Lake Baikal characteristic. A river connecting Lake Baikal with the Arctic Ocean. Where are the deepest places of Baikal

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 Lake 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 them. This richest reservoir embodied all ideas about primevalness. It can be calm when there is calm on its surface, or it can be ferocious and cruel when a storm breaks out.

Asking the question of what attracts the attention of Baikal, it is quite simple to answer it. Peculiarities geographical characteristics giant reservoir attract tourists thousands of kilometers away.

Lake Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The greatest depth of Baikal is impressive. The maximum depth of the lake is from the surface of the water at a distance of 1642 meters.

This indicator brings Baikal to a leading position among the lakes on the planet. Following after Russian Baikal African Tanganyika is in a significant margin. The difference between the maximum depths of these majestic reservoirs is about 160 meters.

deserves attention and average depth throughout the lake. Most of Baikal has a depth of about 730 meters. As for the area of ​​this reservoir, here, for understanding, we can cite the area of ​​Belgium or Denmark as an example. 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 flows. 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 we add up the volumes of Michigan, Erie, Huron, Ontario and Lake Superior, then their sum will still not reach equality with the capacity of Baikal, which is over 23,600 cubic kilometers.

The huge depth, impressive expanses of the reservoir, the length and width of the mirror surface caused the inhabitants to often call Baikal the sea. Located in the southeast of Eurasia, a powerful lake is famous for its storms and tides (similar to sea ones).

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, in translation from Turkic it means "rich lake", and in the original language it sounds like Bai-Kul.

Khoboy Cape, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The second variant of the origin of the name, according to historians, is associated with the Mongols - in their language, the reservoir was called Baigal (rich fire) or Baigal dalai (big sea). There is also a third version of the name, according to which the neighboring Chinese called the lake " north sea". In Chinese, it sounds like Bei-Hai.

Lake Baikal is one of the oldest water bodies on the earth's surface. This orographic unit went through a rather complex and long process of formation 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 rightly be considered the beginning of another ocean, which, of course, will not appear in the near future, but scientists look almost unequivocally that it will happen.

The shores of the lake are expanding significantly every year, body of water increases before our eyes, therefore, in the place of the lake in a few million years, according to the researchers, there will be an ocean.

Lake research

A unique distinguishing feature of the Baikal waters is their amazing transparency. At a depth of up to 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 sparingly soluble rocks.

Hence the low level of Baikal mineralization. It is about 100 milligrams per liter of lake water.

Due to the maximum depth of Baikal and high coastline, exceeding the surface of the ocean by 450 meters, the bottom of the reservoir is considered to be the most deep depression not only on this continent, but also among other continents.

Due to the fact that scientists found out the exact location of the maximum depth of the lake, a dive was made to this point several years ago.

It is located within the island of Olkhon. A modern deep-sea instrument sank to the bottom for more than 1 hour. For some time, scientists have filmed and taken samples for a detailed study of the bottom composition of the water and the rocks present.

During this experiment, the researchers managed to discover new microorganisms and identify the source of Baikal pollution with oil.

Lake Baikal - what is it like?

In outline, Baikal looks like a narrow crescent, so easy to remember that it can be easily found on the map of Russia even by those who are not particularly strong in geography. Stretching from the southwest to the northeast for as much as 636 kilometers, Baikal seems to squeeze between mountain ranges, and its water surface is at an altitude of more than 450 meters above sea level, which gives every reason to consider it mountain lake. From the west, the Baikal and Primorsky ridges adjoin it, from the east and southeast - the massifs of Ulan-Burgasy, Khamar-Daban and Barguzinsky. And all this natural landscape so harmonious that one without the other is hard to imagine.

Even Oleg Kirillovich Gusev (1930-2012), candidate of biological sciences, professional hunter, editor-in-chief of the oldest Russian magazine "Hunting and hunting economy" and author of several books on the problems of preserving the unique nature of this lake, wrote: "Baikal gives us great joy and great pleasure." And he added: “It strikes with its monumental style and the beautiful, eternal and powerful that is inherent in its very nature”, emphasizing that the more you get close to it, the more tempting it becomes, and the more clearly you understand that Baikal is unique and charmingly inimitable. Anyone who visits here at least once can be convinced of the veracity of these words.

lake depth

The depth of the lake is truly impressive - 1637 meters. According to this indicator, Baikal surpasses such largest water bodies as Tanganyika (1470 m), the Caspian Sea (1025 m), San Martin (836 m), Nyasa (706 m), Issyk-Kul (702 m) and the Great Slave Lake (614 m). m). The remaining deepest lakes in the world, twenty-two in total, are less than 600 meters deep. A climatic conditions on Baikal, as they say, to match its unique features: here the sun scorches mercilessly and cold winds blow, then storms rage and the quietest weather sets in, conducive to beach holidays.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

The coastline of the Siberian "crescent" is 2100 km long, it has 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake is located in a kind of basin, which, as mentioned above, is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. This gives reason to assume that the coastline of the reservoir is the same throughout. In fact, rocky and steep is only West Coast Baikal. The relief of the eastern one is more gentle: in some places Mountain peaks located at a distance of 10 or more kilometers from the coast.

Lake Baikal water

23,615.39 km³ - reserves are measured with such a fantastic figure Baikal water. According to this indicator, the lake is second only to the Caspian Sea. Considering that in the latter it is salty, it is Baikal that occupies the first line of the world ranking in terms of fresh water reserves, that is, suitable for drinking water. In addition, it is extremely transparent, and all thanks to a very small amount of suspended and dissolved minerals, not to mention organic impurities - they are generally negligible here. At a depth of up to 35-40 meters, you can even distinguish individual stones, especially in spring, when the water turns blue. It also has a huge supply of oxygen. No wonder Baikal - for the totality of such unique properties and qualities - is called national treasure Russia.

