What does the tectonic origin of the lake mean? Let's take a closer look at the main types of lakes. Other types of reservoirs

A lake is a body of water that forms on the surface of land. Lakes have no direct connection with oceans and seas. Most of reservoirs are tectonic lakes. In total, on our planet they occupy almost two percent of the land surface.

Characteristics of lakes

After a long study of lakes, scientists have identified a number of characteristics characteristic of this type of reservoir.

1. Water mirror area.
2. Length coastline.
3. Length of the lake. To measure this indicator, the two most distant points of the coastline are taken. During measurement, the average width is determined - this is the ratio of area to length.
4. The volume of the basin, which is filled with water, is determined.
5. Installed average depth reservoir, the maximum depth is also determined.

The largest lake in the world is the Caspian, and the deepest is Baikal.

Origin of lakes

All existing lakes divided into underground and above ground. The basins themselves can be of endo- and exogenous origin. This factor determines the shape and size of the reservoir. Tectonic lakes are located in the largest basins. They can be located in tectonic depressions, like Ilmen, in grabens (Baikal) or in foothills and mountain troughs.

Most of the large basins have complex tectonic origin. Rupture and folding movements took part in their formation. All tectonic lakes are different large sizes and significant depths, the presence of rocky slopes. The bottom of most reservoirs is located at the level of the World Ocean, and the mirrors are much higher.

In location tectonic lakes There is a certain pattern: they are concentrated along faults in the earth or in rift zones, but they can frame shields. Examples of such lakes are Ladoga and Onega, located along the Baltic shield.

Types of lakes

There is a classification of lakes according to their water regime.

1. Drainless. Rivers flow into these types of reservoirs, but none of them flow out. Most of them are located in areas with insufficient humidity: in the desert, semi-desert. The Caspian Sea-lake belongs to this type.
2. Sewage. Rivers flow into these lakes and also flow out of them. Such species are most often found in areas of excess moisture. A different number of rivers flow into such lakes, but usually only one flows out. An example of a tectonic lake of the drainage type is Baikal, Teletskoye.
3. Flowing reservoirs. Many rivers flow into and out of these lakes. Examples are lakes Ladoga and Onega.

In any body of water, food comes from precipitation, rivers, and underwater resources. Some of the water evaporates from the surface of reservoirs, flows out or goes underground. Because of this feature, the amount of water in the pool fluctuates. For example, Chad occupies an area of ​​about twelve thousand square kilometers during drought, but during the rainy season the basin occupies an area twice as large - about 24 thousand square kilometers.

The largest lakes in the world are of tectonic origin. An example would be Baikal, Ladoga and Lake Onega. Large Endogenous factors play a role in the origin of tectonic lakes. The basins of these reservoirs are formed on subsided areas of the earth's crust. Typically such basins are very elongated and deep.

Baikal

The deepest and big lake world with fresh water. Baikal is located in Siberia. The area of ​​this basin is more than 31 thousand square kilometers, the depth is over 1500 meters. If you look at Baikal in terms of water volume, it ranks only second after the Caspian Sea-lake. The water in Baikal is always cold: in summer - about nine degrees, and in winter - no more than three. The lake has twenty-two islands: the largest is Olkhon. 330 rivers flow into Baikal, but only one flows out - the Angara.

Baikal influences the climate of Siberia: it softens winters and makes summers cooler. average temperature in January - about -17 °C, and in summer +16 °C. In the south and north, different amounts of precipitation fall throughout the year - from 200 to 900 mm. From January to May Baikal is covered clear ice. This is due to the very clean and transparent water - you can see everything that happens in the water at a depth of up to forty meters.

Other types of reservoirs

There are glacial-tectonic lakes that arose as a result of the processing of tectonic depressions in the earth's crust by glaciers. Examples of such lakes are Onega and Ladoga. In Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands there are volcanic lakes. There are lake basins that appeared due to continental glaciations.

In the mountains, some lakes were formed due to rubble, for example Lake Ritsa in the Caucasus. Small bodies of water appear above karst sinkholes. There are saucer-shaped lakes that arise on loose rocks. When permafrost melts, it may form deep lakes.

Lakes of glacial-tectonic origin are located not only in the mountains, but also on the plains. Water fills basins literally plowed out by glaciers. As the glacier moved from northwest to southeast along the cracks, the ice seemed to make a furrow. It filled with water: this is how many reservoirs were formed.

