The world’s deepest lake is the Lake Baikal, which has a depth of 1,642 meters (5,387 feet). It is a rift lake in the south of the Russian region of Siberia. It’s bottom is at 4,215 feet (1,285 meters) below the 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 fresh water with 23,615.39 cubic kilometers (5,700 cubic miles). It contains more water than that of all the Great Lakes combined.
Location of the Lake Baikal
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.
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.
The deepest lake in the United States is Crater Lake, a volcanic crater in southern Oregon. It’s deepest measured depth is 594 meters (1,949 feet). It is the ninth deepest lake in the world.
Here are the list of the deepest 30 lakes in the world:
| # | Name | Country | Region | Depth (meters) |
Depth (feet) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 |
| 14 | 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 |
| 20 | 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 |
| 22 | 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 |