What Lake Baikal looks like. Brief information about Baikal

In the south of Eastern Siberia, where the Irkutsk region borders Buryatia, lies one of the seven wonders of the world - the largest and deepest freshwater body of water in the world - Lake Baikal. Local residents are accustomed to calling it the sea, because the opposite shore is often out of sight. This is the largest fresh water reservoir on the planet with an area of ​​more than 31 thousand km², which would completely fit the Netherlands and Belgium, and the maximum depth of Lake Baikal is 1642 m.

Record-breaking lake

The crescent-shaped reservoir has a record length of 620 km, and the width in different places ranges from 24-79 km. The lake lies in a basin of tectonic origin, so its relief bottom is very deep - 1176 m below the level of the World Ocean, and the water surface rises 456 m above it. The average depth is 745 m. The bottom is extremely picturesque - various banks, in other words, ancient shallows, terraces, caves, reefs and canyons, plumes, ridges and plains. It consists of a wide variety of natural materials, including limestone and marble.

The depth of Lake Baikal is indicated above; according to this indicator, it is in first place on the planet. The African Tanganyika (1470 m) ranks second, and the Caspian (1025 m) closes the top three. The depth of the remaining reservoirs is less than 1000 m. Baikal is a reservoir of fresh water, this is 20% of the world's reserves and 90% of Russia's. Its tonnage is greater than that of the entire system of the five Great Lakes of the United States - Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario and Superior. But the largest lake in Europe is still considered not Baikal (it is in 7th place in the world ranking), but Ladoga, which occupies 17,100 km². Some people try to compare the famous fresh water bodies in Russia and are interested in which lake is deeper - Baikal or Ladoga, although there is nothing to think about, since the average depth of Ladoga is only 50 m.

Interesting fact: Baikal receives 336 large and small rivers, but releases only one - the beautiful Angara.

In winter, the lake freezes to a depth of about a meter, and many tourists come to admire the exceptional spectacle - a transparent ice “floor”, under which blue and green water pierced by the sun splashes. The upper layers of ice are transformed into intricate figures and blocks, carved by winds, currents and weather.

Famous Baikal water

Lake water was deified by ancient tribes, they were treated with it and idolized it. It has been proven that Baikal water has unique properties - it is saturated with oxygen and practically distilled, and due to the presence of various microorganisms it is devoid of minerals. It is famous for its exceptional transparency, especially in spring, when stones lying at a depth of 40 meters are visible from the surface. But in the summer, during the “blooming” period, transparency decreases to 10. The waters of Lake Baikal are changeable: they shimmer from deep blue to rich green; these are the smallest life forms that develop and give the reservoir new shades.

Baikal depth indicators

In 1960, researchers measured the depth near capes Izhemey and Khara-Khushun with a cable line and documented the deepest place of Lake Baikal - 1620 m. Two decades later, in 1983, the expedition of A. Sulimanov and L. Kolotilo corrected the indicators in this area using echo sounding measurements and recorded new data - the deepest point was at a depth of 1642 m. Another 20 years later, in 2002, an international expedition under the auspices of a joint project of Russia, Spain and Belgium worked to create a modern bathymetric map of Baikal and confirmed the latest measurements using acoustic sounding of the bottom .

The unique reservoir has always attracted increased attention from scientists and researchers, who have organized new expeditions in order to clarify previous depth measurements in different parts of the reservoir. Thus, in 2008-2010, expeditions of the GOA “Mir” organized about 200 dives throughout the entire water area of ​​​​this fresh sea. Prominent politicians and businessmen, journalists, athletes and hydronauts from Western and Eastern Europe and Russia took part in them.

Where are the deepest places of Baikal

Since the bottom of the reservoir is dotted with faults, the depth of the lake in different parts of the water area differs:

• the deepest breaks in the earth's crust lie along the western shores;
• in the southern part, the record depth of the depression between the mouths of the Pereemnaya and Mishikha rivers was recorded at 1432 m;
• in the north, the deepest place is located between capes Elokhin and Pokoiniki - 890 m;
• depressions in the Small Sea - up to 259 m, their location is at the Great Olkhon Gate;
• The greatest depth of Lake Baikal in the Barguzin Bay area reaches 1284 m, this point is located off the southern shores of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula.

Video: interesting film about Lake Baikal

The unique ecosystem attracts scientists and researchers from different countries. Thousands of tourists travel to the deepest lake in the world to enjoy the splendor of the landscapes, landscapes that cannot be found anywhere else. The limitless variety of flora and fauna of the region, among which are mainly endemic (found only here), complements the wealth given to people by nature.

Baikal is one of the wonders of Russia. The depth of Lake Baikal is a record. The next African lake, Tanganyika, has a depth of 200 meters less. The reservoir is popular among tourists and researchers. Until now, the secrets of Lake Baikal have not been fully revealed and excite scientists.

Where is

Located almost in the center of Eurasia, in Western Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Buryat Republic, Baikal has the shape of a huge crescent. In area it is equal to the Netherlands, Belgium or Denmark. Surrounded by mountains and hills, the reservoir occupies a huge pit. A very interesting question is how deep Lake Baikal is. We'll talk about this later, but now we'll describe the coastline. In the eastern part it is relatively flat, the mountains are tens of kilometers away. The western shore of the lake is mountainous.

The area where Lake Baikal is located is seismically active. Earthquakes of small magnitude occur regularly; there are also strong ones, the echoes of which are felt even in Irkutsk. Thus, in the second half of the 19th century, an earthquake with a magnitude of 10 occurred. As a result, an area of ​​land of 200 square meters was flooded. km, where 1300 people lived. Strong tremors were noted in 1959 (9 points), in 2008 (9 points) and 2010 (6 points).