Ladoga lake

One of the large glacial-tectonic lakes is Ladoga. It is located in Leningrad region and in Karelia.

The area of ​​the lake is more than seventeen thousand square kilometers: the width of the reservoir is almost 140 kilometers, and the length is 219 km. The depth throughout the entire basin is uneven: in the northern part it ranges from eighty to two hundred meters, and in the southern part - up to seventy meters. Ladoga is fed by 35 rivers, and only one begins - the Neva.

There are many islands on the lake, among which the largest are Kilpola, Valaam, and Mantinsari.

Ladoga lake It freezes in winter and opens in April. The water temperature on the surface is uneven: in the northern part it is about fourteen degrees, and in the southern part it is about twenty degrees.

The water in the lake is of the hydrocarbonate type with weak mineralization. It is clean, transparency reaches seven meters. Throughout the year there are storms (they are strongest in the fall), and calm (most often in the summer).

Onega and other lakes

Most islands on Onega Island: There are more than a thousand of them. The largest of them is Klimetsky. More than fifty rivers flow into this reservoir, and only the Svir originates.

There are many tectonic lakes in Russia, among which are the drainage basin that includes Ilmen, Saimaa, and Lake Onega.

There are lakes of similar origin in Krasnaya Polyana, for example Khmelevskie. Their formation was facilitated by the deflection that arose during the destruction of the earth's crust. The resulting deflections led to the formation of basins that were filled with water. As a result, Khmelevsky lakes were formed in this place, which became a national park. There are four here large lakes and several small reservoirs and swamps.

Large lakes located in Russia have a large economic importance. These are huge reserves fresh water. Shipping is developed in the waters of many large lakes. On the banks there are recreation centers equipped fishing spots. Very big lakes, such as Ladoga, fishing is carried out.

Tectonic lakes are formed in places of faults and shifts in the earth's crust. As a rule, these are deep narrow reservoirs with straight steep banks, located in deep through gorges. The bottom of such lakes located in Kamchatka is below ocean level. Tectonic lakes include Dalnee and Kurilskoye. Kuril Lake is located in the south of Kamchatka in a deep picturesque basin surrounded by mountains. Greatest depth The lake is 306 m. Its banks are steep. Numerous mountain streams flow from them. The lake is drainage; the Ozernaya River originates from it. Hot springs come to the surface along the shores of the lake.

Tectonic depressions arise as a result of movements of the earth's crust, and many lake basins of tectonic origin have a large area and ancient age. They occupy depressions that arise as a result of tectonic movements of the earth's crust: faults, faults, grabens, intermountain and plain troughs. As a rule, they are very deep, some tectonic lakes exceed the sea. It is no coincidence that the Caspian and Aral lakes are called seas. The Caspian Lake is 4 times larger than the White Lake, almost 3 times larger than the Adriatic and 2 times - Aegean seas. And the deepest lakes in the world - Baikal and Tanganyika - are much deeper than ours northern seas- Barents, Kara, East Siberian and others.

Tectonic processes manifest themselves in different ways. For example, the Caspian Sea is confined to a trough at the bottom ancient sea Tethys. In the Neogene, an uplift occurred, as a result of which the Caspian Basin became isolated. Its waters gradually desalinated under the influence of precipitation and river runoff. Lake basin Victoria in East Africa formed as a result of the uplift of the surrounding land. Big Salt Lake in Utah also arose due to the tectonic uplift of the territory through which the lake previously drained. Tectonic activity often results in the formation of faults (cracks in the Earth's crust), which can become lake basins if the area then undergoes a reverse fault or if a block enclosed between the faults subsides. In the latter case, they say that the lake basin is confined to a graben. Several lakes within the East African Rift System have this origin. Among them is the lake. Tanganyika, formed about 17 million years ago and characterized by a very great depth (1470 m). Continuing this system to the north are the Dead Sea and Lake Tiberias. Both of them are very ancient. The maximum depth of Lake Tiberias is currently only 46 m. ​​Lake Tahoe on the border of California and Nevada in the USA, Biwa (a source of freshwater pearls) in Japan and Lake Baikal are also confined to the grabens. The bottom profile of tectonic lakes is sharply outlined and has the appearance of a broken curve. Glacial deposits and sediment accumulation processes have little changed the clarity of the tectonic lines of the lake basin. The influence of the glacier on the formation of the basin can be noticeable; it leaves traces of its presence in the form of scars, sheep's foreheads, which are clearly visible on the rocky shores and islands. The shores of the lakes are composed mainly of hard rocks that are poorly susceptible to erosion, which is one of the reasons for the weak sedimentation process. Lake waters are thermally heterogeneous: during the period of greatest warming surface waters Low bottom temperatures persist, facilitated by stable thermal stratification. Aquatic vegetation is rare, only in a narrow strip along the shores of closed bays. As a result of the movement of the earth's crust, depressions are formed in some places over time. Tectonic lakes arise in these depressions. The three largest lakes in Kyrgyzstan: Issyk-Kul, Son-Kul and Chatyr-Kul were formed tectonically.

