History of Lake Baikal and its origin

The Baikal is one of the giant closed reservoirs on the planet. No lake can match it in depth. The Baikal has a significant share of the world's freshwater reserves. Its flora and fauna are extremely diverse. Baikal water is remarkable for its cleanliness and transparency. The history of the study of the lake has been going on for more than three centuries, but there are still a lot of mysteries related to its age and reasons for its origin.

Geographical location

Baikal is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, on the border that divides the territories of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake is located in a crescent-shaped hollow surrounded by rocks and hills. Its length is 620 km, the width varies from 24 to 79 km. The east coast is less rocky and precipitous than the western coast. The area of the water surface is comparable to the territories of some European countries. It is 31,722 km ² . According to this indicator, Baikal occupies the seventh place on the planet. Only a few of the largest lakes of the American and African continents exceed it in terms of the area of the water mirror.

Depth

The geological history of Baikal has caused its unique characteristics. Scientific research confirms that this lake is the deepest in the world. It is necessary to take into account that its water mirror is at an altitude of 456 m above sea level. Hydrographical expeditions recorded and plotted the maximum depth of the lake at 1642 m. Consequently, the bottom point, which is extremely remote from the surface, is located 1187 m below the level of the world ocean. This record indicator allows us to include Baikal in the list of the deepest depressions on the planet. It can only be compared to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa and the Caspian Sea, which is officially considered a closed reservoir, since it has no outlet to the world's oceans. Their depth exceeds 1000 m.

Water volume

The long history of the Baikal study has brought many surprises. It was proved that it has the largest reserves of freshwater lake in the world. Its volume is 23615 km ³ . This is approximately 20% of the world's reserves. Only the volume of the Caspian Sea exceeds this value, but the water in it is salty, unlike Baikal. The history of the emergence and development of special flora and fauna has made the lake a unique ecological system. Fresh water of Lake Baikal is characterized by rare purity. The lake is a world record holder not only in terms of its quantity, but also in quality.

Characteristics of water

In the history of Lake Baikal, a special place is occupied by the study of its flora and fauna. As it turned out, the lake's water owes its unique purity to the local plant and animal life. All elements of the natural system are interrelated and influence each other. The water of Lake Baikal is highly saturated with oxygen. It contains a negligible amount of dissolved mineral substances and organic impurities. Even pollution, resulting from human activities, does not lead to a significant deterioration in water quality. The development of industry and the tourism industry does not pass without leaving a trace for the ecological state of the lake. However, by its characteristics, water remains close to the distillation product obtained under laboratory conditions. One of the reasons for its amazing purity is the life of a microscopic crustacean. This representative of the fauna played an important role in the history of Lake Baikal. The crustacean multiplies in huge quantities and absorbs organic matter, naturally purifying the water of the lake.

Hypotheses of occurrence

The history of the origin of Lake Baikal causes some disagreement. The lake is located in a large hollow, which appeared at the site of the crust. The emergence of Baikal is due to tectonic causes. Some researchers put forward the theory that the depression was formed as a result of the interaction of two continental plates - the Eurasian and the Hindustan. Others argue that the lake is located in the zone of the transform fault. This type of rupture of the earth's crust occurs along the boundary of the lithospheric plate. In addition, there is a scientifically weak hypothesis about the appearance of vacuum foci due to the release of volcanic rock onto the surface. In accordance with this version, this caused the subsidence of the depression.

Disputes about the history of the origin of Lake Baikal continue. However, increased seismic activity in this region leaves no doubt about the tectonic nature of the formation of the reservoir.

Age

Opinions of scientists strongly disagree about the duration of the history of Lake Baikal. The traditional version claims that the lake exists over 25 million years. This hypothesis raises certain doubts. Usually, lakes are preserved in their original form no more than 10-15 thousand years. After this, due to the accumulation of a significant amount of silt at the bottom, they turn into swamps. A logical question arises: why, despite many millions of years of history, Baikal has not suffered the same fate?

There is an alternative version, indirectly confirmed by some studies. According to her, the age of the lake is about 8 thousand years. The huge discrepancy between traditional and alternative theories is of interest. At present, the question of Baikal's age remains open.

Freezing

Even in summer, the water in the lake does not heat above 10 ° C. The maximum temperature recorded during the entire history of observations is 23 ° C. In winter, the water mirror freezes almost completely. The ice thickness reaches 1 m, and in some places can reach up to 2 m. In winter, the fish in the lake do not suffer from a lack of oxygen. Due to severe frosts, cracks in the ice are formed several meters wide. Their length is 10-30 km. Through the cracks, the water saturates with oxygen. This saves a large number of fish from death. The period of complete freezing of the lake usually lasts from January to May. Passenger and cargo navigation starts in June and ends in September.

Flora and fauna

About half of the species of living organisms inhabiting the Baikal are found nowhere else on the planet. This fact is explained by the isolation and antiquity of the ecological system of the lake. According to scientists, the fauna of Lake Baikal consists of 2,600 species of animals. The reason for this diversity lies in the high concentration of oxygen in the water. This makes the lake a favorable habitat for all representatives of the animal world. The presence of a significant amount of oxygen persists even at great depths.

Of the fish inhabiting the reservoir, the most famous is the Baikal omul. He became in some way a symbol of the lake. The thickness of the water is inhabited by hundreds of species of flatworms, mollusks and crustaceans. At the bottom there are sponges that cover the stones with a solid build-up. They serve as a refuge for many living organisms.

Occupancy

The history of the development of Lake Baikal began around the 2nd century BC. The first mention of the lake is contained in the Chinese manuscript of that era. According to archaeologists, 3 thousand years ago the Baikal region was inhabited by Mongoloid tribes, the ancestors of modern Evenks. In the early Middle Ages, a nationality appeared on the territory of southern Siberia, which was called "guligan" in Chinese written sources. Her representatives were engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture, they knew how to smelt metals. In the XVII century the formation of the Buryat people began from the Mongolian tribes who migrated to southern Siberia from the west.

The Russian history of the discovery of Lake Baikal is associated with the name of Cossack Kurbat Ivanov. The expedition under his direction reached the lake in 1643. The reports received by the tsarist government on the wealth of this region predetermined the further development of Baikal's history. Briefly described the lake in 1665, the famous archpriest Avvakum, who visited his shores on the way to exile.

Research

At the beginning of the XVIII century appeared the geographical maps of Lake Baikal. On the orders of Peter the Great, a scientific expedition headed by physician Daniel Messerschmidt was sent to Siberia. It became the source of the first reliable information about the lake and its environs. Their contribution to the study of Lake Baikal was made by scientists who were part of the Great Northern Expedition under the leadership of Vitus Bering. They made a detailed description of the lake and collected extensive information about its flora and fauna.

The first hydrometeorological stations on Baikal were founded in the second half of the 19th century. Their task was to maintain a continuous observation of fluctuations in the surface temperature of the lake and changes in the water level in it. In those years, the study of the bottom relief was also initiated.

Climate

Besides many other unique features, Baikal is known for its unusual weather conditions. The rocky terrain and the presence of a huge mass of water in the lake soften the East Siberian continental climate. The air temperature in the vicinity of Lake Baikal is stable. Summer in the coastal zone is on average cooler than in the surrounding areas, and in winter there is no severe frost. The Baikal climate is characterized by a long autumn and a belated offensive of spring.