History of the lake and its name

For a long time it was believed that the age of Baikal is 25-30 million years. But recent studies of the topography of the lake bottom with its mud volcanoes have shown that it is up to 150 thousand years old. In this regard, Baikal is also unique, because the average age of lakes of similar origin is 10-15 thousand years.

The rift basin in which Baikal is located is similar in structure to the Dead Sea basin. Its depth is the depth of Lake Baikal. Scientists have different opinions on the formation of the basin.

There are 3 versions:

1. The depression is the result of a transform fault.
2. The depression arose as a result of the action of a hot mantle flow located under the lake.
3. The depression was formed as a result of minor collisions of Hindustan and the Eurasian plate.

It is obvious that as a result of seismic activity, the topography of the bottom of Lake Baikal is changing and is still subsiding.

The origin of the name of the lake is unclear, but all four points of view reflect the greatness of the reservoir and indirectly indicate the depth of Baikal: Japanese - “great water”, Turkic - “rich lake”, Mongolian - “rich fire” and Chinese - “northern sea” . In our country, the modern name began to be used in the 17th century, it was borrowed from the Buryats (Beighel): in the Russian language the word was assimilated and the usual pronunciation was established - Baikal.

Landscape and climate features

The record depth of Lake Baikal and the vast area of ​​the watershed determine the local climate. Mild winters, but fairly cool summers, long autumns and long springs - these are the climatic characteristics of the areas adjacent to the lake. Also, the weather of Baikal is influenced by local specific winds, such as Barguzin or Kultuk. Due to the current winds, Baikal is considered one of the most restless lakes in the world.

Another remarkable property of the climate is mirages, which appear up to 7 times a year and last for 5-6 hours. They arise due to the difference in air temperature on the surface of the water and the space above it. Mirages occur due to the refraction of rays. Landscape objects can be visually raised above the surface of the water so that the horizon is visible. Another type of mirages is when natural objects that are thousands of kilometers distant optically come closer.

Waters of Baikal: features and currents

Since ancient times, the water of the lake has fascinated local residents: they idolized it and used it for treatment. It is saturated with oxygen, close in composition to distilled water, and due to the action of microorganisms it is practically devoid of minerals. The volume of Baikal water makes up 90% of Russia's fresh water reserves and 20% of the world's. To put it into perspective, there is more water in our great lake than in the 5 largest American lakes combined.

The transparency of Baikal water is surprising: visibility reaches 40 meters. True, this figure can drop to 10 meters during the flowering period of plants. Depending on the time of year and the activity of plants and microorganisms, Baikal water changes its color from bright blue in cold weather to green in summer and autumn.

Baikal is saturated with 336 rivers and streams that constantly flow into it. Turka, Snezhnaya, Upper Angara, Sarma are the largest of them. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.

Depth indicators

What is the depth of Lake Baikal? It is determined by the origin and parameters of the depression in which the lake is located. The last depth studies were carried out in 1983, they were confirmed in 2002. The lake is mesmerizing: with an average of 730 meters, the maximum depth of Baikal is 1630 meters. There are two more lakes on Earth that have a depth of more than 1000 meters: Tanganyika and the Caspian Sea. Moreover, in the latter the water is salty, not fresh. Even the average depth of Baikal is amazing - few lakes on Earth can boast a value of 730 meters.

There are currents on the surface of Lake Baikal, encircling its shores and the largest islands. In certain places (the western coast of the Small Sea) the current is quite strong, so even in calm weather the ships drift. The decrease in the intensity of water movement is influenced by the depth of Lake Baikal in a given place and the distance from the coastline.

Flora and fauna

Baikal is unique for its flora and fauna: two thirds of animal representatives live exclusively here. Oxygenated water provides a favorable environment for species to reproduce. Scientists have discovered only 70% of the fauna of Lake Baikal. The basis of the lake's food chain is made up of epishura crustaceans; in addition, they perform an important function of purifying water - passing it through themselves. The Baikal fauna includes 56 species of fish. Among them, a unique species is the golomyanka. The fish is interesting because it does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live fry. The golomyanka consists of 43% fat; in search of food, it migrates from great depths to shallow ones.

The seal is the only mammal that lives on Lake Baikal.

Among the flora, sponges can be noted, which grow at great depths and are the oldest inhabitants of Lake Baikal.

The uniqueness of the lake is recognized throughout the world. Not only the depth of Lake Baikal is taken into account, but also its unique ecosystem. The climate and geographical features of the lake attract tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Address: Russia, Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk region
Square: 31,722 km²
Greatest depth: 1642 m
Transparency: 40 m
Coordinates: 53°43"36.9"N 108°27"32.4"E

Content:

Short description

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.

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

If you look at photographs of Lake Baikal taken from space, you will notice that it has the shape of a crescent. The width of the lake in its various places ranges from 24 to 79 kilometers. Such dimensions allow local residents and many tourists to call Baikal not a lake, but a sea.