The uniqueness of natural lakes lies in a number of their special characteristics. They are characterized by slow water exchange, free thermal conditions, a unique chemical composition, and differences in water levels.

In addition, they create their own microclimate and cause changes in the surrounding landscape. They accumulate mineral and organic substances, some of which are valuable and useful.

Geographical object "lake" (meaning)

There are about 5,000,000 lakes in our world. Lakes on Globe occupy almost 2% of the surface, which is almost 2.6 million km 3. Being a component of the hydrosphere, classical natural lakes, are bodies of water natural origin, which are lake bowls of water that do not have direct contact (contact) with the sea or ocean. There is a whole science that studies them - limnology. However, there are also anthropogenic lakes that arose as a result of human activity.

If we consider the lake as geographical feature, then its definition becomes more clear: it is a hole on land with closed edges into which flowing water falls and, as a result, accumulates there.

Characteristics of lakes

To give an accurate description of a particular lake, you need to determine its origin, position (above or underground), type of water balance (wastewater or not), mineralization parameters (fresh or not), its chemical composition, etc.

In addition, the following parameters need to be accurately determined: the total area of ​​the water surface, the total length of the shoreline, the maximum distance between opposite shores, the average width of the lake (calculated by dividing the area by the previous indicator), the volume of water that fills it, its average and maximum depth .

Types of lakes by origin

The generally accepted classification of lakes by origin factor is as follows:

1. Anthropogenic (artificial) - created by man;
2. Natural - arose naturally (exogenous or endogenous - either from within the Earth, or as a result of processes on its surface), without human intervention.

Natural lakes, in turn, have their own division based on the principle of origin:

• Tectonic - cracks in the earth's crust that have arisen for one reason or another are filled with water. The most famous lake This type is Baikal.
• Glacial - the glacier melts and the resulting water creates a lake in the basin of the glacier itself or any other. Such lakes, for example, are in Karelia and Finland: lakes appeared along the trajectory of the glacier along tectonic cracks.
• Oxbow lake, lagoon or estuary - a decrease in water level cuts off part of the river or ocean.
• Karst, suffusion, thermokarst, aeolian - leaching, subsidence, thawing, blowing, respectively, create a depression that is filled with water.
• A dammed lake occurs when a landslide or earthquake cuts off part of the water surface from the main body of water by a land bridge.
• Water often also collects in mountain basins and craters of volcanoes or their eruption channels.
• And others.

The importance of lakes in nature and for humans

Lakes are natural reservoirs of water that can regulate river flow: receive excess water and, conversely, release part of it when the water level in the river generally decreases. A large water mass has a large thermal inertia, the effect of which can significantly soften the climate of nearby areas.

Lakes are an important object for fishing, organizing salt production, and laying waterways. Water from lakes is often used for water supply. Reservoirs can be used to organize the energy reservoir of a hydraulic installation. Sapropels are extracted from them. Some lake muds have medicinal properties and are used in medicine. The importance of lakes in the planet’s ecosystem can hardly be overestimated; they are an organic element of the entire natural mechanism.

The largest lakes in the world

Among the lakes there are two main record holders:

The Caspian Sea is the largest in area (376,000 km 2), but relatively not deep (30 m);

(Lake Baikal)

Baikal - depth record (1620 meters!).

The average record holders for largest lakes are tectonic lakes.