The water in Baikal is very clean. Previously, it could be drunk directly from the lake and not even boiled. But now crowds of tourists have rushed to Lake Baikal, who still pollute this area, so now, before drinking Baikal water, you should ask the locals where this can be done.

Baikal ice

The time of freezing on the lake lasts on average from the beginning of January to the beginning of May. During this period, it freezes almost completely. The only exception is a small 15-20-kilometer section located at the source of the Angara. At the end of winter, the ice thickness can reach 1 meter, and even more in the bays - one and a half to two meters. In severe frosts, huge cracks form on the ice, which are called here “stand cracks”. They are so impressive that they can reach from 10 to 30 km in length. The width, however, is small: only 2-3 m. Such “slits” literally tear the ice cover into separate fields. If it were not for cracks, the formation of which is accompanied by a loud, like a cannon shot, sound, then lake fish would die en masse from a lack of oxygen.

Baikal ice has a number of other features that are unique to it, and truly mysterious, which scientists have not been able to explain. Back in the middle of the last century, specialists from the local limnological station discovered the so-called "hills" - hollow ice hills in the shape of a cone, reaching a height of 5-6 meters. Being "open" to the side opposite the shore, they even somewhat resemble tents. Sometimes there are "solitary hills", that is, located separately from each other. In some cases, they are grouped, forming "mountain ranges" in miniature.

Dark rings on the lake

Another riddle - dark rings, whose diameter is 5-7 km (moreover, the width of the lake itself is 80 km). They have nothing to do with the "belt of Saturn", although they were also discovered through satellite imagery. satellite photos amazing formations, made back in 2009 at different parts of Lake Baikal, bypassed the entire Internet. Scientists puzzled for a long time: what could it be? And they came to the conclusion that the rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the upper layer in the center of the ring structure. And as a result, a clockwise flow arises, reaching in some zones maximum speeds. As a result, vertical water exchange increases, provoking the destruction of the ice cover in an accelerated mode.

Bottom of Baikal

It is impossible not to say about the bottom of the amazing reservoir. It also differs from others, and above all in that it has a very pronounced relief - there are even underwater mountain ranges. The three main basins of the lake - northern, southern and middle, separated by the Akademichesky and Selenginsky ridges - are distinguished by a pronounced bed. The first ridge (his maximum height above the bottom is 1848 meters), is especially expressive: it stretches for as much as 100 km from Olkhon Island to the Ushkany Islands.

earthquakes

Another feature of these places is high seismic activity. Fluctuations of the earth's crust here occur regularly, but the strength of most earthquakes does not exceed one or two points. But there have been powerful ones in the past. For example, in 1862, when a ten-point “shake” led to the sinking of an entire piece of land in the northern part of the Selenga delta, one of the many tributaries of Baikal, under water. Its area was 200 km, about 1500 people lived in this territory. Later, a bay formed here, which is called the Failure. Strong earthquakes also occurred in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959. The epicenter of the latter, 9-point, was at the bottom of the lake in the area of ​​the rural settlement of Sukhaya. The aftershocks were then also felt in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude - about 5-6 points. In our time, the region was shaking in 2008 and 2010: the strength of the tremors was 9 and 6.1 points, respectively.

Origin of Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal still hides the secret of its origin. Researchers often argue about its age, coming to the conclusion that it is at least 25-35 million years. The indicator is impressive, especially considering that the life cycle of most lakes, and in the first place glacial origin, does not exceed 10-15 thousand years. After this period, they either become swampy or filled with silty sediments. With Baikal, nothing like this has happened and is not happening. And, according to scientists, is unlikely to happen in the future. The lack of signs of aging is explained by the fact that the lake is ... a nascent ocean. The hypothesis did not arise out of the blue: as it turned out, its banks move away from each other by 2 cm every year.

Flora and fauna

An interesting fact: the purity of Baikal water - by the way, very cold (the temperature of the surface layers even in the warm season does not exceed an average of + 8-9 ° C) - is maintained by the microscopic crustacean epishura, one of the most famous local endemics. In the course of its life, this 1.5 mm crustacean consumes organic matter (algae), passing water through its small body. The role of epishura in the ecosystem of the lake can hardly be overestimated: it forms 90 or more percent of its biomass, serving in turn as food for the Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates. In the processes of self-purification of Lake Baikal, oligochaetes or oligochaetes also play a significant role, 84.5 percent of which are endemic.

Of the 2600 species and subspecies of the local fauna, more than half of the aquatic animals are endemic, that is, living exclusively in this lake. Among the fish, one can also distinguish grayling, Baikal sturgeon, whitefish, taimen, pike, burbot and others. Of particular interest is the golomyanka, which, from a human point of view, “suffers” from obesity: its body contains about 30% fat. She loves to eat so much that in search of food every day she makes a “journey” from the depths to shallow water, which surprises researchers a lot. This underwater inhabitant is also unique in that it belongs to viviparous fish. The distant "neighbors" of golomyankas can be called freshwater sponges growing at great depths. Their presence here is an exclusive phenomenon: they are not found in any other lake.