No matter how much one would like to call this majestic reservoir of fresh water a sea, it is still a lake that is surrounded on almost all sides by the most picturesque mountains and hills of extinct volcanoes. By the way, the supply of fresh water in Lake Baikal is 90% of the entire supply of drinking water in Russia and almost 20% of the entire supply of the purest and, according to the results of many scientific experiments, healing water in the world. Speaking about Lake Baikal, one cannot help 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 deepest lake on our planet. When calculating the depth of lakes, many scientists forget about those reservoirs of fresh water that are located under the eternal ice of 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 oceans under glacial 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, as well as other questions that this amazing lake constantly poses to scientists. At the moment, it is generally accepted that Baikal, whose area is almost 32,000 square kilometers, originated no less than 25 million years ago. There are more daring 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 precisely these figures that pose a new problem: how has the lake remained practically in its original form for so many years? The thing is that any lake does not “live” for more than 15, maximum 20,000 years. Its bottom is covered with silt and over 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 say that the whole point is in the unique ecosystem of the lake in its inflows 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 surroundings 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 live only in this ecosystem and are not found anywhere else in the world. The golomyanka fish, which belongs to the viviparous family, attracts particular attention from ichthyologists. And this fish is another mystery of Lake Baikal. Firstly, the entire body of this fish consists of more than 30% fat, and secondly, this fish lives at very great depths and goes to shallow water to feed. This is not at all typical for deep-sea fish, because sudden changes in pressure in almost all species lead to death. Another representative of the ichthyofauna is the smallest crustacean, called epishura. This is also endemic to the lake. Without it, life in Baikal would probably have perished, because it is the main food for many fish and it is he, who reproduces in incredible quantities, that filters the water of Baikal, clearing it of 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 Lake Baikal water. Teachers talking about the nature of our planet often emphasize that you can drink water from Lake 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 wanting to see the great Baikal, like many other lakes around the world, is becoming larger and larger. Only an experienced guide who lives near the lake can indicate in what place it is completely safe to drink from Baikal. Surprisingly, despite the presence of rock deposits and tributaries at the bottom, which includes the Selenga River, which is constantly polluted in Mongolia, the water in Baikal contains practically no 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 you can see the bottom in great detail from a boat at a depth of 40 meters.

Such transparency of water can be observed after the ice melts: usually in early spring, the water of Lake Baikal becomes bright blue. In summer and autumn, when the water warms up, microplankton and algae begin to develop in small quantities: naturally, at this moment it is already quite difficult to distinguish underwater rocks 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 a cloudy green, on the contrary, it becomes soft turquoise.

Immersing yourself in the gentle and clean waters of Lake Baikal... is a dream! True, the dream is only for those who know very little about this lake. The thing is that the water here does not warm up above +9 degrees Celsius even in summer. Only in small and shallow bays can one expect that the water will warm up to +16 under the sun. Therefore, you can swim in Baikal and see the underwater world through the crystal clear water only in a wetsuit. In winter, the water surface 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 Baikal using horses. The ice on the lake is an amazing sight: during severe frosts, cracks run through it, sometimes 30 (!) kilometers long and 3 meters wide.

During the formation of such a crack, a powerful sound is heard throughout the entire vicinity of Lake Baikal, which can only be compared to a howitzer shot or a clap of thunder from lightning striking the ground several meters from a person. This phenomenon was provided for by nature itself; thanks to the formation of such cracks, the water is constantly saturated with oxygen and the flora and fauna of Baikal does not die in severe frosts.

Origin of the name of the lake

As with the age of Lake Baikal, there has been confusion in scientific circles with its name. In any case, some historians agree that the name “Baikal” comes from one of the Asian languages: Mongolian, Yakut, or Turkic. However, there are also versions that the lake was first seen and named... by the Chinese. The Chinese word that sounds like “Bei-Hai” literally translates to “North Sea”. This opinion also deserves attention: after all, isn’t the majestic lake similar to the North Sea? Most experts trying to solve 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 members of the Russian expedition who took part in a trip to the lake back in the 17th century had difficulty coping with the letter “g” and, without thinking twice, replaced it with “k.” This is how the name of Lake Baikal came about. Although, as mentioned above, none of the listed versions is recognized by the scientific world as reliable and proven.

On Baikal

No matter how many legends and myths are associated with this lake, no matter how many scientific disputes there are about its name and origin, all this instantly loses its meaning when you find yourself in front of the amazing mirror of Baikal. It is sometimes calm, and sometimes it rises up in waves. The surrounding nature is beyond description; here on a calm day, despite the singing of birds and the barely audible blow of the wind, one comes to realize what real silence, peace and tranquility are. It seems that Baikal communicates on a subconscious level with everyone who comes to see this majestic lake. It is not without reason that many travelers who have explored Baikal are looking forward to the moment when they can again return to this amazing world, which is more than 25 million years old.

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

Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the planet, a lake of “superlatives”: the deepest (1637 m) and the oldest (about 25 million years old), containing the largest number of endemics (more than 1000 species) and representatives of flora and fauna (more than 2600 species ), living in fresh water bodies of the Earth. The lake has a unique reserve of fresh water in terms of volume (23.6 thousand cubic km) and quality (20% of the world). The Baikal depression is the central link of the Baikal rift zone, which arose and is developing simultaneously with the world rift system. A number of factors suggest that the lake is an emerging 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, Verkh. Angara, etc.), and one flows out - Angara.

The entire basin of the lake (the total catchment area is 557 thousand sq. km, of which 332 are in Russia) is a unique 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 is the greatest lake on the planet

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

Baikal is not only one of the largest lakes, but also the deepest lake on the planet. As already mentioned, its greatest depth is 1637 meters.

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

Tanganyika is a fresh body of water, 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 large - 730 meters. It exceeds the maximum depths of many very deep lakes. This is what determines the water reserves in Lake Baikal.

Baikal is the largest freshwater lake on Earth 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 the fresh lakes in the world. The volume of the latter is estimated at 123 thousand cubic kilometers of water. Baikal has more water than all five Great American 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 approximately 40 years (G.N. Galaziy, 1984).