They are formed in places of faults and shifts in the earth's crust. As a rule, these are deep narrow reservoirs with straight steep banks, located in deep through gorges. The bottom of such lakes located in Kamchatka is below ocean level. Tectonic lakes include Dalnee and Kurilskoye. Kuril Lake is located in the south of Kamchatka in a deep picturesque basin surrounded by mountains. The greatest depth of the lake is 306 m. Its shores are steep. Numerous mountain streams flow from them. The lake is drainage; the Ozernaya River originates from it. Along the shores of the lake, hot springs come to the surface, and in the middle of it rises an island called the Heart-Stone. Not far from the lake there is a unique outcrop of pumice called Kutkhiny Baty. Currently, the lake is declared a nature reserve and zoological monument.

The bottom profile of tectonic lakes is sharply outlined and has the appearance of a broken curve. Glacial deposits and sediment accumulation processes have little changed the clarity of the tectonic lines of the lake basin.

As a result of the movement of the earth's crust, depressions are formed in some places over time. Tectonic lakes arise in these depressions. The three largest lakes in Kyrgyzstan: Issyk-Kul, Son-Kul and Chatyr-Kul were formed tectonically.

There are many lakes in the forest-steppe Trans-Urals. There are such large reservoirs as Uelgi, Shablish, Argayash, B. Kuyash, Kaldy, Sugoyak, Tishki, etc. The depths of the lakes on the Trans-Ural Plain noticeably decrease and do not exceed 8-10 m. By origin, these lakes belong to the erosion-tectonic type. Tectonic depressions were modified as a result of the influence of erosion processes. Many lakes in Trans-Urals are confined to ancient river drainage hollows (Etkul, Peschanoye, Alakul, Kamyshnoye, etc.).

Characteristics of lakes

After a long study of lakes, scientists have identified a number of characteristics characteristic of this type of reservoir.

1. Water mirror area.
2. Coastline length.
3. Length of the lake. To measure this indicator, the two most distant points of the coastline are taken. During measurement, the average width is determined - this is the ratio of area to length.
4. The volume of the basin, which is filled with water, is determined.
5. The average depth of the reservoir is established, and the maximum depth is also determined.

The largest lake in the world is the Caspian, and the deepest is Baikal.

Origin of lakes

All existing lakes are divided into underground and above-ground. The basins themselves can be of endo- and exogenous origin. This factor determines the shape and size of the reservoir. Tectonic lakes are located in the largest basins. They can be located in tectonic depressions, like Ilmen, in grabens (Baikal) or in foothills and mountain troughs.

Most of the large basins have a complex tectonic origin. Rupture and folding movements took part in their formation. All tectonic lakes are distinguished by their large sizes and significant depths, and the presence of rocky slopes. The bottom of most reservoirs is located at the level of the World Ocean, and the mirrors are much higher.

There is a certain pattern in the location of tectonic lakes: they are concentrated along faults in the earth or in rift zones, but can frame shields. Examples of such lakes are Ladoga and Onega, located along the Baltic shield.

Types of lakes

There is a classification of lakes according to their water regime.

1. Drainless. Rivers flow into these types of reservoirs, but none of them flow out. Most of them are located in areas with insufficient humidity: in the desert, semi-desert. The Caspian Sea-lake belongs to this type.
2. Sewage. Rivers flow into these lakes and also flow out of them. Such species are most often found in areas of excess moisture. A different number of rivers flow into such lakes, but usually only one flows out. An example of a tectonic lake of the drainage type is Baikal, Teletskoye.
3. Flowing reservoirs. Many rivers flow into and out of these lakes. Examples are lakes Ladoga and Onega.

In any body of water, food comes from precipitation, rivers, and underwater resources. Some of the water evaporates from the surface of reservoirs, flows out or goes underground. Because of this feature, the amount of water in the pool fluctuates. For example, Chad occupies an area of ​​about twelve thousand square kilometers during drought, but during the rainy season the basin occupies an area twice as large - about 24 thousand square kilometers.

Tectonic lakes

The largest lakes in the world are of tectonic origin. An example would be Lake Baikal, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. Endogenous factors play a major role in the origin of tectonic lakes. The basins of these reservoirs are formed on subsided areas of the earth's crust. Usually such basins are very elongated and deep.

