Lake Baikal: the deepest lake in the World

Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake. It has a maximum depth of 1,642 meters (5,387 feet). It is a rift lake in the south of the Russian region of Siberia. Its bottom is 4,215 feet (1,285 meters) below sea level. In terms of volume, Lake Baikal is also the world’s largest freshwater lake; it contains roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater with 23,615.39 cubic kilometers (5,700 cubic miles). It contains more water than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

For comparison, the deepest lake in the United States is Crater Lake, a volcanic crater in southern Oregon. Its deepest measured depth is 594 meters (1,949 feet). Crater Lake is the ninth deepest lake in the world.

Lake Baikal facts

Here are 10 amazing facts about Lake Baikal:

1. Lake Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two-thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
2. A rift lake is a lake formed as a result of subsidence related to movement on faults within a rift zone, an area of extensional tectonics in the continental crust. They are often found within rift valleys and may be very deep. Rift lakes may be bounded by large steep cliffs along the fault margins.
3. Lake Baikal is covered with ice every winter, typically between January and May. In some places, the ice can be more than 2 meters (6.56 feet) thick.
4. The water of Lake Baikal is extraordinarily clean, transparent and saturated with oxygen. The high transparency is thanks to numerous aquatic organisms purifying the water and making it similar to distilled water. During the winter, the water transparency in open sections can be as much as 30-40 meters (100-130 feet), but during the summer it is typically 5-8 meters (15-25 ft), which is still very impressive!
5. As mentioned above, Lake Baikal contains roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater with 23,615.39 cubic kilometers (5,700 cubic miles). It contains more water than that of all the North American Great Lakes combined.
6. At 25 million years old, this remarkable lake is also the oldest lake in the world.
7. Lake Baikal is also known as the Galapagos of Russia because its age and isolation produced rich and unusual water wildlife. That’s why the lake is so important for evolutionary science. Occasionally, new species are discovered and it has been estimated that we know of only 70-80% of all the species inhabiting the lake.
8. It is surrounded by mountain-taiga landscapes, which are also protected to preserve their natural state.
9. There are more than 30 rocky islands in Lake Baikal. One of them, the Olkhon island is the world’s third-largest island in a lake. Its surface area is 730 km² (280 sq mi). The lake-islands larger than Olkhon are:
   1. Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, Canada – 2,766 km² (1,068 sq mi)
   2. René-Levasseur Island in the Manicouagan Reservoir, Quebec, Canada – 2,000 km² (770 sq mi)
10. Lake Baikal’s average surface temperature has risen by almost 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) in the last 50 years. As a result, the period when the lake is covered by ice is shorter now.

Lake Baikal from space

In the edition below of Earth from Space, presented by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels from the ESA Web-TV virtual studios, Sentinel-3A satellite takes us over southern Siberia and the world’s largest freshwater lake: Lake Baikal.

Location of the Lake Baikal

List of the deepest lakes in the world

Here is the list of the 30 deepest lakes in the world and their deepest points:

#. Name :: Country :: Region :: Depth (meters) :: Depth (feet)

1. Lake Baikal :: Russia :: Siberia :: 1,642 :: 5,387
2. Tanganyika :: Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Zambia :: Central Africa :: 1,470 :: 4,823
3. Caspian Sea :: Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan :: 1,025 :: 3,363
4. Vostok :: Antarctica :: ~1,000 :: ~3,300
5. O’Higgins-San Martín :: Chile, Argentina :: Aysén (Chile), Santa Cruz (Argentina) :: 836 :: 2,742
6. Malawi :: Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi :: 706 :: 2,316
7. Issyk Kul :: Kyrgyzstan :: 668 :: 2,192
8. Great Slave :: Canada :: Northwest Territories :: 614 :: 2,015
9. Crater :: United States :: Oregon :: 594 :: 1,949
10. Matano :: Indonesia :: Sulawesi :: 590 :: 1,936
11. General Carrera-Buenos Aires :: Chile, Argentina :: 586 :: 1,923
12. Hornindalsvatnet :: Norway :: Sogn og Fjordane :: 514 :: 1,686
13. Quesnel :: Canada :: British Columbia :: 506 :: 1,660
14. Toba :: Indonesia :: Sumatra :: 505 :: 1,657 and Sarez :: Tajikistan :: 505 :: 1,657
15. Tahoe :: United States :: California, Nevada :: 501 :: 1,645
16. Argentino :: Argentina :: Santa Cruz (Patagonia) :: 500 :: 1,640
17. Kivu :: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda :: 480 :: 1,575
18. Grand :: Canada :: Newfoundland :: 475 :: 1,558
19. Mjøsa :: Norway :: Hedmark, Oppland and Akershus counties :: 468 :: 1,535
20. Salsvatn :: Norway :: Nord-Trøndelag county :: 464 :: 1,523 and Nahuel Huapi :: Argentina :: Rio Negro, Patagonia :: 464 :: 1,523
21. Hauroko :: New Zealand :: Southland (South Island) :: 462 :: 1,516
22. Cochrane / Pueyrredón :: Chile, Argentina :: Aysén (Chile), Santa Cruz (Argentina) :: 460 :: 1,509 and Tinnsjø :: Norway :: Telemark county :: 460 :: 1,509
23. Adams :: Canada :: British Columbia :: 457 :: 1,499
24. Chelan :: United States :: Washington (state) :: 453 :: 1,486
25. Van :: Turkey :: 451 :: 1,480
26. Poso :: Indonesia :: Sulawesi :: 450 :: 1,476
27. Fagnano :: Argentina, Chile :: Tierra del Fuego :: 449 :: 1,473
28. Great Bear :: Canada :: Northwest Territories :: 446 :: 1,463
29. Manapouri :: New Zealand :: Southland (South Island) :: 444 :: 1,457
30. Te Anau :: New Zealand :: Southland (South Island) :: 425 :: 1,390

Related: Vulcan Points – an island within a lake that is situated on an island located in a lake on an island

Sources

• Lake Baikal on Wikipedia
• Rift lake on Wikipedia
• List of lakes by depth on Wikipedia

• Author
• Recent Posts

M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer, a former road racing cyclist, and a science enthusiast. Also an animal lover! I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Latest posts by M. Özgür Nevres (see all)

• Apollo 1 Tragedy [January 27, 1967] - January 27, 2023
• Opportunity landed on Mars on January 25, 2004 - January 25, 2023
• The first Uranus flyby was performed by Voyager 2 on January 24, 1986 - January 24, 2023