Facts on Why Lake Baikal is the Deepest on Earth

All About the Hidden Depths of Baykal of Southern Siberia

Jun 7, 2009

Lake Baikal, or Baykal, as it is sometimes spelled, is immensely deep in proportion to its surface area. But what is the reason for its strange dimensions?

Lake Baikal is a keeper of many secrets due to its sheer volume. It contains one fifth of the planet’s freshwater, which amounts to more than all of America’s Great Lakes combined.

Fascinating Facts About the Sacred Sea of Russia

Some Russians view this lake to be their greatest natural wonder and call it their Sacred Sea, rather like America’s cherished Grand Canyon or of Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway. The word “Baikal” is thought to be derived from Kurykan, a language spoken by the local people around 1,300 years ago, which means “much water.” This term is used with good reason.

From an atlas, Baikal would appear to be nothing unusual: A crescent-shaped body of fresh water spreading 12,159 square miles (31,492 square kilometres) in area within Siberia near the Mongolian border. The lake is 393 miles (635 kilometres) long and on average, 30 miles (48 kilometres) wide – about the size of Belgium which makes it the ninth largest lake in the world. However its sheer volume of water is mesmerising.

Baikal's Depth

The lake is incredibly deep for its size. The depth of Baikal is around 5,380 feet (1,640 metres) to the floor and holds 5,500 cubic miles (23,000 cubic kilometres) of water. If the lake were completely emptied, a vertigo-inducing canyon over a mile deep would present itself.

These freaky proportions of the lake signify a violent geological past. Having been dated back to around 30 million years, it is the oldest in the world. It sits at the junction of tectonic plates which are slowly tearing Asia apart. This trench was originally 5 miles (8 kilometres) deep. Over time silt partially filled the trench, but seismic activities continue along the lake with frequent tremors and several hot springs. Scientists consider the lake to be a future ocean for it continues to widen at an astounding rate of about an inch (2.5cm) a year. ("World's Greatest Lake" by Don Gore, National Geographic, June 1993)

The Size of Russia's Natural Wonder

An astonishing 336 rivers feed this immense lake. Only one, the Angara, flows out. This might be why over 2,000 species of plants and animals found here cannot be found anywhere else. The water was once incredibly pure until modern industry intervened. It remains however as clear as glass. In spring, one can see down 130 feet (40 metres). This has been attributed to its huge population of algae-eating crayfish. Because of its depth, the lake is reluctant to freeze. The surrounding landscape succumbs to the ice before the lake. It is not until January that the water becomes encrusted, and if the wind is calm, the ice forms like glass. In Marc Di Duca's book Lake Baikal (Bradt Travel Guides, 2009) he describes how the ice was once sufficiently thick to allow the Trans-Siberian railway to cross it.

Asia’s Most Extraordinary Lake

Lake Baikal is the deepest and the oldest in the world, although it would not appear to be anything unusual from a map. It holds more freshwater than all of the North American Great Lakes combined. If the Baikal basin were emptied, a chasm over a mile deep would be revealed. This is indicative of its extreme past, having formed where a huge fault line 5 miles deep cleaved the earth. To this day, the forces of the tectonic plates are driving Asia apart and continuing Baikal’s growth.

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