If the biosphere of the lake is presented in the form of a pyramid, then it will be crowned by the Baikal seal or seal, which is the only mammal in this reservoir. Almost all the time he lives in the water. The only exception is autumn, when seals lie en masse on rocky shores, forming a kind of "settlement". Many other inhabitants of Baikal also explore the coast and islands, for example, gulls, goldeneyes, shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles and other birds. Characteristic for these places is such a phenomenon as coming to the coast, and in droves, brown bears. And in the mountainous Baikal taiga you can meet musk deer - the smallest deer on Earth.

Attractions of Baikal

Lake Baikal is so majestic that it is often called Siberian Sea. In 1996, it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But not only due to the unique ecosystem that requires careful treatment - there are also many historical and architectural sights, not to mention natural and cultural monuments.

One of them is located near the lake, at the source of the Angara, a reserved rock called the Shaman-stone. It can be seen in the middle of the river, between capes Rogatka and Ustyansky. If you focus on the line ferry crossing"Port Baikal", then the rock will be 800 meters lower. Since ancient times, the Shaman-stone was endowed by the inhabitants of the Angara region with unusual power, they prayed near it and performed various shamanic rites.

Between the mainland and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula is perhaps the most famous bay on Baikal - Chivyrkuisky. Its area is approximately 300 km², it is the second largest on the lake, and it is also shallow (about 10 m deep). Thanks to the latter circumstance, the water in the bay warms up well, on average up to +24 degrees. On southwest coast there are such settlements as Kurbulik, Katun and Monakhovo. The main wealth of the bay is fish resources. Here you can find pike, perch, horned catfish, the weight of which can reach tens of kilograms. However, fishing on an industrial scale is prohibited - only amateur. The Chivyrkuisky Bay is also known for its thermal spring, one of the hottest: the temperature of the water used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system ranges from 38.5-45.5 ° C. The source is located in the Zmeina Bay, on the western side.

On northeast coast Lake Baikal is a tract belonging to the natural-geographical region Podlemorye. It is called Frolikha and includes the river of the same name, which flows into Baikal Bay Frolikha and flows out of the lake with the same name. In the river valley - its channel, by the way, crosses the famous a tourist route 95 km long - the Frolikhinsky nature reserve is located. Together with the Zabaikalsky National Park and the Barguzinsky Reserve, it is subordinate to the federal budget government agency"Reserved Podlemorie".

Other attractions:

• Northern Baikal is the last site on the great lake, the nature of which, due to its remoteness and lack of highways retains its originality
• Barguzinsky Bay is the largest and deepest in Baikal,
• Ushkany Islands is a small archipelago with rocky shores in the Barguzinsky district of Buryatia,
• Peschanaya Bay, known for its unique beauty,
• Cape Ryty - extreme north point coastline, where there are extensive pastures, and one of the most anomalous places,
• Cape Ludar, located near the old village of Zabaikalskoye,
• Chersky Peak - from its slopes the Slyudanka and Bezymyannaya rivers begin, flowing into Baikal,
• The Circum-Baikal Railway, which has historical significance.

Rest on Baikal

It was along the Circum-Baikal Railway in the 80s of the XX century that the Bureau of International Youth Tourism "Sputnik" (Irkutsk) developed the first ecological tour. Since that time, ecotourism on Baikal has been actively developing, despite the fact that tourism infrastructure here is not well developed, there are some transport difficulties. There are also problems associated with environmental pollution by emissions from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. But all of them are to some extent compensated by the activities for the creation and arrangement of excursion trails, regularly held tourism organizations region.

The most favorable time for relaxing on the lake is from May to October. You can swim in July and August, since these months are the hottest - the air warms up to + 30 ° C, shallow water - up to + 25 ° C. Vacation on Lake Baikal will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding tourists. Beach holidays, bicycle and car excursions, hiking along the coast, rafting on catamarans and kayaks, quad biking and even helicopter tours - these are far from complete list what travel agencies offer to their customers. Climbing coastal cliffs and descending into caves are popular.

Fishing

Fishing should be mentioned separately. Many amateurs fish from the rocks adjacent to the lake. The most reckless anglers prefer to settle in specialized bases, of which there are many, and which differ in different levels of comfort. They go fishing on rented vessels. The most popular places on Baikal for fishing the already mentioned Chivyrkuisky Bay, the Mukhor Bay, the shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, the rivers flowing into it are considered. The largest of them (besides the Selenga) are the Upper Angara, Snezhnaya, Barguzin, Kichera, Turka, Buguldeyka and Goloustnaya. And only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

Fishing, only now under the ice, finds its fans in the winter season, which here lasts from late December to mid-May. Fans of the “second Russian hunt” are helped by professional instructors: without them, it is difficult for inexperienced fishermen to make the right hole in the unusually transparent ice. They willingly share the secrets of how to organize comfortable rest in conditions of 40-degree frosts, which are not uncommon for Baikal. And those who do not want to test their health with extreme cold, go underwater fishing in March and April. At this time, the ice is still strong, and the air temperature begins to reach positive levels.

Winter sports

Of winter entertainment, tourists are also offered skiing. dog sledding(routes are very different both in complexity and length), snowmobile rides ( excursion programs are also different and depend on the level of preparedness of the riders), riding skiing, sledges and snowboards (you can rent ski equipment at numerous rental points on the coast). In winter, as, indeed, in summer, helicopter excursions are held in high esteem among vacationers, giving unforgettable impressions for a lifetime.

Children and youth tourism

Sufficiently developed on Baikal is children's tourism, which involves rest in summer camps. We will immediately please parents: your children will not be bored here. Staying in a children's institution involves a rich excursion and creative program, including the holding of sanatorium and health-improving events at specialized bases. One of the most convenient places on Lake Baikal for families with small children is Mandarkhan Bay. It is as if it was specially created by nature for this very purpose: it is very small, and in summer it is perhaps the most warm water and children are not at risk of catching a cold.