Geological features of the structure of Lake Baikal

The most remarkable feature of Baikal is its antiquity. Considering the deep relict endemism of the lake’s fauna, most researchers estimate 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 fill with sediment, become covered with rafts and sooner or later turn into swamps and then dry up. Research in recent years has allowed geophysicists to hypothesize that Baikal, on the contrary, is an emerging 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. diverge. Along with active movements of the earth’s crust, significant magnetic anomalies along its axes. These anomalies are comparable in scale to similar anomalies in the Mid-Atlantic Rift region. 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 sliding of the shores, large magnitudes 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 the medium-high mountain ranges Primorsky and Baikalsky on the western side, Barguzinsky (with a maximum height of 2840 m) and Khamar-Daban on the eastern and southeastern sides. 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 sediment 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 not difficult to calculate that the depth of the crystalline bed of Baikal reaches 8 - 9 kilometers.

The deepest point of Baikal's bedrock lies approximately 7,000 meters below 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, Baikal produces about 60 cubic kilometers of excellent and unique quality water, which in some cases can be used instead of distilled water. The rare purity of the water is ensured by the vital activity of its unique flora and fauna. The main properties of Baikal water are characterized as follows: it contains very few dissolved and suspended minerals, 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 lake water is 96.7 milligrams per liter.

Its transparency depends on the purity of the 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 - tens of times more than in many other lakes. The standard of the highest transparency is the water of the 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.

Climatic 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 of the country - in the north of the Baikal depression (Nizhneangarsk) 1948 hours per year, in the south of the lake (Babushkin) and in the middle part (Khuzhir) 2100 and 2277, and on the Riga seaside, 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 north -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 the eastern coast. In shallow bays and sora it rises in summer to +22, +23 C. On average, the freezing of Lake Baikal begins on December 21 and ends on January 16 - it takes about a month for complete freezing. 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, it also takes about a month or more. The 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 Malomorsk coast of the lake and on the middle section of the western and eastern coasts. On average, precipitation falls here from 160 to 300 mm 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 regard, it has no equal among the fresh water bodies 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, barnacles, etc. Of more than 2630 species and varieties (1550) of animals and plants (1085) found to date in the lake, almost 2 /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, tetrasporous and chlorococcal - 99, blue-green - 90, conjugates - 48, ulotrix - 45, golden - 28, volvox - 13 species, etc. Among animals, the most common amphipods (gammarids) - 255 species; shell crustaceans, or ostracods, - more than 100 species, gastropods - 83, oligochaetes - more than 100, planarians - about 50, harpacticids - 56, protozoans - more than 300. The lake is home to 52 species of fish belonging to 12 families: sturgeon, Acipenseridae, (1 species - Baikal sturgeon); salmonids, Salmonidae, (5 species - davatchan, taimen, lenok, Baikal omul, Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgy, whitefish); grayling, Thimallidae, (1 species - Siberian grayling); pike, Esocidae, (1 species); Cyprinidae, Ciprinidae, (13 species); loaches, Cobitidae, (2 species); catfish, Sibiridae, (1 species); codfish, Gadidae, (1 species); perciformes, Percidae, (1 species); sculpin gobies, Cottidae, (7 species); Abissocottidae, (20 species); golomyanka, Comephoridae, (2 species). 29 species - very diverse in body shape, color and lifestyle of sculpin gobies, or broadheads. 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 Baikal seal, Pusa sibirica Gmel.

In Baikal there are 848 species of endemic animals - about 60% and 133 species of endemic plants - 15%. 11 families and subfamilies, 96 genera, uniting about 1000 species are completely endemic in Baikal. All this allows us to allocate the lake to the Baikal subregion of the Holarctic, equivalent in area to the enormous European-Siberian subregion.

Angara River

Angara is the “daughter of Baikal”, the only river flowing from the lake, its length is about 1860 km. Every year the Angara carries 60.9 cubic km of water from Baikal, and all its tributaries bring 58.75 cubic km per year. It is noteworthy that the Angara at the mouth, at the confluence with the Yenisei, brings 120 cubic km of water per year, and the Yenisei before the confluence of the Angara has a water flow of only about 100 cubic km. The source of the river is located at the level of Lake Baikal, i.e. at an altitude of 456 m above sea level, and the mouth is at an altitude of 76 m. The difference is 380 m, which is used by a 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 flow speed along the fairway is 1-2 m/sec.

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 areas of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The omul has adapted well to its new ecological niche, undergone significant changes and acquired the biological characteristics of the subspecies. There are four populations of omul in Baikal: Selenga, Chivyrkui, Severobaikalsk and Posolsk. The most numerous population is Selenga. It spawns mainly in Selenga and in a number of tributaries of the lake. Inhabits the southern basin of Lake Baikal and the southern part of the middle basin. The omul spawns in rivers from the end of August - beginning of September until the end of November. The number of spawning herds ranges from one and a half to two to six to eight million individuals.

The total biomass of all age groups of omul in Baikal is about 25 - 30 thousand tons. The lifespan of the 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 g. The largest specimen found in the Selenga population weighed up to 5 kg and was about 50 cm long.

