Baikal is a lake from which you can drink. The origin of Lake Baikal: features of miracles and why the deepest lake on the planet is famous

Lake Baikal for the majority is somewhere very far away. The origin of Lake Baikal is shrouded in legends about great catastrophes on a planetary scale, about gods and their deeds. The scientific point of view also exists - there is no mysticism in it, of course.

Lake Baikal is located on the territory Irkutsk region and Buryatia. Considered a lake tectonic origin. The age of Baikal is estimated differently. Some scientists put 35 million years. But the doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences A.V. Tatarinov in 2009 put forward a version that the deep-water part of Lake Baikal was formed 150 thousand years ago, and the modern coastline was only 8 thousand years old. Tatarinov substantiated such results with the results of the Mirs expedition to Baikal. So, with the age of Lake Baikal, everything is also very ambiguous.

Lake Baikal is also called the Siberian Sea.

Lake Baikal contains 19% of all world reserves fresh water. How much water is in Lake Baikal is estimated at 23,615 km³. There is only one lake in the world, the displacement of which is greater than in Baikal - the Caspian Sea (not everyone knows, but there is a lake along this sea).

Despite the fact that Baikal is located in, there is a lot of sun here. Climatic conditions on Baikal have their own unique features: either the sun mercilessly fries, but cold winds blow, then fierce storms fly in, then calm and hot weather sets in in the summer and tens of thousands of tourists flock to Lake Baikal for beach holiday. In count sunny days Lake Baikal surpasses many resorts of the Black Sea and Mediterranean coast.

The maximum depth of Lake Baikal is 1642 m. Many people write that Lake Baikal is shaped like a crescent moon. Rather, sorry if something is wrong - a banana. But very big. The length of Baikal is 620 km (as from Moscow to St. Petersburg approximately), the width reaches 80 km. Length coastline is 2100 km.

Lake Baikal has 27 islands, the largest of them. Many islands are sacred to the locals and protected by law. In general, there are many sacred places on Baikal, the history of which is shrouded in mystery and legends. The predominant religion here is rather Buddhism, at least Buddhist symbols and objects of worship are found everywhere.

Lake Baikal water

The water temperature in Baikal is a phenomenon. In summer, only the upper layer of water and shallow coastal bays warm up in the lake. But at a depth the temperature is always constant - about +4 ° C.

The waters of Lake Baikal are a separate mystery. Lakes of this age do not have such crystal clear water, and in Baikal it is very clean. Usually, over time, lakes silt up, and after 10-15 thousand years, swamps are already in their place. Baikal not only does not grow shallow, but also contains clean water that you can drink directly from the lake without fear. In addition, the water of Lake Baikal is saturated with oxygen to a very high degree in comparison with other freshwater reservoirs.

Lake Baikal owes its purity to a small (1.5 mm long) crustacean called epishura. There are a lot of these crustaceans in the water of the lake. They clean the water and are food for the famous Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates.

The transparency of water in Baikal is also very high. IN good weather through the 40-meter water column you can see the bottom of the lake! In winter, Baikal also has surprisingly transparent ice. You just need to find a place that is not swept up by snow, and so to speak - feel like God - walk on the water. The water above is really frozen, but below it is the same picture - the bottom, fish, and you are walking above them.

Baikal is fed by the waters of more than 300 rivers, and only one river flows out of Baikal -.

Baikal ice

Lake Baikal does not freeze evenly in winter. Bays and bays, as well as Northern part The lake freezes in November-December. And in the south, ice rises only in February, and if the winter is warm, then even at the end of February.

The thickness of the ice on Baikal by the end of winter reaches 1 m, and in the bays - 1.5–2 m. There is a phenomenon on Baikal that the locals call "stanovye cracks". This is when cracks appear in the ice in severe frost. They break the ice apart large fields. The length of these cracks is amazing - from 10 to 30 km, and the width is only 2-3 m. As you understand, it is better not to be in such a place at the time of the break. Breaks occur every year and in approximately the same places of the lake. The sound effect is similar to gun shots.