The youth is not left unattended. For her, the interregional public organization "Great Baikal Trail", established in 2003, implements various international programs, taking into account the specifics and needs of the age of up to 30. For example, the arrangement and reconstruction of ecological paths, holding educational lectures on nature conservation. Schoolchildren are also actively involved as listeners of the latter.

Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

Hotels and recreation centers on Lake Baikal

Many tourists come to rest on Baikal, as they say, savages, getting on their cars. They choose a place they like on the coast and stop there, spending the night in tents. There are very few campsites specially equipped for motorists on the lake. If you plan to stop at such a site, you should take into account that there may not be firewood and basic amenities (for example, a toilet) in this place. Therefore, think in advance about how you will “survive”.

Such experiences will be spared by those who prefer to travel in comfort, even minimal. At their service are many hotels, recreation centers and guest houses scattered along the entire coast of Lake Baikal. Moreover, each tourist will be able to find the most suitable accommodation option for him - taking into account, of course, individual preferences and financial capabilities. We are forced to upset the bohemian public: there are no five-star hotels with the highest level of service here. She, like "mere mortals", will have to be content with ordinary rooms with all amenities. Another note: some recreation centers accept tourists only in the summer.

Tourists traveling on their own run the risk of running into unscrupulous intermediaries when booking a hotel room or recreation center. To prevent this from happening, book a hotel room only through proven and reliable services, which will not only save you from scammers, but also allow you to rent a room at the lowest cost, without unnecessary markups. We recommend Booking.com, one of the first and most popular online hotel booking systems.

How to get there

There are various ways to get to Baikal. The starting point is usually the nearby big cities: Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Severobaikalsk. Tourists first come to one of these settlements and already there they are planning in detail their further route. The trip on the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway between Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk is especially memorable: the lake stretches right outside the train windows and you can admire its magical panorama for hours.

One of the most popular tourist destinations on the Siberian Sea is the village of Listvyanka, located at the source of the Angara, 65 km from Irkutsk. From regional center You can get here by bus or boat, the journey time is just over an hour. All routes originate in Irkutsk water transport, plying not only on Baikal, but also on the Angara.

Since 2008, every second Sunday in October, Baikal Day has been celebrated - the deepest and largest freshwater lake on the planet, a unique natural attraction and a real treasure of Russia.

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Location, history

In what part of the world is it located. The lake is located in the center of Asia, on the territory of the Russian Federation, on the site of the border Irkutsk region and Buryatia. Its length is 636 km.

It is estimated that the lake is approximately 25 million years old. The formation of rift basins (there are three of them in total) took place during the period of seismic activity of ancient mud volcanoes. It was because of this that the earth's crust broke. Also, the origin of Lake Baikal is associated with the location of one part of the mainland on another in ancient times (according to this version, it is the same age as the Himalayas).

Thus, the reservoir is one of the most ancient on the planet. Interestingly, it is mentioned in ancient Chinese chronicles. The Chinese called it "Bai Hai", which means "North Sea".

Attention! Seismic activity in the area continues to this day. More than a hundred earthquakes occur every year, but most of them are very weak, recorded only with the help of special equipment. There is also a large magnetic anomaly.

Interestingly, the formation of basins is still ongoing. Every year, water wins about 2 cm from the land. Some scientists believe that the reservoir can turn into, but this is just guesswork.

Name history

There are many versions of the origin of the toponym "Baikal", but the most important of them is the Turkic one. In Turkic it sounds like "Bai-Kul", which means "rich lake" in translation. A very accurate title.

The Buryats who inhabited this region called the lake "Baigal-Nuur". Perhaps, with the arrival of the Russians, the letter "g" was gradually replaced by "k".

Attention! In Russia, there are several more reservoirs with the exact same name. They are located in the Yakut and Tyumen regions. But, of course, other bodies of water are much smaller than the main one.

Sometimes Baikal is called a sea, compared with the Caspian and Aral, which are the preserved parts of the ancient oceans. This name is quite correct, because storms often occur here, and the waves reach a height of 4-5 meters.

Peculiarities

We list the special features of Lake Baikal. Storms and wave formation also occurs here due to winds.. They are very strong and different in their characteristics. Scientists even gave them names:

• Kultuk;
• Mountain;
• Shelonnik.

In many ways, the lake is more like a sea.

Lake Baikal

Size and shape

Its shape resembles a crescent moon. Its area is 32 thousand square kilometers (length - more than 630 meters, width - 80 meters). Interestingly, some European countries could well be fully accommodated on its territory, for example, Albania, Malta, Denmark or Holland. There are many islands on it (-22 in total), but only one is inhabited - Olkhon. The length of the coastline is equal to the distance from Moscow to Istanbul.

Depth

The maximum depth of Lake Baikal is 1642 meters (the average depth is 730 meters; however, according to a number of scientists, there are depressions at the bottom, the depth of which is more than 7 km), that is, it is almost 5 Eiffel Towers. But only in 2002, after lengthy research and numerous measurements, this fact was confirmed.

The lake owns 19% of all world fresh water reserves

Amount of water

Baikal owns 19% of all world fresh water reserves. In total - 23 thousand cubic kilometers. This amount of water was formed because more than 300 rivers flow into the reservoir.