Baikal seal

The Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica Gmel.) is the only representative of mammals in the lake. According to the classification, the seal belongs to the family of true seals (Phocidae), genus Pusa. Researchers believe that the Baikal seal descended 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 seals in Baikal. The maximum age 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 her life, a female can give birth to more than 20 cubs. The average weight of seals in Baikal is about 50 kg, the maximum weight of males is 130-150 kg, length 1.7-1.8 m. Females are smaller in size - 1.3-1.6 m and up to 110 kg. (+ video fragment - Baikal seal on the ice of the lake, 5-10 sec) (Based on materials from O.K. Gusev and G.N. Galaziy)

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

Based on materials from the TERKSOP of Lake Baikal and the “National Report of the USSR to the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development,” 4 main areas of detrimental anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems of the region are identified in the Lake Baikal basin.

1. The basin of the Selenga River in its lower reaches with 3 large industrial centers: Gusinoozerskaya State District Power Plant, Selenginsky Central Control Plant and Ulan-Ude. Ulan-Ude is the largest polluter of the Selenga, accounting for 53% of all wastewater discharged into the largest river in the 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 came from industrial enterprises, 94 thousand tons from vehicles.

In the same year, the Selenga Central Control Plant emitted 44.1 thousand tons of pollutants into the atmosphere. The plant discharged 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. Air emissions from the Gusinoozerskaya State District Power Plant exceeded 63 thousand tons/year.

2. The southern end of the lake, where the main polluter 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 substances and 532 tons of suspended substances. The maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of petroleum products and phenols were exceeded 3-4 times, and the maximum permissible concentrations of sulfates and chlorides were exceeded. As a result of the plant's activities, a vast pollution zone was formed. The area of ​​bottom sediment contamination 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. The valley of the Barguzin River in the middle and lower reaches. Here, the cut-down areas of the estimated logging area are significantly exceeded; 67% of the arable land is covered by erosion processes. Unregulated use of mineral fertilizers in this agricultural area may contribute to 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 significantly increased the anthropogenic load here. Atmospheric emissions of harmful substances in Severobaykalsk amounted to 15 thousand tons in 1988. The content of petroleum products in the water near Severobaikalsk is 3-5 MPC, the coli index is 238 tons. An additional source of pollution of Lake Baikal is the bank protection work carried out in this area.

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

A lake is a body of water with slow water exchange, with specific physicochemical, hydrological, biological processes and closely interacting with the environment. Lakes are classified according to various criteria: by origin (tectonic, volcanic, dammed, glacial, sinkhole, karst); by salinity (fresh, brackish, salty); by trophicity (oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic); by position in the landscape (lowland, floodplain, highland); by depth (shallow, deep, extra-deep); by morphology (round, elongated, ribbon-shaped, crescent-shaped, etc.); by flow (drainless, low-flow, periodically flowing, temporary, relict); by type of use (for water supply, fisheries, for the extraction of salt, sapropels, medicinal mud, etc.); according to condition (clean, dirty, overgrown, etc.).

How many years do lakes live?

Most often, it is relatively short-lived—several thousand or tens of thousands of years. This applies, first of all, to glacial and oxbow lakes. Karst, volcanic and especially tectonic lakes can exist for millions and tens of millions of years. How many lakes are there on Earth? There are about 117,000,000 lakes in the world up to 0.2 hectares in size, occupying almost 4% of the land surface (according to new research from Uppsala University, Sweden).

How many lakes are there in Russia?

Over 2 million lakes with a total area of ​​more than 350 km2 (excluding the Caspian Sea). These are mainly small lakes with an area of ​​less than 1 km2.

How many largest lakes are there on Earth?

Where is Lake Baikal located?

Baikal stretches like a crescent from south to north for 636 km almost in the center of the Asian continent. His permanent registration is coordinates: 51o 029’-55o 046’ N. and 103o 043’-109o 056’ E. Its greatest width is 79.5 km, its smallest is 25 km. sea, and the Buryats of Baigal-Nuur are Lake Baikal. But these are rather translations into their own language of an already existing name. The name Dalai-Nur is also found in literature, also supposedly referring to Lake Baikal. But there are lakes with this name—Dalai Nuur in northern Mongolia and Dalai Nuur in China—and, in essence, it can refer to any large lake. Researcher D. Stakhaev (1895) believes that this name could come from the Chinese Bei-Hai (or Pe-Hai) - northern sea. In our opinion, this assumption is also not sufficiently substantiated, since it may be distorted from Biy-Khem (Big Water) - this is what the Tuvans call the Yenisei and its upper reaches. In general, this issue has not yet been resolved and awaits its researchers. E.G. Laxman (1769), I.G. Georgi (1775) - one of the first naturalists who tried to find out the meaning of the word Baikal - as well as A.L. Schletser (1769) gave only one interpretation of it – rich waters (Turkic).

When was Baikal named Baikal?

There is no reliable information about this yet. Probably, the name appeared from the time of settlement of Turkic-speaking tribes in its vicinity. The peoples who inhabited the territories adjacent to Lake Baikal led a nomadic lifestyle and either did not have a written language and did not leave written sources, or their rock runic records remain unread. The mention in the notes of the Russian ambassador to China Nikita Yakovlevich (Iakinf) Bichurin that the name Baikal appears in one of the prehistoric Chinese chronicles of the 2nd century BC is, presumably, not the earliest. It was found in a note by the Chinese minister of the Sui-Gao dynasty Fan about the Turks living at that time in the Baikal region: “Since the time of Xuan-Yuan, the Hun-Yuni have caused a lot of trouble to our borders. Now they have become our “vassals” all the way to the North Sea.” By the northern sea (Bei-Hai), some historians believe, Chinese sources mean Baikal. But after all, the territory of China is washed by the South Sea, why is Baikal opposed to it, and not the North Sea (Arctic Ocean)? Archaeological excavations have made it possible to establish that in the late Neolithic, and probably also in the Bronze Age, in the Baikal region

What does the word Baikal mean?

