The mystery of the deepest lake in the world

In the heart of Asia, there is a lake that contains 1/5 of the world’s liquid freshwater. That’s more than the five Great Lakes combined. Even if all the rivers in the world suddenly changed course and started to drain this Lake, it would take a whole year to do it all. I’m talking about the World’s Largest Lake, “Lake Baikal”. If you choose to go to its deepest point, be prepared for a journey of nearly 5,400 feet. The Descent will take several hours. The lake’s rift floor is between 5 and 7 miles below the surface, meaning it could be even deeper than the Challenger deep, the deepest known point on Earth.

Baikal is the world’s largest freshwater lake, with enough water to provide sustenance for millions of people on the planet for more than 50 years. This mighty giant replenishes its waters every 383 years. It has a powerful delivery system, with more than 300 rivers and streams that bring their Waters directly into the lake, and only one river flowing out of it. The Angara that flows directly into the Arctic Ocean Baikal is not only the deepest lake in the world, but it is also the oldest freshwater lake. It is believed to have formed around 25 million years ago, when the Earth’s crust played Tetris with itself, creating the lake and surrounding mountains. Initially, Baikal must have been a small river bed, but as time went on, the earth began to shake and the distances between the shores increased, leading to the formation of several lakes that eventually merged into one.

Baikal is an ideal research site for scientists. Its deeply drilled core sediments reveal a wealth of information about our planet’s climate at different times of the year. Because Baikal is in a Rift Basin with up to 2,000 seismic events per year, the lake is getting deeper and still expanding. Its Shores are moving apart at approximately the same rate as southern America and southern Africa are moving apart, so it has all the characteristics of an ocean. Another similarity between Baikal and the oceans is that the water is rich in oxygen, even at its deepest depths. This is another reason why the lake’s Fauna is so incredibly rich. It is home to over 2,500 animal species and 1000 plant varieties, about half of which are unique to this region, such as the endemic algae, the BaikalU fish, the Baikal oil fish, and many more. There are also a few bears, elk, and links living on the Shores, though they must appreciate that the average temperature around the lake is always higher than that of the rest of Siberia.

These daring animals crossed the rivers and drainage systems that connected Lake Baikal to the Arctic Ocean during the pine era. The closest extant ancestor of the Baikal Seal is thought to be the ringed seal that survives in the Arctic. Due to changes in the waterways, Baikal seals are restricted to their freshwater habitat. Despite this, they appear in their new home, as they have access to an enormous variety of food sources. During the summer, the seals spend most of their time in the north and central parts of the lake, but in the winter, they move south when the ice covers the lake, which they use as a chill out area, much like their oceanic cousins have done since at least 1969.

Ice in Lake Baikal has been mysterious. Sometimes rings appear out of nowhere; at one point, they grew to such a size that astronauts were able to see them from space. The used Rings typically appear in late April, but they can also appear in January or May. For a while, scientists were baffled as to how these Rings form; the most popular theory involved methane gas bubbles rising from the Lake's depths. However, when they realized that some of the Rings were in shallower waters, where gas emissions don't occur, they set out to solve the mystery. In 2016, they went to Lake Baikal, where they drilled holes in the ice and lowered sensors into the water. Following their analysis of the sensor data, they discovered that warm Eddies flowing clockwise beneath the ice cover of the Rings were their secret. The ice above the eddies was thicker at their edges because the currents there were not as strong as they were in the middle. The surrounding mountains release ice that melts into the lake, causing the water to become so clear that you can see some incredibly deep sections that are over 130 feet below the surface. Plankton that lives in the lake also aids in the removal of floating debris. Here, the wind creates unique artwork by picking up water, which naturally freezes into the most unusual designs. The Crystal-Clear water likes to play sculpture on Baikal, resulting in an unusually thick and see-through layer of ice. Cold Snapped You can even see rocks that appear to be floating; the bottom of the rock freezes to the surface of the ice, and then strong winds wear away the surrounding area, leaving a perfect pedestal for the rock. You will also see bubbles and icicles that you have never seen before. The location and geography of the lakes, as well as the cycles of melting and refreezing, create the ideal conditions for this ice workshop.

It is thought that a dragon is the strongest animal on Earth. According to Asian legend, there are four dragons that reside in each of the four seas. Every individual accountable for a single cardinal direction. There are rumors that a local warrior was pursuing the dragon, leaving us to piece together the mystery surrounding the Baikal Cliffs. At last, he arrived at the biggest Baikal Island. He was prepared to meet and subdue the dragon, but instead of doing so, the beast changed into a stunning female, and the two of them were married. This is an uncommon spin on the traditional defeat the dragon and take the girl myth.

Legend has it that the dragon is a gigantic sturgeon with an armored body and a snout almost like that of a gator. In actuality, though, the mythical creature must be one of the many enormous fish that call the lake home. Because of the high oxygen content of the water, beluga sturgeons can grow to be several feet long and weigh several thousand pounds. They can also live for up to fifty or sixty years without stopping.