What else is the lake famous for? Of course, quality. Her purity is amazing. IN The water is incredibly transparent, through its thickness you can see what is happening at a depth of 40 meters. In terms of purity, it is equated to distilled, since it contains very few minerals. But there are a lot of things that make it useful. In 2000, according to the results of scientific research, it was found that water has a glow.

Attention! In about one winter month, the water freezes completely and is covered with a whole network of cracks. Some of them are up to 30 meters deep. It is unsafe to walk on the surface of Lake Baikal in winter.

The water does not warm up even in summer (the average temperature is only 8-10 degrees, although in some shallow bays the temperature can reach up to 20 degrees), despite the fact that sunny days there is a lot here (it is because of this that Baikal is also called the "Lake of the Sun"). Swimming here is limited even for professionals, because so far not a single person has been able to swim across the reservoir. Interestingly, the current here is not very strong, only 10 cm per second. Nearby is thermal source. The water temperature in it is over 70 degrees.

The water in the lake is very clear

Flora and fauna

Ecoworld of the Baikal region is unique. Grows along the coast a large number of cedars and larches, which are centenarians. Several trees are over 700 years old.

In terms of the number of endemic animals, this area is comparable only to Australia. More than a thousand endemic species live here (most likely, this is due to the fact that mountain ranges and hills are located around). Only in the waters there are more than 50 species of fish (the most famous are the golomyanka viviparous, which almost entirely consists of fat, and the Baikal omul, a fish from the salmon family), and on the banks there are rookeries of seals or seals.

Moreover, scientists still have not figured out exactly how they appeared here (perhaps these are the descendants of the animals of the ancient northern - Arctida).

Every year the region celebrates Seal Day. The event is designed to draw public attention to the problem of poaching in the region.

The water is filtered by shrimp, crustaceans and sponges, which in 100 years reach a size of 1 meter. Thanks to their activities, as well as a special circulation, the water is completely mixed in 5 months, which is why it remains so clean.

Nearby is a large national reserve Barguzinsky, on the territory of which there are many research stations. The qualitative composition of the reserve is 1750 species of plants and animals. All of them are under state protection.

Resources

For a long time, scientists have found out that there are rich oil deposits at the bottom of the lake. Almost every year about 5 tons of oil are produced here.

Interesting facts will be useful for children:

1. The territories of the Baikal region were inhabited by people as early as the 2nd millennium BC. Presumably, these were the ancestors of the Evenks. How many ethnic groups lived here in general is still unknown.
2. Baikal was discovered by Russian explorers at the end of the 17th century. For the first time he was seen by the Russian Cossack Kurbat Ivanov. At that time, its shores were inhabited by the Buryats, who, in turn, replaced the Berguts who lived here in more distant times.
3. Scientists have found that at the bottom are the most high mountains on (their maximum height is 7500 meters), scientists also found the remains of dinosaurs here.
4. There is a cave on the shore where mysterious shamanic rites were held in ancient times. It is located in the Shamanka rock. Interestingly, in old times criminals were executed here: they simply put them on the very edge of the cape and waited for a big wave. If a wave washed away a person, then he was guilty. It was believed that the waters of Baikal do not touch the innocent.
5. Cape Ryty - is considered a cursed place. Only very experienced shamans can enter it.
6. A lot of people drowned here. Interestingly, July is considered the most disastrous time for travelers and explorers.
7. Nearby there are more than 20 caves - it's just a paradise for speleologists.
8. There is a version according to which, somewhere near or, perhaps, at the bottom is the grave of the famous Genghis Khan.
9. There are also suggestions that somewhere nearby the treasures of the Chinese caravan were hidden, which tried to find shelter here from the Tatar-Mongol, and the treasures of Admiral Kolchak, who hid a large amount of silver here, which was taken to Irkutsk for the fair.
10. Locals believe that UFOs can often be seen here.
11. In Russia, a children's carbonated drink called "Baikal" is produced. It has a special taste, which is achieved with a mixture of herbal extracts and essential oils. Interestingly, all the herbs from the composition grow on the banks of the reservoir.
12. In 1976, Crimean astronomers discovered an asteroid, which was named after the reservoir.
13. On the lake, as in the deserts, mirages can often be observed.
14. Interestingly, only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara. This fact is related to one beautiful legend, according to which Angara is a naughty daughter who ran away from her father to her lover - the Yenisei.

There are rich oil fields at the bottom of the lake

Attention! If 336 rivers flowing into the lake ceased to feed it, and the Angara continued to flow out, then one would have to wait 400 years to see the bottom.

It takes about a month for the lake to melt completely. The melting of ice begins approximately in March-April. Rest here is the dream of many tourists. Celebrities have also been here, for example, James Cameron, who directed Avatar, spent his 51st birthday here. The current President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin participated in a dive inside the Mir submersible, which was used, among other things, during the underwater filming of the movie Titanic.

Locals believe that one cannot get sick from swimming in the cold waters of the reservoir. The last strong earthquake occurred here in 2008. His strength was equal to 9 points on the Richter scale. In 2010, the area was also hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake.

12 secrets and wonders of Baikal

History of Baikal! How did Baikal appear?

Conclusion

One can talk about Baikal for a long time. He is incredibly handsome. Its nature and mysteries attract explorers and travelers from all over the world.

Lake Baikal and its drainage basin belong to the unique geosystems of the world. Baikal is located in the central part Eastern Siberia, not far from the conditional geographical center of Asia. The mountain basin of the lake is the most important natural frontier of Siberia. In this area, the boundaries of various floristic and faunal areas converge, creating biogeocenoses that have no analogues.