Baikal is a Turkic word from Bai-Kul, which means a rich lake (similar to Issyk-Kul - a warm lake, Kara-Kul - a black lake). Some authors believe that this word comes from the Mongolian Baigal (rich fire) or Baigal Dalai - large lake (sea). But these hypotheses are not scientifically substantiated and have not received wide acceptance. The peoples living in the Baikal region probably each called the lake in their own way; the Evenks called it Lamu, i.e. Map and satellite image of Lake Baikal BAIKAL in questions and answers G.I. Galaziy 42 43 lived Turkic-speaking peoples - the Kurykans. They mastered the runic writing of the Turks and Yenisei Kyrgyz. They may have been the first to give Lake Baikal its name. The Evenki, who lived in the Baikal region, gave the name to many rivers flowing into Baikal, but the word Baikal is not in their language, it is alien to them. The phrase Baikal and Nuur indicates that Baikal already had its own name when the Buryats learned about it, since the phrase itself already contains information that this name came to them from some other language.

When was Baikal first shown on the map?

In the “Drawing of the Siberian Land”, compiled in 1667 by order of the Tobolsk governor P. Godunov. Baikal is also schematically depicted in the handwritten “Drawing Book of Siberia” (1699–1701) by the Russian cartographer and historian of Siberia S.U. Remezova. This is the first Russian geographical atlas. It consisted of 23 large format maps, was distinguished by the abundance and detail of information and summed up all the available geographical materials of that time. Atlas S.U. Remezov preserved the handwritten works of many unknown Siberian explorers, who with their experience and real knowledge of the area made a great contribution to the development of Russian cartography.

Who is the author of the first instrumental map of Lake Baikal?

The first relatively reliable map of Baikal was prepared in 1773 by navigator Alexey Pushkarev on a scale of 10 versts per inch, or approximately 1:420000. The map was compiled in two stages: first, after surveying Lake Baikal north of the source of the Angara in 1772. This map was not printed, but its handwritten original is kept in the library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. After completing the survey of the rest of the lake, A. Pushkarev in 1773 compiled a map of the entire Baikal - “A special flat map of the Baikal sea showing the flowing rivers and streams, as well as the Angara falling out of it...”. Its handwritten original has not yet been found; only a copy made by Mikhail Khudyakov has survived (incompletely). Before Pushkarev’s map, there was a map of Baikal, compiled earlier under the leadership of Frauendorf in 1766, but it had many errors, and A. Pushkarev had to make the map of Baikal again, so his map should be considered the first instrumental marine map of Baikal. It has served a very important service for researchers of the history of the relief and outlines of the shores of Lake Baikal.

What is the average and greatest depth of Lake Baikal?

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. Its average depth is about 730 m. It was first calculated quite accurately by G.Yu. Vereshchagin in the 30s. XX century According to studies of the Limnological Institute, carried out in 1959 using a magnetostrictive echo sounder and a control check in winter from the ice with an ordinary lot on a cable, the maximum depth of Baikal was determined to be 1620 m. Subsequently, an amendment was made to the data on the greatest depth of Baikal. Currently, a depth of 1637 m is considered to be the greatest depth of Lake Baikal and the greatest depth for lakes on the globe. As for the depth of 1642 m near the southern head of the Holy Nose pva on the map published by GUNiO in 1992, it raises doubts.

What is the area of ​​the water surface of Lake Baikal?

31,500 km2 is approximately equal to the area of ​​countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or Denmark. In terms of water surface area, Baikal ranks eighth among the largest lakes in the world. In our country it is surpassed only by the Caspian Sea. On other continents – Victoria and Tanganyika (in Africa), Huron, Michigan and Superior in North America.

How much water is there in Baikal?

The total volume of surface water on the planet is about 1406 million km3. The volume of Baikal water is about 23,000 km3. This is more than the volume of water contained in all five Great Lakes of North America (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) combined in the Baltic Sea. The Baikal volume of water is almost twice that of Lake Tanganyika; 90 times than in the Sea of ​​Azov; 23 times than in Lake Ladoga. Baikal contains about 1/5 of the world's reserves of surface fresh water (excluding glaciers, snowfields and ice of Antarctica, Greenland and other reserves where the water is in a solid state). Thus, Baikal is the largest reservoir of liquid fresh water on the planet and the largest factory for maintaining its purity. To imagine how large the volume of Baikal water is, let us recall that if it were necessary to drain Baikal using a pump like the Angara, it would take almost 400 years for all the water in Baikal to flow out, provided that it did not enter during all this time not a single drop would come from its tributaries or from the atmosphere. If it were necessary to fill the Baikal basin by sending water from all the rivers of the globe into it, this could be done in only 300 days. And finally, if you freeze the water of Baikal, cut it into ice cubes with a volume of 1 km3 and lay them in one row, then this kilometer-thick ice belt will stretch from the north to the south pole of the Earth and 3 thousand km beyond the pole.

At what altitude above sea level is the modern bottom of Lake Baikal located?

The modern bottom of Lake Baikal at its greatest depth is located 1181 m below the level of the world ocean. Although tectonics can change! Where is the coastline (line) of Lake Baikal? The coastline is the boundary between the land surface and the water surface. On the map it is conventionally drawn along the line of the average low water level and is located at an altitude of 456 m above sea level. The real boundary of land and lake - the shore line - is in continuous change due to fluctuations in water levels. Slow, long-term movements of the coastline are caused by tectonic movements, or secular fluctuations in level associated with changing climatic conditions. Taking into account all the bends, torn by bays, quarrels and lips, the length of the Baikal coastline is about 2100 km.