Such gaps save the fish in the lake from lack of oxygen. Here is such a mysterious, but necessary natural mechanism for the lake. And due to the transparency of ice, it penetrates through it sunlight, thanks to which planktonic algae that release oxygen in the water develop rapidly even in winter.

Another amazing phenomenon with ice on Baikal is ice hills. These are hollow cone-shaped ice hills that reach a height of 5-6 meters. In some of them you can find the "entrance", and it is usually located in the direction opposite to the shore. Such an ice tent turns out. Sometimes such tents stand alone, but often they are grouped, resembling mountain ranges, only in miniature.

Another one mysterious phenomenon was discovered with the help of space photography - dark rings.

The rings have a diameter of up to 7 km. Scientists came to the conclusion that the rings are formed due to the rise of water from the depths of the lake. Due to the temperature difference, a clockwise flow occurs, reaching in some zones different speeds. As a result, the ice cover is destroyed, and the shape of the destroyed areas is ring-shaped.

Shores of Lake Baikal

The landscape of the coast is very diverse. The largest part is occupied by the taiga, in some places it is swampy. There are many hard-to-pass places where there are neither roads nor settlements. But there are many such areas that look quite hospitable, sand, pines, cedars, wild rosemary. But from the side of the Tazheran steppe, in the vicinity and on the island, the landscapes of the Baikal region are different - steppes, rocks with woodlands Siberian larch.

The terrain on the coast of Lake Baikal is generally mountainous and transport infrastructure because of this, he suffers greatly. Many places to drive on road transport from one settlement located on the coast to another located, you need to make a big detour of tens of kilometers. A quarter of the coast of Lake Baikal does not have public highways generally and practically uninhabited (there is a place for the Chinese to settle, they think with joy).

Bottom relief

Lake Baikal is unique in terms of bottom topography. It has its own underwater mountain ranges, the largest of which are Akademichesky and Selenginsky. These ridges divide the lake into three basins.

Earthquakes are not excluded on Baikal. More precisely, this is a common thing. But tremors usually do not exceed 2 points. But there were other cases:

• in 1862, an earthquake of 10 points was recorded, as a result of which a land area in the northern part of the Selenga delta went under water
• there were points about 9 points in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959
• in 2008 - 9 points
• in 2010 - 6 points

Fauna and flora of Baikal

vegetable and animal world are unique here. The lake serves as a safe haven for almost three thousand species of animals and thousands of plants. Many species are found only here. And this despite the fact that, as scientists suggest, more than 20% of the living organisms living in the lake are still unknown to science. Fishing lovers will be fine on Baikal (if the bite goes, of course). Grayling, taimen, whitefish, sturgeon, omul, lenok, golomyanka are common. There are about sixty species in total.

The top of the biosphere on Lake Baikal is occupied by the Baikal seal. There are no other mammals in this reservoir. Until now, there are heated debates about how the Baikal seal got to Baikal and comfortably settled down here - especially marine mammal. It is assumed that she came here in ancient times. ice age, moving from the Arctic Ocean along the Angara and the Yenisei. Now tens of thousands of animals live here.

Many animals and birds also live along the shores of Lake Baikal. Here you will meet gulls, goldeneye, there are shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles, and other birds. You can see the mass bathing of brown bears (just be careful!). Musk deer, the smallest deer on Earth, lives in the mountainous part of the Baikal taiga.

Where does the name Baikal come from?

Researchers are still arguing about the origin of the name of the lake. Several guesses:

• Bai-Kul - translated from Turkic means "rich lake";
• Baigal - from the Mongolian "rich fire";
• Baigal Dalai - in the same Mongolian means " big lake»;
• Beihai - in Chinese means "North Sea";
• Baigal-Nuur - Buryat name;
• Lamu - this is what the Evenki called the lake.

It is believed that the first explorers, who appeared here in the seventeenth century, eventually adopted the Buryat name, but softened the letter “g”, giving the name the current sound.

