made there to Baikal. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman’s stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.” Currently, the river is blocked by a dam, so only the top of the shaman stone is visible from the water 
There is a legend among the people about the creation of Baikal: “The Lord looked: the earth came out unkindly... as if she would not take offense at him! And, so as not to hold a grudge, he took and waved for her not some kind of bedding for her feet, but the very measure of his bounties, with which measured how much to be from him. The measure fell and turned into Baikal." 