Baikal

The deepest and largest lake in the world with fresh water. Baikal is located in Siberia. The area of ​​this basin is more than 31 thousand square kilometers, the depth is over 1500 meters. If you look at Baikal in terms of water volume, it ranks only second after the Caspian Sea-lake. The water in Baikal is always cold: in summer - about nine degrees, and in winter - no more than three. The lake has twenty-two islands: the largest is Olkhon. 330 rivers flow into Baikal, but only one flows out - the Angara.

Baikal influences the climate of Siberia: it softens winters and makes summers cooler. The average temperature in January is about -17 °C, and in summer +16 °C. In the south and north, different amounts of precipitation fall throughout the year - from 200 to 900 mm. From January to May, Baikal is covered with transparent ice. This is due to the very clean and transparent water - you can see everything that happens in the water at a depth of up to forty meters.

Other types of reservoirs

There are glacial-tectonic lakes that arose as a result of the processing of tectonic depressions in the earth's crust by glaciers. Examples of such lakes are Onega and Ladoga. There are volcanic lakes in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands. There are lake basins that appeared due to continental glaciations.

In the mountains, some lakes were formed due to rubble, for example Lake Ritsa in the Caucasus. Small bodies of water appear above karst sinkholes. There are saucer-shaped lakes that arise on loose rocks. When permafrost melts, shallow lakes can form.

Lakes of glacial-tectonic origin are located not only in the mountains, but also on the plains. Water fills basins literally plowed out by glaciers. As the glacier moved from northwest to southeast along the cracks, the ice seemed to make a furrow. It filled with water: this is how many reservoirs were formed.

Ladoga lake

One of the large glacial-tectonic lakes is Ladoga. It is located in the Leningrad region and Karelia.

The area of ​​the lake is more than seventeen thousand square kilometers: the width of the reservoir is almost 140 kilometers, and the length is 219 km. The depth throughout the entire basin is uneven: in the northern part it ranges from eighty to two hundred meters, and in the southern part - up to seventy meters. Ladoga is fed by 35 rivers, and only one begins - the Neva.

There are many islands on the lake, among which the largest are Kilpola, Valaam, and Mantinsari.

Lake Ladoga freezes in winter and opens in April. The water temperature on the surface is uneven: in the northern part it is about fourteen degrees, and in the southern part it is about twenty degrees.

The water in the lake is of the hydrocarbonate type with weak mineralization. It is clean, transparency reaches seven meters. Throughout the year there are storms (they are strongest in the fall), and calm (most often in the summer).

Onega and other lakes

The largest number of islands is on Onega Island: there are more than a thousand of them. The largest of them is Klimetsky. More than fifty rivers flow into this reservoir, and only the Svir originates.

There are many tectonic lakes in Russia, among which are the drainage basin that includes Ilmen, Saimaa, and Lake Onega.

There are lakes of similar origin in Krasnaya Polyana, for example Khmelevskie. Their formation was facilitated by the deflection that arose during the destruction of the earth's crust. The resulting deflections led to the formation of basins that were filled with water. As a result, Khmelevsky lakes were formed in this place, which became a national park. There are four large lakes and several small reservoirs and swamps.

Large lakes located on the territory of Russia are of great economic importance. These are huge reserves of fresh water. Shipping is developed in the waters of many large lakes. On the banks there are recreation centers and fishing spots. In very large lakes, such as Ladoga, fishing is carried out.

Tectonic lakes of Russia on News4Auto.ru.

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The lake is an element of the hydrosphere. This is a body of water that has arisen naturally or artificially. It is filled within its bed with water and has no direct connection with the sea or ocean. There are about 5 million such reservoirs in the world.

general characteristics

In terms of planetology, a lake is an object that exists stably in space and time, filled with matter in liquid form. In a geographical sense, it is represented as a closed depression of land into which water enters and accumulates. The chemical composition of lakes remains constant for a relatively long time. The substance filling it is renewed, but much less frequently than in the river. At the same time, the currents present in it do not act as the predominant factor determining the regime. Lakes provide regulation. Chemical reactions take place in the waters. During interactions, some elements settle in bottom sediments, others pass into the water. In some bodies of water, which usually do not have a flow, the salt content increases due to evaporation. As a result of this process, a significant change in salt and mineral composition lakes Due to large thermal inertia, large objects are softened climatic conditions adjacent areas, reducing seasonal and annual meteorological fluctuations.