Tourism and recreation on Lake Baikal

There are a lot of beautiful places on Baikal. On my site you will find many stories of our tourists about trips and holidays on Baikal (see the section "Stories"). A feature of tourism on Baikal is that the places you would like to see are often located at great distances from each other. So if you want to see not everything, but many of the beauties of Lake Baikal, you need to work out a competent route. If you feel that you can’t do it yourself, contact private guides or buy a comprehensive tour to Baikal.

In any case, you will not be able to see everything on Baikal at one time. Baikal is large, to go around it all you will need more than one vacation.

The most massive tourist visit to Lake Baikal takes place, of course. in summer. Most popular places- the village of Listvyanka, the Small Sea and the island of Olkhon. People with a small budget, and even the most demanding, will find a place for themselves. Lake Baikal is visited not only by Russians, but by many tourists from all over the world. The latter, moreover, sometimes give fabulous money for such a vacation, but they still go.

In general, judging by the reviews, holidays on Lake Baikal are not among the cheapest, especially if you need to travel from other than nearby cities. Nevertheless, Baikal sets attendance records - the number of tourists is estimated at seven figures per year.

In summer, people relax on the beaches, visit bicycle and car tours, go to hiking along the coast. There are rafting on the rivers flowing into Baikal, and much more.

Climbing cliffs, mountains and descents into grottoes and caves are popular in all seasons.

Fishing

There are a lot of fish in Baikal and lovers find the most different places in the hope of catching omul or other fish on their own. For the most gambling, there are specialized bases with different levels of comfort. Fishing is done on rented boats.

The most popular places for fishing on Baikal are Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, rivers flowing into the lake.

Lake Baikal in winter

Despite the harshness of the Siberian climate, there are people who like to come to Lake Baikal in winter. Fantastic ice world Baikal is mesmerizing. Snowmobiling and dog sledding are popular.

Most Popular Attractions

Many historical and architectural sights, even more monuments of nature and culture are concentrated on Baikal.

One of the most famous attractions is shaman stone. This is a pair of boulders rising above the water at the source of the Angara. Locals have been worshiping these stones since time immemorial and consider them endowed with special powers.

Another rock, the photo of which is unusually distributed on the Internet at the request of "Baikal" and "Olkhon Island" - Rock Shamanka. Also sacred place for the Buryats, access here for tourists was not always open.

Also on the island of Olkhon there are many other cult and historical sites. Olkhon is good because in the summer you can sunbathe there, swim, and visit a bunch of excursions or travel around the island on your own.

Holiday seasons on Baikal

Baikal is beautiful in all seasons. Summer, as well as throughout Russia, is the most popular season. The warmest from the second half of July to the beginning of August. Since November, it has become not very hospitable here, until the ice rises. In March and early April, tourists flock to Lake Baikal, especially those who like to take photos. The reason for this is the sparkling, transparent ice of Baikal. There is another one - ice fishing. In spring, Baikal is also very beautiful, severe frosts and there are no more winds. lovers winter holiday find a combination weather conditions and the beauty of the scenery is very attractive.

Relax on Baikal, enjoy its nature and energy. Take care of Lake Baikal, do not leave dumps behind you, do not arrange logging. This lake is thousands of years old, and after many, many years, it needs to be as beautiful and attractive as it is now.

Address: Russia, Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk region
Square: 31,722 km²
Maximum 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.

Fascinating with its pristine nature and mystery, the lake is located almost in the very center of Asia on the border of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. The water surface, which shimmers with mystical light, stretches for 620 (!) Kilometers from the northeast to the southwest.

If we consider pictures of Lake Baikal taken from space, we can note that it looks like a crescent. The width of the lake in its various places ranges from 24 to 79 kilometers.. These dimensions allow local residents and many tourists call Baikal not a lake, but a sea.