Baikal is one of the greatest lakes of the planet, a lake of "superlative degree": the deepest (1637 m) and the oldest (about 25 million years), containing the largest number of endemics (more than 1000 species) and representatives of flora and fauna (more than 2600 species) living in fresh water Earth. The lake has a unique in terms of volume (23.6 thousand cubic km) and quality of fresh water (20% of the world). The Baikal depression is the central link of the Baikal rift zone, which arose and developed simultaneously with the world rift system. A number of factors suggest that the lake is a nascent ocean. The climate of the Baikal coasts is unusually mild for Siberia - the number of sunny days here is higher than in many Black Sea resorts. 336 rivers flow into Baikal (Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara, etc.), and one flows out - Angara.

The entire lake basin total area catchment area of ​​557 thousand sq. km, of which 332 are in Russia) is a peculiar and very fragile natural geosystem, the basis of which is the system of the lake itself with its natural process of formation of the purest waters of drinking quality.

Baikal - the largest lake in the world

Baikal is one of the greatest lakes the globe, the largest freshwater lake in Russia. Its length is 636 kilometers, the water surface area is 31,500 square kilometers. Baikal is 1.7 times larger than Lake Ladoga, the largest in Europe. Among the fresh lakes of the world, it ranks sixth. Larger than it are two African lakes - Victoria and Tanganyika, and three of the five Great American Lakes - Superior, Huron and Michigan.

Baikal is not only one of largest lakes, but also the most deep lake planets. As already mentioned, his greatest depth 1637 meters.

The maximum depth of Tanganyika is 1435 meters, Issyk-Kul is 702. On Earth, only 8 lakes have a depth exceeding 500 meters (L. Rossolimo).

Tanganyika is a fresh water body, but its water contains a high content of magnesium salts. The entire thickness of fresh water deeper than 800 meters can only be studied in Baikal.

The average depth of the lake is also very high - 730 meters. It exceeds the maximum depths of many very deep lakes. This is what determines the water reserves in Baikal.

Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake in terms of water resources. Its volume is 23,600 cubic meters. kilometers, which is about 20% of the planet's fresh lake waters - much more than in all fresh lakes in the world. The volume of the latter is estimated at 123 thousand cubic kilometers of water. There is more water in Baikal than in all five of the American Great Lakes combined. The Baikal volume of water is almost twice as much as in Lake Tanganyika, 90 times more than in the Sea of ​​Azov, 23 times more than in Lake Ladoga. Based on the current need of people for water, equal to 500 liters per person per day, Baikal water can provide the entire population of the Earth for about 40 years (G.N. Galaziy, 1984).

Geological features of the structure of Lake Baikal

The most remarkable feature of Baikal is its antiquity. Given the deep relict endemism of the fauna of the lake, most researchers determine its age at 20-30 million years. The vast majority of lakes, especially those of glacial and oxbow origin, live for 10-15 thousand years, then they are filled with sediments, dragged by rafts and sooner or later turn into swamps, and then dry up. Recent studies have allowed geophysicists to hypothesize that Baikal, on the contrary, is a nascent ocean. This is confirmed by the fact that its shores diverge at a speed of up to 2 cm per year, just as the continents of Africa and South America, the shores of the Mediterranean and Red Seas, etc. Along with active movements of the earth's crust, significant magnetic anomalies along its axis were noted in the Baikal region. These anomalies are comparable in scale with similar anomalies in the area of ​​the mid-Atlantic fault. The lake has many features inherent in the ocean - abyssal depths, a huge mass of water, internal waves and seiches, tides, strong storms, high waves, expansion of the basin due to the spreading of the banks, large values ​​of magnetic anomalies, etc.

The lake lies in the Baikal depression - a bottomless stone bowl, surrounded on all sides by mountains. The depression is framed by medium-altitude mountain ranges Primorsky and Baikal - from the western side, Barguzinsky (with a maximum height of 2840 m) and Khamar-Daban - from the east and southeast. The depth of the depression is determined by the height of the mountains above it, the depth of the lake and the thickness of the loose sediments lining its bottom. The layer of these lake sediments in some places reaches 6,000 meters, and their volume is twice the volume of the lake and reaches 46,000 cubic kilometers. It is easy to calculate that the depth of Baikal's crystalline bed reaches 8-9 kilometers.

The deepest point of the Baikal root basin lies about 7,000 meters below the ocean level. The Baikal depression is the deepest basin on earth's land. Its "roots" cut through the entire earth's crust and go into the upper mantle to a depth of 50-60 kilometers.

Hydrology of Lake Baikal

Every year about 60 cubic kilometers of beautiful and unique water quality is produced in Baikal, which in some cases can be used instead of distilled water. The rare purity of water is ensured by the vital activity of its unique flora and fauna. The main properties of Baikal water are characterized as follows: there are very few dissolved and suspended mineral substances in it, negligible organic impurities, and a lot of oxygen. The total mineralization of water in Baikal is 120 milligrams per liter, while in many other lakes it reaches 400 or more milligrams per liter. The total content of ions in the water of the lake is 96.7 milligrams per liter.

Its transparency depends on the purity of water. Baikal is not only extremely clean, but also the most transparent lake in the world. In the spring, after being freed from ice, the transparency of its water reaches 40 meters - ten times more than in many other lakes. Water is considered the standard of the highest transparency. Sargasso Sea approaching the transparency of distilled water. Here, the Secchi disk disappears from view at a record depth of 65 meters. Recent studies have shown that at depths of 250 - 1200 meters the transparency of Baikal water is no less than in the Sargasso Sea.

