Has anyone reached the bottom of Lake Baikal?
Has anyone reached the bottom of Lake Baikal? Russian explorers using two mini-submarines reached the bottom of Siberia's vast Lake Baikal - one of the last relatively unexplored frontiers on Earth. The team announced they had sunk to a record depth of 1,680 metres (5,512 ft).
What is technically the largest lake in the world?
The largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea. Although it is often considered a sea because of its size and salinity, it is technically classified as an endorheic lake. With a surface area of around 371,000 km², the Caspian Sea far exceeds any other lake in terms of size.
How deep is the bottom of Lake Baikal?
The bottom of the lake is 1,186.5 m (3,893 ft; 648.8 fathoms) below sea level, but below this lies some 7 km (4.3 mi) of sediment, placing the rift floor some 8–11 km (5.0–6.8 mi) below the surface, the deepest continental rift on Earth.
Why is Lake Baikal so clean?
Each Epischura is no bigger than a poppyseed, but there are zillions floating through Baikal, which together form an incredibly efficient filtration system. They suck tiny scraps of food out of the lake, and along with them any specks of pollution they encounter. It's the Epischura that keep Baikal's water so pure.
Are there any predators in Lake Baikal?
The world's deepest ancient lake, Lake Baikal in Russia, has a diverse endemic fauna, including Baikal seals Pusa sibirica, the apex predator of the lake and the only pinniped species inhabiting exclusively freshwater systems.
Why is the water in Lake Baikal so clear?
Why is the Baikal water so transparent? The Baikal water contains small amounts of dissolved and suspended substances, that is why, its transparency exceeds all lacustrine waterbodies in the world and is almost equal to transparency of ocean waters.
What is the unique fish in Lake Baikal?
The Baikal oilfish combines two sculpin fish species only found in Lake Baikal. The Baikal oilfish combines two sculpin fish species only found in Lake Baikal. This unique fish has a translucent body with no scales and appears dull when dead.
Is Lake Baikal drinkable?
Baikal is one of the few lakes on the planet in which, according to the standards, it is allowed to take water for drinking from open reservoirs. Water is extracted from special layers of the lake, which were on the surface of the lake hundreds of years ago, from a depth of 400m.
Is Lake Baikal deeper than the Mariana Trench?
While the Marianas Trench is the deepest place of the planet's oceans, Lake Baikal is the deepest of all the lakes in the world. Its depth is 1 642 meters (5 387 feet). Compared to Lake Baikal, the depth of the Great Lakes is more modest.