No matter how one would like to call this majestic reservoir of fresh water the sea, it is still a lake that is surrounded on almost all sides. picturesque mountains and hills extinct volcanoes. By the way, the supply of fresh water in Lake Baikal is 90% of the total supply. drinking water Russia and almost 20% of the total stock of the purest and, according to the results of many scientific experiments, healing water in the world. Speaking about Lake Baikal, one cannot 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 most deep lake on our planet. When calculating the depth of lakes, many scientists forget about those reservoirs of fresh water that are 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 the ocean in glacier 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, however, as well as other questions that this phenomenon constantly poses to scientists. amazing lake. At the moment, it is generally accepted that Baikal, whose area is almost 32,000 square kilometers, originated at least 25 million years ago. There are more bold 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, it is these figures that pose a new problem: how, for so many years, the lake has remained practically in its original form? The thing is that any lake does not “live” for more than 15, maximum 20,000 years. Its bottom is covered with silt and with the passage of 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 suggest that the whole point is in the unique ecosystem of the lake in its tributaries 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 environs 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 only live in this ecosystem and are not found anywhere else in the world. Special attention ichthyologists are attracted by golomyanka fish, which belongs to the family of viviparous. And this fish is another mystery of Lake Baikal. Firstly, the entire body of this fish is more than 30% fat, and secondly, this fish lives on very great depths, and goes to shallow water for food. This is not at all typical for deep-sea fish, because sudden pressure drops in almost all species lead to death. Another representative of the ichthyofauna is the smallest crustacean, called epishura. It is also endemic to the lake. Without it, life in Baikal would surely perish, because it is the main food for many fish and, it is he who breeds in incredible quantities, filters the water of Lake Baikal, purifying it from 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 the water of Lake Baikal. Teachers who talk about the nature of our planet often emphasize that you can drink water from 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 who want to see the great Baikal, like many other lakes around the world, is getting bigger and bigger. Only an experienced guide living near the lake can indicate where it is safe to drink from Baikal. Surprisingly, despite the presence of stone deposits and tributaries at the bottom, which include the Selenga River, which is constantly polluted on the territory of Mongolia, the water in Baikal practically does not contain dissolved salts and minerals. Simply put, it is almost identical to distilled water, which undergoes multi-level purification in special laboratories.

The lake is so transparent that, according to some researchers, in some parts of the lake the bottom can be seen from a boat in great detail at a depth of 40 meters.

Such transparency of water can be observed after the ice has melted: usually in early spring Baikal water becomes bright blue. In summer and autumn, when the water warms up, microplankton and algae begin to develop in it in small quantities: naturally, at this moment it is already quite difficult to distinguish pitfalls at a depth of 40 meters, but the transparency is amazing even at these times of the year. True, its color changes: it does not turn into muddy green, on the contrary, it becomes soft turquoise.

Immerse yourself in affectionate and the purest waters Baikal ... - a dream! True, a dream only for those who know very little about this lake. The thing is that the water here does not warm up even in summer above +9 degrees Celsius. Only in small and shallow bays can one expect that the water will warm up to +16 under the sun. Therefore, swim in Baikal and see undersea world through the crystal-clear water is possible only in a wetsuit. In winter, the water mirror 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 Lake Baikal with the help of horses. The ice on the lake is an amazing sight: during severe frosts, cracks pass through it, the length of which is sometimes 30 (!) Kilometers, and their width is 3 meters.

During the formation of such a crack, a strong sound is heard throughout all the surroundings of Lake Baikal, which can only be compared with a howitzer shot or a thunderclap from lightning that hit the ground a few meters from a person. Such a phenomenon was foreseen by nature itself, thanks to the formation of such cracks, the water is constantly saturated with oxygen and the flora and fauna of Baikal do not die in severe frosts.