Bottom sediments

When they accumulate, significant changes occur in the relief and size of lake basins. When reservoirs become overgrown, new forms are formed - flat and convex. Lakes often form barriers to groundwater. This, in turn, causes waterlogging of nearby land areas. There is a continuous accumulation of mineral and organic elements in the lakes. As a result, thick layers of sediment are formed. They change with the further development of reservoirs and their transformation into land or swamps. Under certain conditions, bottom sediments are transformed into rock minerals of organic origin.

Features of education

Ponds arise for a variety of reasons. Their natural creators are wind, water, and tectonic forces. On the surface of the earth, depressions can be washed out by water. Due to the action of the wind, a depression is formed. The glacier polishes the depression, and the mountain collapse dams the river valley. This creates a bed for the future reservoir. Once filled with water, a lake appears. In geography, bodies of water are classified depending on the method of formation, the presence of life, and salt concentration. Only the saltiest lakes lack living organisms. Most of the reservoirs were created as a result of displacements of the earth's crust or volcanic eruptions.

Classification

According to their origin, reservoirs are divided into:

Volcanic reservoirs

Such lakes are located in extinct craters and explosion tubes. Such reservoirs are found in Europe. For example, volcanic lakes are present in the Eifel region (in Germany). Around them there is a weak manifestation volcanic activity in the form of hot springs. The most common type of such lakes is a crater filled with water. Oz. The Mazama volcano crater in Oregon was formed more than 6.5 thousand years ago. Its diameter is 10 km, and its depth is 589 m. Some of the lakes were formed in the process of blocking volcanic valleys with lava flows. Gradually, water accumulates in them and a reservoir is formed. So, for example, a lake appeared. Kivu is a depression of the East African Rift structure, located on the border of Rwanda and Zaire. Flowing once from the lake. Tanganyika r. The Ruzizi flowed along the Kivu Valley north towards the Nile. But from the moment the channel was blocked after the eruption of a nearby volcano, it filled the depression.

Other types

Lakes can form in limestone voids. Water dissolves this rock, forming huge caves. Such lakes can arise in areas of underground salt deposits. Lakes may be artificial. They are usually intended to store water for various purposes. Often, the creation of artificial lakes is associated with various types of excavation work. However, in some cases their appearance is a side effect. For example, artificial reservoirs are formed in mined-out quarries. Among the largest lakes it is worth noting Lake. Nasser, located on the border of Sudan and Egypt. It was formed by damming the river valley. Nile. Another example of a large artificial lake is Lake. Mid. It appeared after the installation of a dam on the river. Colorado. As a rule, such lakes are served by local hydroelectric power stations and provide water to nearby settlements and industrial zones.

Largest glacial-tectonic lakes

One of the main reasons for the formation of reservoirs is due to this displacement in a number of cases, the sliding of glaciers occurs. Ponds are very common on the plains and in the mountains. They can be found both in basins and between hills in depressions. Glacial-tectonic lakes (examples: Ladoga, Onega) are quite common in the Northern Hemisphere. Avalanches left enough deep depressions after myself. Melt water accumulated in them. Sediments (moraine) dammed the depressions. This is how reservoirs in the Lake District were formed. At the foot of the town of Bolshoi Arber there is a lake. Arbersee. This body of water remained after the Ice Age.

Tectonic lakes: examples, characteristics

Such reservoirs are formed in areas of shifts and faults in the crust. Typically, the world's tectonic lakes are deep and narrow. They are distinguished by steep, straight banks. These reservoirs are located predominantly in through deep gorges. Tectonic lakes in Russia (examples: Kuril and Dalnee in Kamchatka) are characterized by a low bottom (below the ocean level). Yes, lake. Kurilskoe is located in the southern part of Kamchatka, in a picturesque deep basin. The area is surrounded by mountains. The maximum depth of the reservoir is 360 m. It has steep banks from which many mountain streams flow. The river flows from the reservoir. Ozernaya. Hot springs come to the surface along the banks. In the center of the lake there is a small hill - an island. It is called the "heart stone". Not far from the lake there are unique deposits of pumice. They are called Kutkhin bats. Today the lake Kurilskoye is a nature reserve and declared a zoological natural monument.