Climate characteristics

In terms of the number of hours of sunshine, Baikal is richer than the neighboring territories of Siberia and even some western and southern regions countries - in the north of the Baikal depression (Nizhnangarsk) 1948 hours per year, in the south of the lake (Babushkin) and in the middle part (Khuzhir) 2100 and 2277, and on the Riga coast, located at the same latitude - an average of 1839 hours per year, in Abastumani in the Caucasus - 1994. The average annual air temperature in the depressions of the lake is distributed as follows: in the southern basin -0.7 C, in the middle -1.6 C, in the northern -3.6 C.

The water temperature in the surface layer varies from +14, +15 C (in August) to 0 C (in December-January). In coastal areas, during surges, the temperature can reach +16, +17 C, mainly under east coast. In shallow bays and sors, it rises to +22, +23 C in summer. On average, the freezing of Lake Baikal begins on December 21 and ends on January 16 - it takes about a month to completely freeze. It also takes about a month or more from the beginning of the destruction of the ice cover in the southern basin, which occurs in April, to the complete cleansing of the entire reservoir in May-June. Most precipitation falls on the Khamar-Daban coast - about 800 mm / year or more, as well as in the mountains - from 1200 to 1400 mm; least of all - on the islands of Olkhon and Ushkany, on the Malomorsky coast of the lake and on the middle section of the western and eastern coasts. On average, it receives from 160 to 300 mm of precipitation per year.

Flora and fauna

The exclusivity of many physical and geographical features of the lake was the reason for the extraordinary diversity of its flora and fauna. And in this respect, it has no equal among the fresh waters of the world. Almost half of all species of freshwater mollusks live in Baikal, as well as more than half of all species of oligochaetes, shell crustaceans, etc. /3 are endemic, originated in it and are not found anywhere else in the world. Of the algae, the most numerous are diatoms - 509 species, tetrasporic and chlorococcal - 99, blue-green - 90, conjugates - 48, ulotrix - 45, golden - 28, volvox - 13 species, etc. Of the animals, the most common amphipods (gammarids) - 255 species; more than 100 species of shell crustaceans, or ostracods, more than 100 species of gastropods, 83 oligochaetes, more than 100 planarians, about 50 planarians, 56 harpacticides, more than 300 protozoa. 52 species of fish belonging to 12 families live in the lake: sturgeons, Acipenseridae, (1 species - Baikal sturgeon); salmon, Salmonidae, (5 species - davatchan, taimen, lenok, Baikal omul, Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgy, whitefish); graylings, Thimallidae, (1 species - Siberian grayling); pike, Esocidae, (1 species); cyprinids, Ciprinidae, (13 species); loaches, Cobitidae, (2 species); catfish, Sibiridae, (1 species); cod, Gadidae, (1 species); perch, Percidae, (1 species); sculpins, Cottidae, (7 species); Abissocottidae, (20 species); golomyankas, Comephoridae, (2 species). 29 species - very diverse in body shape, color and lifestyle of sculpins, or sculpins. Two species - viviparous fish, large and small golomyanka - are known to ichthyologists around the world.

The food pyramid of the lake ecosystem is crowned by a typical marine mammal - the seal, or the Baikal seal, Pusa sibirica Gmel.

There are 848 species of endemic animals in Baikal - about 60% and 133 species of endemic plants - 15%. Completely endemic in Baikal are 11 families and subfamilies, 96 genera, uniting about 1000 species. All this makes it possible to single out the lake in the Baikal subregion of the Holarctic, which is equivalent in area to the vast European-Siberian subregion.

Angara river

Angara - "daughter of Baikal", the only river flowing out of the lake, its length is about 1860 km. Annually, the Angara carries out 60.9 cubic km of water from Baikal, and all its tributaries bring 58.75 cubic km per year. at the confluence of the Angara has a water discharge of only about 100 cubic km. The source of the river is located at the level of Baikal, i.e. at an altitude of 456 m above sea level, and the mouth - at an altitude of 76 m. The difference is 380 m, which is used by the cascade of hydroelectric power stations built on the Angara. The width of the Angara at the source is about 1 km, the depth varies in the range of 0.5 - 6 m, the speed of the current along the fairway is 1-2 m / s.

Baikal omul

The Baikal omul (Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgy) is an endemic fish that came to Baikal relatively recently (during the glacial or post-glacial period), presumably from the estuarine sections of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The omul adapted well to its new ecological niche, underwent significant changes and acquired the biological characteristics of the subspecies. Four populations of omul live in Baikal: Selenga, Chivirkuy, North Baikal and embassy. The most numerous population is Selenga. It spawns mainly in the Selenga and in a number of tributaries of the lake. It lives in the southern basin of Baikal and in the southern part of the middle basin. The omul goes to spawn in the rivers from the end of August - the beginning of September to the end of November. In terms of numbers, the spawning herd reaches from one and a half - two to six - eight million individuals.

The total biomass of all age groups of omul in Baikal is about 25 - 30 thousand tons. The life expectancy of omul is up to 20-25 years, it spawns up to 6 times during its life at the age of 5-6 to 14-15 years. The average size and weight of each population is different. Size 30 - 35 cm, weight from 300 to 600 gr. The largest of the encountered specimens of the Selenga population had a weight of up to 5 kg and a length of about 50 cm.