Origin of the name of the lake

Just as with the age of Lake Baikal, confusion arose with its name in scientific circles. In any case, some historians agree that the name "Baikal" comes from one of the Asian languages: Mongolian, Yakut, or Turkic. However, there are versions that the lake was first seen and named ... by the Chinese. The Chinese word, which sounds like "Bei-Hai", is translated literally - "North Sea". This opinion also deserves attention: after all, doesn’t the majestic lake look like the North Sea? Most experts trying to unravel 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 expanse of water "Baigal", but the members of the Russian expedition, who participated in the campaign to the lake back in the 17th century, could hardly cope with the letter "g" and, without thinking twice, replaced it with "k". This is how the name of Lake Baikal came to be. Although, as mentioned above, none of the listed versions is recognized scientific world reliable and proven.

On Baikal

No matter how many legends and myths are associated with this lake, no matter how many scientific disputes about its name and origin, all this instantly loses its meaning when you find yourself in front of the amazing mirror of Baikal. He is calm, then suddenly rears up in waves. Surrounding nature indescribable, here on a calm day, despite the singing of birds and the barely audible breath of the wind, comes the realization of what real silence, peace and tranquility. It seems that Baikal communicates on a subconscious level with everyone who comes to see this majestic lake. No wonder many travelers who have explored Baikal are looking forward to the moment when they can return to this wonderful world, which is over 25 million years old.

We will consider interesting facts about Lake Baikal today. This reservoir sets several world records at once. Firstly, this is the deepest lake in the world (1642 meters). Secondly, we are talking about the largest reservoir of fresh water (31,722 cubic kilometers).

Facts for children about Lake Baikal

Origin of the lake

There are several different points of view on the age of the lake. According to some scientists, this reservoir appeared back in the ice age, and therefore its age can be millions of years. The opinion of other experts says that it is no more than a few hundred thousand years old. Neither one nor the other has been proven right to this day. Obviously, interesting discoveries are still waiting for us in this area.

True, the reasons due to which the lake was born do not cause such heated debate. Most scientists support the theory of a transform fault, with the subsequent filling of the resulting depression with groundwater.

There are also several views on the name of the lake, but most experts say that the word Baikal is based on a combination of two Mongolian words "baigal" and "dalai", which literally means a large lake. Eastern Shores it is formed mainly by gently sloping hills. In the same time western slopes, consist mainly of rocky and steep rocks.

As mentioned above, the depth of the lake is 1642 meters. It took more than a million measurements to find out. Nevertheless, thanks to the research of specialists, it became known that there are depressions in the reservoir, up to 7 kilometers deep!

Water Features

The water in Lake Baikal is incredibly clean. It can be used without fear of catching any disease. The chemical composition of water is also very interesting, since it contains almost no minerals and a significant amount of oxygen is dissolved.

Due to the special purity of the water, the transparency of the water is simply amazing. IN favorable periods of the year, mainly in spring, one can very clearly see the features of the bottom, located at a depth of up to 40 meters.

The cleanliness of the lake is a merit local flora and fauna. The water contains microorganisms, crustaceans and fish, which are fed by various biological and chemical impurities, consuming which the biological purification of the reservoir occurs.

As mentioned above, the lake contains over 31,722 cubic kilometers of fresh water. And it really is a world record. Even the total volume of such large American reservoirs as: Ontario, Huron, Michigan, Erie will be less than one of our lakes.

Obviously, due to its significant size, the freezing of the lake takes a long time. The beginning of the freezing period falls on the end of October or the beginning of November. The final ice cover is formed approximately by the end of January. In some years, the lake was “encased” in an ice shell only by March.

The opening of the ice cover is also not a matter of a couple of weeks. The ice cover finally disappears in June, and sometimes even later. Swimming in it is not very comfortable. Even in the hottest months, the water temperature does not rise above 15 degrees. Obviously, this indicator is determined by the presence of a large number of underground sources.

Despite the fact that Baikal is a lake, the waters here are not too calm. At times, impressive storms shake the reservoir, and the height of the waves can be more than 2 meters. It is curious that in 2008 a storm of 9.1 points was registered.

Baikal is a "collector" of more than 300 different rivers and streams, and only one reservoir flows out of it - the Angara, enough major river, flowing through several regions and being one of the tributaries of the Yenisei.