Bottom profile

The glacial-tectonic lakes of the world have a sharply defined relief. It is presented in the form of a broken curve. Glacial deposits and accumulative processes in sediments may not have a significant effect on the clarity of basin lines. However, in some cases the impact can be quite noticeable. Glacial tectonic lakes may have a bottom covered with “scars.” They are quite clearly visible on islands and rocky shores. The latter are composed mainly of hard rocks. They are weakly susceptible to erosion, which, in turn, causes a low rate of sediment accumulation. Such tectonic ones are classified as a=2-4 and a=4-10. The deep-water zone (over 10 m) of the total volume is 60-70%, shallow water (up to 5 m) - 15-20%. Tectonic lakes are characterized by heterogeneity of water in terms of thermal parameters. During maximum heating of the surface, it remains low temperature bottom waters. This is due to stable thermal stratifications. Vegetation is quite rare. It can be found along the shores in closed bays.

Spreading

Where, besides Kamchatka, are tectonic lakes found? The list of the most famous bodies of water in the country includes such formations as:

1. Sandalwood.
2. Sundozero.
3. Palier.
4. Randozero.
5. Salvilambi.

These reservoirs are located in the Suna River basin. Tectonic lakes are also found in the forest-steppe Trans-Urals. Examples of reservoirs:

1. Welgi.
2. Argayash.
3. Shablish.
4. Quiet.
5. Sugoyak.
6. Kaldy.
7. B. Kuyash and others.

The depth of reservoirs on the Trans-Ural Plain does not exceed 8-10 m. Based on their origin, they are classified as lakes of the erosion-tectonic type. Their depressions changed accordingly under the influence of erosion processes. Many reservoirs in the Trans-Urals are confined to ancient river hollows. These are, in particular, tectonic lakes such as Kamyshnoye, Alakul, Peschanoye, Etkul and others.

Unique body of water

In the southern part Eastern Siberia the lake is located Baikal - tectonic lake. Its length is more than 630 km, and the length of the coastline is 2100 km. The width of the reservoir varies from 25 to 79 km. total area lakes - 31.5 sq. km. This reservoir is considered the deepest on the planet. It contains the largest volume of fresh water on Earth (23 thousand m3). This is 1/10 of the world supply. Complete renewal of water in the reservoir occurs in 332 years. Its age is about 15-20 million years ago. Baikal is considered one of the oldest lakes.

Terrain

Baikal lies in a deep depression. They surround him mountain ranges, covered with taiga. The area around the reservoir has a complex, deeply dissected topography. Not far from the lake itself there is a noticeable expansion of the mountain strip. The ridges run parallel to each other here in the direction from northwest to southeast. They are separated by basin-like depressions. River valleys run along their bottom, and in some places small tectonic lakes are formed. Shifts of the earth's crust take place in this area today. This is indicated by relatively frequent earthquakes near the basin, hot springs coming to the surface, as well as subsidence large areas coast. The water in the lake is blue-green. It is distinguished by exceptional transparency and purity. In some places you can clearly see stones lying at a depth of 10-15 m and thickets of algae. The white disk, lowered into the water, is visible even at a depth of 40 m.

Distinctive features

The shape of the lake is a nascent crescent. The reservoir stretches between 55°47" and 51°28" north. latitude and 103°43" and 109°58" east. longitude Maximum width in the center - 81 km, minimum (opposite the delta of the Selenga River) - 27 km. The lake is located above sea level at an altitude of 455 m. 336 rivers and streams flow into the reservoir. Half of the water comes from the river. Selenga. One river flows out of the lake - the Angara. It should be said, however, that in scientific community There are still ongoing discussions about the exact number of streams flowing into the reservoir. Most scientists agree that there are fewer than 336.

Water

The liquid substance filling the lake is considered unique in nature. As mentioned above, the water is surprisingly transparent and clean, rich in oxygen. In the recent past, it was even considered healing. Baikal water was used to treat various diseases. In spring its transparency is higher. In terms of indicators, it is approaching the standard - the Sargasso Sea. Its water transparency is estimated at 65 m. During the period of mass algal blooms, the lake’s indicator decreases. Nevertheless, even at this time, in a lull, the bottom can be seen from the boat at a fairly decent depth. High transparency is caused by the activity of living organisms. Thanks to them, the lake is slightly mineralized. The structure of the water is similar to that of distilled water. The importance of the lake Baikal is difficult to overestimate. In this regard, the state provides special environmental protection to this area.