Baikal seal

The Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica Gmel.) is the only mammal in the lake. According to the classification, the seal belongs to the family of true seals (Phocidae), the genus Pusa. Researchers believe that the Baikal seal came from a common ancestor with the ringed northern seal. It is believed that the seal penetrated from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara during the Ice Age, when the rivers were dammed by ice advancing from the north. In the mid-80s, there were about 70 thousand heads of seals in Baikal. The age limit of the Baikal seal (according to V.D. Pastukhov) is 56 years for females and 52 years for males. Childbearing age lasts from 4-7 to 40 years, pregnancy lasts 11 months. During the life of the female can bring more than 20 cubs. The average weight of the seal in Baikal is about 50 kg, the maximum weight of males is 130-150 kg, the length is 1.7-1.8 m. The females are smaller in size - 1.3-1.6 m and up to 110 kg. (+ video clip - Baikal seal on the ice of the lake, 5-10 sec) (According to O.K. Gusev and G.N. Galaziya)

The nature of anthropogenic impact in the basin of the lake. Baikal.

Based on the materials of the TERKSOP of Lake Baikal and the "National Report of the USSR to the 1992 UN Conference on environment and development" in the basin of Lake Baikal, 4 main areas of detrimental anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems of the region are distinguished.

1. The basin of the Selenga River in its lower reaches with 3 large industrial centers: the Gusinoozerskaya State District Power Plant, the Selenginsky Central Control Commission and the city of Ulan-Ude. Ulan-Ude is the largest polluter of the Selenga, accounting for 53% of all wastewater discharged into the largest river Baikal basin. Above the city, the total concentration of impurities in the waters of the Selenga is 0.76 conventional units, below it increases to 62 conventional units. In 1988, the city's emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere amounted to 152.2 thousand tons, of which 58.2 thousand tons fell on the share of industrial enterprises, 94 thousand tons - vehicles.

In the same year, the Selenginsky PPM emitted 44.1 thousand tons of pollutants into the atmosphere. The plant dumped 11.9 thousand tons of mineral substances, 3.4 thousand tons of organic substances and 135 tons of suspended matter into the waters of the Selenga. Emissions into the atmosphere of Gusinoozerskaya GRES exceeded 63 thousand tons/year.

2. The southern end of the lake, where the main pollutant is the Baikal pulp and paper mill. In 1988, the plant's emissions into the atmosphere amounted to 30.4 thousand tons. harmful substances, into the water of Baikal - 51.9 thousand tons of mineral substances, 4.7 thousand tons of organic and 532 tons of suspended substances. The maximum allowable concentrations (MPC) of oil products, phenols were exceeded by 3-4 times, and the MPC of sulfates and chlorides was exceeded. As a result of the plant's activity, an extensive pollution zone was formed. The area of ​​pollution of bottom sediments is 20 sq. km. Over the past 10 years, the number of benthic species of living organisms has decreased here from 27 to 10, and the biomass of zoobenthos has decreased by 3 times.

3. Valley of the Barguzin River in the middle and lower reaches. Here, the cut down areas of the allowable cutting area are significantly exceeded, 67% of arable land is covered by erosion processes. The unregulated use of mineral fertilizers in this agricultural area may contribute to the eutrophication of the lake.

4. Severobaikalsky area - a section of the coast between the cities of Severobaikalsk and Nizhneangarsk. The commissioning of the Baikal-Amur Railway has significantly increased the anthropogenic load here. Atmospheric emissions of harmful substances in the city of Severobaikalsk in 1988 amounted to 15 thousand tons. The content of oil products in water near Severobaikalsk is 3-5 MPC, if the index is 238 tons. An additional source of pollution of Lake Baikal is the bank protection works carried out in this area.

The current influence of local anthropogenic foci in the lake basin is of a local nature, but if we consider the characteristics of the atmosphere, it covers large parts of the lake, mainly its southern basin. This influence, apart from local sources is due to the transfer of air masses from the Irkutsk territorial complex, especially the Novo-Irkutsk CHPP.

largest natural reservoir fresh water is located in Russia, on the territory of Eastern Siberia. Its shores and waters belong to the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia.

The most convenient way to get to Baikal is from Irkutsk - there are many types of transport and only 70 km to the lake. Ulan-Ude is located much further away, and there are much fewer communication options.

Climate zone, in which Baikal is located - a temperate zone, however, due to the amazing and unique shape, bottom topography and coastline, the deepest lake on the planet is divided into three separate parts - Southern, Middle and Northern. Moreover, each of these zones has its own natural and climatic features, each is characterized by unique flora and.

The beauty of Baikal, the special energy of this place, the unique flora and fauna, as well as the opportunity to go diving, hunting, fishing, photography, etc., attract millions of tourists from all over the world.

The length of Lake Baikal from north to south is almost 600 km, and the maximum depth of the reservoir is 1620 m. This is the deepest lake on planet Earth.

There are two main ways to get to the lake: by plane or by rail. By air, you can fly from almost any major airport in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Vladivostok, etc.) and arrive in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude on a direct flight or with a transfer.

Similar to by rail: from almost any corner of Russia, regardless of the significance and size of the city or village, you can directly or by way of administrative centers Irkutsk region or the Republic of Buryatia.

It is noteworthy that in Africa there is a "twin brother" of Baikal - Lake Tanganyika. It is also distinguished by the uniqueness of the ecosystem, it has a similar shape to the Siberian counterpart, only its semicircle is turned in the opposite direction.

The distance from Moscow to Irkutsk by rail is almost 5,200 km. High-speed train overcomes it in 3.5-4 days.

Both Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk are located several tens of kilometers from Lake Baikal, and from these cities you can get to the lake by taxi, electric trains and trains, fixed-route taxi or bus. In summer, from Irkutsk, from the pier "Rocket", yachts and motor ships go to the lake.