Flora and fauna

The unique feature of the lake is its flora and fauna. Most of plant and animal species are endemic and therefore found only in this region. According to biologists, about 1000 unique representatives of the animal and flora and about 2600 others.

Sturgeon is the largest fish in the lake. Its length reaches 2 meters, and its mass is 130 kilograms. In addition, a rare and small fish lives in the reservoir - Golomyanka, a feature of which is an almost completely transparent body through which you can easily read a newspaper text.

The top of the food chain in the lake is the Baikal seal, one of several seal species found in fresh waters. This animal has no natural enemies. The only danger is man.

It is still not known for certain where the seal appeared in the lake. Biologists agree that these animals came here along the waters of the Yenisei and Angara from the Arctic Ocean basin.

More about Lake Baikal for children ... in the end

Unsolved phenomena

Over the surface of the water, strange optical illusions, resembling the contours of buildings or mountains. It is known that such phenomena appear in the warm periods of the year.

Moreover, there is even an analogue of Bermuda - the “Baikal Triangle”, an anomalous area where any navigational devices and other equipment refuse to work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be noted that Lake Baikal is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world. The bewitching mystery of landscapes, in truth, surprises with its pristine beauty and serenity, gives peace, bliss and harmony with nature. Despite the opposite views regarding the name and origin of this reservoir, given fact does not cause any controversy.

The continent of Asia boasts the most landscape and deepest lake called Baikal.

The depth of the lake at its lowest point is 1642 meters, and the average is 730 meters. The area of ​​the lake is 31722 sq. m. The lake is considered the cleanest, because the transparency is 40 meters.

So beautiful and clear lake Baikal takes its place in the list of 7 wonders of Russia with honor.

Scientists still dispute the exact origin of the lake. The approximate age of Lake Baikal is from 25 to 35 million years, and this is surprising.

The average lifespan of lakes is 10-15 thousand years, after which the lakes either dry up or turn into swamps.

Scientists have noticed that Baikal continues to develop and does not begin to dry up.

There are a lot of legends about the origin of the lake, as well as the names. Lake Baikal has the shape of a crescent. There are 27 islands on the area of ​​the lake, of which 5 are flooded. Most large island is called the Holy Nose.

Many rivers flow into Lake Baikal, which periodically dry up, but there are 336 rivers that constantly support the filling of the lake. Angara - the only river, which flows into the lake.

Due to severe frosts in winter period lake Baikal freezes. The thickness of the ice on the lake is on average 1 meter, but can reach up to 2 meters.

Baikal has a rather rich underwater world. There are 1085 different plant species and about 1550 different fish species in the lake.

There is a unique fish in the lake - Baikal omul. Omul meat has a very pleasant taste, it is served in any form: fried, smoked, dried.

There is also a grayling fish that lives only in Lake Baikal. There are white and black grayling. The white one lives only in Baikal, while the black one also lives near the rivers flowing into the lake.

The water in the lake contains almost no mineral salts, it can be considered distilled. For quite a long time, water from the lake was drunk in order to heal and prevent diseases. But drinking water can be collected only in some places that experienced guides know.

Baikal is a very beautiful lake that everyone should see.

Option 2

Someday everyone heard that Baikal is a very large lake, but now, those who have not seen it think that these are just words. Let us now analyze that the distance between northern capital and just the capital of our country directly 635 kilometers.

The length of the lake is 620 kilometers, it turns out that if you place the lake between Moscow and St. Petersburg, 90% of the way can be sailed. Another example, the distance from the center of Moscow to the Moscow Ring Road is about 20 km, while the width of the “rich water”, as it was called in the past, is 80 km.

Is Baikal a promising ocean?

Most often, ice age lakes exist only for 15 thousand years, and after that they begin to fade and completely disappear. But Baikal is not one of those, it is not going to disappear, but on the contrary, scientists suggest that Baikal will soon become an ocean. This is also associated with earthquakes in Baikal, usually these are shocks no higher than 2 points, but stronger ones have also been recorded, for example, the last shake of 6 points in 2010. There is only one reason for these two phenomena - this is the expansion of the lake, due to the appearance of a crack between the Amur and Siberian platforms, which diverges at a rate of 3-4 mm per year. But the moment when Baikal becomes “a little bigger” will happen only after a few million years.