How did the level and coastline of Baikal change after the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station dam?

According to research by G.I. Galazia of high historical horizons (HIH) of water in Lake Baikal justified the height of the dam of the Irkutsk hydroelectric station. The average level of Lake Baikal rose by 1 m. However, the amplitude of level fluctuations and its highest levels remained within the former limits. Over the past 10–15 years, the water level in Lake Baikal has noticeably decreased, and its minimum values ​​have approached those that were before the construction of the dam. Due to the flooding of low-lying coastal areas, the coastline has moved somewhat towards the coast. The area of ​​Lake Baikal, according to geomorphologists, has increased by approximately 500 km2. Due to the rise in level, abrasion processes intensified and the coast was somewhat reshaped - the spits separating quarrels were washed away, some landslides on coastal slopes and screes on the slopes became more active, coastal shallows were filled with sediment, etc. Currently, the shores of the lake have largely stabilized. Only in abrasion areas does the formation of the water-shore equilibrium continue. As the level rose, the water temperature dropped somewhat in summer, and the composition and quantity of food organisms for fish in Proval Bay and in the litter changed. In some areas, coastal spawning grounds for gobies, especially yellowfin gobies, have been eroded or covered by sediment. Currently, with a stable water level in the lake, all these disturbances have been completely restored or their restoration is being completed. If the level is not stable, then the processes of reformation can continue indefinitely. In recent years, the level of Lake Baikal has sometimes been below the critical level due to the lack of water in its tributaries.

How many capes are there on Baikal?

I.G. Georgi (1775), in addition to many nameless ones, counted 80 named capes. They stand out among other coastal forms by their appearance or color, by the plants growing on them, the most frequently encountered animals or fish, etc. Almost at each of the capes there are bays, or lips, used by ships for settling in certain winds. I.D. Chersky (1886) counted 174 capes, of which 101 are on the northwestern coast, and 73 are on the southeastern coast, in addition, there are more than 30 capes on Olkhon Island. I clarified the sizes of the capes, the distances between them and the names of F.K. Drizhenko.

Which lake is Baikal's twin?

Based on the origin (rift) and size of the basin of Baikal’s twins, it can be considered a lake. Tanganyika in East Africa. The length of the lake is about 650 km, width 40–80 km, area 34 thousand km2. The maximum depth in the southern part is 1470 m (after Baikal, Tanganyika is the second deepest lake on Earth). The water in it has a high content of magnesium salts. The total mineralization of water is 5 times higher than in Lake Baikal. The water temperature on the surface is from 23.6 to 26.5o C. Deeper than 400 m and to the bottom, the temperature is constant - about 23o C. Only the upper 100-200-meter layer of the lake is enriched with oxygen and suitable for life. About 75% of the fauna is endemic (there are especially many of them among fish, shrimp, ostracods, decapods, copepods, and gastropods). There are hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and a lot of waterfowl. The main fishery object is idagala (dagaa) of herring fish.

Why is Baikal considered a model of the ocean?

Baikal has many features inherent in the ocean - great depths; a huge mass of water; internal waves and seiches; tides; severe storms; high waves; expansion of the basin due to the sliding of the coasts, similar to the origin of the continents of Africa and South America; large magnitudes of magnetic anomalies, etc.

Bay, bay, litter. How many are there on Baikal?

The bay is a well-defined depression in the coastal zone. Its size must be in such a combination with the width of the entrance (throat) that the water of the bay is surrounded on almost all sides by land. The bay provides shelter from different wind directions. There are six large bays on Baikal. The largest and deepest is Barguzinsky (its area is 725 km2, maximum depth is 1284 m). It is followed by Chivyrkuisky (270 km2), Proval (197 km2), Posolsky (35 km2), Cherkalov (20 km2), Mukhor (16 km2). A bay is a section of a lake that extends deep into the land. The ratio of the size of this depression to the width of the entrance at the bay is smaller than at the bay; it is more open. The bay can protect ships not from all winds, but only from one or two directions. There are quite a lot of bays on Baikal, at least two dozen – Listvennichnaya (the deepest, maximum depth about 1000 m), Goloustnaya, Peschanaya, Babushka, Aya, Bazarnaya, etc. Quarrels on Lake Baikal are closed, shallow, usually well-warmed bays. The greatest depth in quarrels does not exceed 7 m. Unlike litters in semi-desert and desert areas, Baikal quarrels never dry out and salt marshes do not appear in their place. Quarrels arise when coastal shallows or bays are separated by moving coastal sediments, which form spits and embankments. Baikal residents call these spits and embankments kargoya. The largest sor is Verkhne-Angarsky, or North-Baikal, with an area of ​​23 km2. Part of its water area is swampy and overgrown with hard vegetation. The largest area of ​​open water is Posolsky Sor, then Aranga-tuy, Cherkalov, etc.

How did the Ambassadorial Sor come about?

According to geophysicists, during an earthquake that occurred here in the relatively recent past (within one or two millennia), a land area with an area of ​​35–40 km2 was submerged under water. Proval Bay was formed in a similar way. In 1862, during an earthquake with a force of about 10–10.5 points, a block of the earth’s crust sank. This debris has not yet completed its formation, but is already separated from Lake Baikal by a sand bar and is connected to it by three shallow straits. The Cherkalov rubbish probably also arose in the same way.

What is an estuary?