"Population" of the lake

There are a lot of animals and plants on and in the lake, and some of them live only here. Why? Yes, just because here amazing water it contains only 0.1 g/l of salt and 14 mg/l of oxygen. This feature makes it possible for 2600 species of aquatic inhabitants to live. The variety of fish can neither attract fishermen. body of water inhabited by at least 58 species of fish, for example, omul, grayling, whitefish, taimen, Baikal sturgeon, lenok, golomyanka (a unique fish consisting of 30% fat). There are more than 2,000 species of plants and nesting birds. Only the Baikal seal lives here, as well as the dwarf deer - musk deer.

Landmark of Baikal

In addition to the fact that Baikal itself is a huge attraction, it is fraught with even more beauty than it seems at first glance. Ukovsky waterfall - wonderful place and, if you have the opportunity to visit Baikal, you should definitely look there as well.

Uk is a tributary of the Uda River, at the mouth of which there is a pearl - a waterfall, which is a wonderful monument of nature, where tourists and foreign tourists from all over the world seek.

Passing to Udu, the river Uk cleared a basalt gorge, the walls of which are higher than 40 meters, the height of this natural monument is 20 meters, and the width is 10 meters. But both the waterfall and the power of the water, which carved an extraordinarily beautiful gorge in the rock, are interesting.

About tourism

The most pleasant time for a trip to Baikal starts from mid-summer and ends on the 20th of August. The rest of the time, the water either has not warmed up yet, or cold winds have already arrived. If there is a desire to feel the beautiful and fabulous Russian winter, then it is better to come to Baikal in late winter - early spring, when the lake is captivated by the strongest (1.5 m thick) and most transparent ice. The main thing for a holiday without trouble is to clearly plan all travel. And carry a first aid kit with you.

Baikal - report 3

Russia is rich not only in useful and precious minerals, but also in picturesque and mysterious places. One of such majestic places is Lake Baikal.

It is not only the largest and deepest, but also the oldest. His age could not be accurately determined, but it does not matter, the main thing is that it is on the territory of our country. There are many legends about him. This is the largest reservoir of not just water, but fresh water. The lake is crescent shaped and surrounded on all sides mountain ranges overgrown with dense forests. In some places, the human foot has not yet had time to set foot. And it's great! There are still places untouched by civilization, where animals, birds and insects live carefree.

The climate of Lake Baikal is unique. It's always blowing here strong wind, which has its own names. It blows along the coast, where it is simply impossible to hide from them. Baikal water affects temperature regime, winters are quite mild, and summers are cool, despite the fact that the temperature can be plus 35 degrees. Swimming is cool too. IN winter time the waters of Baikal are covered with wonderful clear ice. The lake freezes in January and only in early May is freed from ice captivity.

Clouds over the lake appear very rarely due to evaporation cold water. Accordingly, there is practically no rain and cloudy, but it is always sunny. There are few gloomy days, only about 40 for the whole year.

Cities are located away from the coast. Only in the village of Listvyanka, which is the closest of all settlements, you can stop. Here is well developed tourism infrastructure. It is in the village that the famous nerpinary is located, not far from the very source of the Angara is the Shaman-stone, here, according to legend, shamanic rites took place. Only one river, the beautiful Angara, flows out of the lake, into which many small and large rivers flow. The most big river, which flows into it Selenga.

In the vicinity of the great and mighty lake there is a zone subject to constant earthquakes. There are a lot of invisible ones, sometimes their number reaches 8 thousand a year. Strong ones happen every 2 years and destructive power once every 10 years.

There is a separate law on nature protection mysterious lake Baikal.

Those who love travel and tourism come to Baikal. The most popular places are the bays Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuysky, Polsky Bor. There are many others on the lake interesting places which you can visit.

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- the greatest on our planet. It is inextricably linked with Russia and is one of its symbols. Located near the center of Asia, Lake Baikal is known far beyond this continent.

The Baikal basin was formed by tectonic processes: the lake lies in deep depression surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. - ancient lake Earth. He is about 25 million years old. During all this time, the shores of Baikal diverged from average speed 2 cm per year, and in the distant future, Baikal may turn into real ocean. Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth. His maximum depth is 1620 meters. This allows Baikal, with a relatively small surface area (31,500 km 2 .), to contain 20% of the world's fresh water reserves: 23 thousand km 3. About the same amount contain all five Great Lakes North America together taken - Upper, Michigan, Erie, Ontario and Huron. In order to fill the empty basin of Baikal, it would take the volume of water that all the rivers of the planet bring into the world ocean in 300 days. And another “Great Giant”, the Amazon River, would need to feed Baikal for four years to do this.

336 rivers flow into the lake, but the main role in the water balance of the lake is played by Selenga, contributing to the basin 50% of the annual inflow of water. At the same time, the lake gives life to only one river - Angara, on which the dam of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station was built in 1959, which raised the water level in Baikal by a meter. It is on the Angara, which is called the “daughter of Baikal”, that the largest Bratskoye reservoir on our planet with a volume of 169.3 km 3 was created. The water in Baikal is dark blue and so transparent that in June, when transparency reaches its maximum, one can observe forty-meter depths with the naked eye. It is curious that the water in the lake is fresher than the water of the rivers flowing into it, and its mineralization decreases with depth. Scientists have put forward a hypothesis about the existence of a permanent powerful superfresh source at the bottom of Lake Baikal. Until it is proven or disproven.

Water exchange of Lake Baikal

Speaking of exceptional purity, one of its inhabitants should be mentioned, thanks to which water from the lake can be safely drunk without any additional purification. This is a tiny crab epishura, which is one of the endemics of the lake (that is, it is not found anywhere except Baikal). It is this crustacean, repeatedly passing the waters of the lake through itself, and cleans them. Epishura is not the only Baikal endemic. Two thirds of the flora and fauna of the lake live only in Baikal. The most famous are the Baikal seal, the Baikal omul, the Baikal seal, some species of gobies, as well as the golomyanka viviparous fish. In total, 2.6 thousand species and varieties of plants and animals live in the lake.

Ecology of Lake Baikal

In the 20th century unique world The lake is faced with a problem that threatens the possibility of the continued existence of nature. In the early 60s of the XX century, the construction of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (PPM) began on the southern shore of the lake. In this regard, a discussion immediately unfolded. Scientific expeditions were sent to the Baikal region, the purpose of which was to find out how the environmentally negative activity of the plant affects unique nature lakes. Newspapers actively discussed the possibility of creating "clean" technologies for pulp and paper production. The problem was reflected even in art: in 1970, director S. A. Gerasimov shot the film “ At a lake", whose heroes are looking for a compromise between the need to create a plant and the desire to preserve Baikal. Despite harsh criticism, the pulp and paper mill was built and put into operation in 1966. Its effluents, as well as those of the pulp and paper mill (PPM) on the Selenga River in in large numbers contain toxic phenols, chlorides, sulfates and particulate matter.

Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill

As a result, back in 1994, in the area of ​​the Baikal pulp and paper mill, the water pollution zone extended to 10 km2, and the area of ​​the polluted bottom area was 70 km2. The Selenga River, which plays an important role in the water balance of the lake, also brings the runoff of the city of Ulan-Ude into its basin. An increased concentration of phenols was found in its waters, and the content of oil products exceeds the MPC (maximum permissible concentration) by 3–15 times. The forces of the lake are still coping with the misfortunes that have fallen, however, the resources of Baikal are not unlimited, and if nothing is done, they will run out sooner or later. Then the life of a listed lake World Heritage UNESCO will be in danger, and it is possible that, many years later, our descendants, having gone to the water surface