A flooded single-branch mouth of a river with direct access to the open sea, a lake in the form of a funnel-shaped expansion. The mouths of such Baikal rivers as Selenga, Turka, V. Angara, Tompa, B. Chivyrkui, Sosnovka, etc. may have been like this, but at present they are filled with river sediments. Only the outlines of the deltas remind of the previous form.

What are lagoons and are there any in Baikal?

Open or closed, separated by coastal ramparts or bay-bars, coastal sections of a reservoir on accumulative (dumped) banks. There are quite a lot of them on Baikal (more than ten), especially in the northern basin. They are usually located on accumulative capes (Pokoiniki, Zavorotny, Kedrovy, etc.), as well as in the deltas of the Selenga, V. Angara and other areas.

What is the Small Sea and why is it called that?

This is part of the Baikal water area, enclosed between the western shore of the lake (in its middle part) and Olkhon Island, the line of capes Zama and Khoboy (northern part of Olkhon) and the southern shore of Mukhor Bay. The entire Lake Baikal is called the Big Sea, and this relatively small part is called the Small Sea. Its length (within the boundaries considered by F.K. Drizhenko) is about 69 km, the greatest width is about 15.5 km. Unreasonably, in our opinion, its natural continuation, the southwestern tip, Mukhor Bay, is being rejected from the Small Sea. It is also part of the Small Sea basin. Together with Mukhor Bay, Maloye More has a length of about 78 km, the area of ​​the water surface is 1019 km2.

How many tributaries does Baikal have?

Ever since the research of I.D. Chersky in the last century, it is believed that 336 permanent watercourses flow into Baikal. Subsequently, there were several attempts to revise the tributaries of the lake, but they were limited to counting them using large-scale maps and partly from aerial photographs. No one has yet repeated field studies. Sensational reports appearing in the press that 544 tributaries or even 1123 flow into Baikal are nothing more than a count of the valleys depicted in the “Atlas of Baikal”, published in 1908 under the editorship of F.K. Drizhenko, but in it, among others, there are noted ravines through which water flows for a short period of time, mainly during periods of intense rain in wet years. At the same time, F.K. Drizhenko also gives the number of tributaries of Lake Baikal according to data from I.D. Chersky. Taking into account the current weather and climate situation associated with the warming and drying of the northern hemisphere and the Baikal basin, as well as the disappearance of about 150 rivers and streams in this territory due to rampant deforestation, there is reason to believe that fewer tributaries currently flow into Baikal than there were in the last century. The largest tributary of Lake Baikal is the Selenga River. Its length from the source is 1024 km, the area of ​​the drainage basin is about 465 thousand km2. It brings about half the volume of river water entering the lake from all tributaries.

How many islands are there on Baikal?

There are 30 indigenous islands on Baikal (O.K. Gusev, 1990; G.V. Matyashenko, 1993). The largest is Olkhon, its area is 730 square meters. km. The remaining islands are much smaller - from 7 to 0.9 square meters. km or less. Among them there are rocks and stones. All indigenous islands are mountainous. In addition, more than a dozen alluvial sand and pebble islands have formed in the delta areas of large rivers. The life of these islands is short-lived. The largest of them is Fr. Yarki in the north of Baikal, confined to the Angara-Kicherskaya delta. What is an archipelago? A group of islands in the open sea or lake. On Baikal, the archipelago is called the group of Ushkany Islands - 4 islands. According to modern measurements, their height is 215 m above Lake Baikal, or 671 above sea level. This mark refers to the highest point of Bolshoi Ushkany Island. Small Ushkany Islands have a height of 15–20 m above lake level.

Where did the name Ushkany Islands come from?

It is believed that once upon a time there were hares on the Ushkan Islands, which in Siberia are called ushkans, hence the name of the islands. However, it is more likely that the name came from the richest rookeries of the seal, which commercial hunters also call uskans. At what elevation is the highest point of the island located? Olkhon? The highest point of Olkhon is Mount Zhima. Its height is 818 m above lake level, or 1274 m above sea level. Opposite this mountain and the cape, 8–10 km from the coast, somewhat south of the cape, the greatest depth of Baikal is noted - 1637 m. The difference in elevation from the foot of the mountain at the bottom of Lake Baikal to its top is very impressive - 2455 m. And if you compare the height with level of the bedrock, composed of a crystalline foundation, then Mount Zhima from the foot to the top has a height of more than 9000 m, that is, it exceeds the highest peak in the world - Mount Everest (8848 m above sea level).

What is Burhan?

Cape on Olkhon Island (also called Shamansky). Among the aborigines, Burkhan is the name given to the main deity of Lake Baikal. And Cape Burkhan, with a through cave and a pagan temple, is considered his abode. Cape Burhan is considered one of the nine shrines of Asia. During periods of bad weather, when hiding seals coming out to rest on the shore of the island, hunters take refuge there. This cave can accommodate 15–20 people and allows you to make a fire in it. In the past it was much larger. Probably, during one of the earthquakes, the upper part of the roof above the entrance collapsed. The fragments - huge marble blocks - still lie near the cave.

What is a sublemore?

This poetic name for the coast of the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve was used by V.Ch. Dorogostaisky. Subsequently, this term spread to the entire territory of the coast adjacent to Lake Baikal, especially to its picturesque areas. What is the Baikal region? In the past, the Baikal region was understood as the territories adjacent to Baikal from the west, in contrast to Transbaikalia - the territories from the lake to the east. But it would be more correct to include the entire area adjacent to Lake Baikal as the Baikal region, and call the western territories, by analogy with Transbaikalia, the Cis-Baikal region.