The deepest lake on earth is Baikal. Baikal: the deepest and cleanest lake in the world Which lake is the deepest in the world: are there any competitors
The Earth's hydrosphere occupies a volume of 1458.38 million cubic kilometers. To put it simply, let's say two-thirds of the planet. Of this number, the oceans "own" about 94% of the water, which contains various salts and gases. The rest of the water is frozen in glaciers (1.65%), hidden underground (0.01%), flows in rivers and rises into the atmosphere as steam. Against this background, it seems that there is very little water left for the lakes. Only 0.02%.
Basically, it is fresh water, vital for the inhabitants of the land. There are lakes where the water is salty. How many lakes are on Earth? The "final" answer was given by scientists at the Swedish University of Uppsala in 2014 - they named the figure - one hundred and seventeen million (the smallest that were taken into account - 0.2 ha.). Find out where the deepest lake in the world is located.
From a huge number, we will choose 10 + 1 of the deepest lakes in the world. Let's start in order with "shallow deep-water lakes." There are two with the same indicator - 590 meters. They share tenth place among the leaders. Both are freshwater.
Not only the deepest in South America. It is also the second largest lake, delimiting Chile and Argentina. Today its area is 1850 km2. Argentina accounts for 870 kilometers, where it is called General Carrera. The rest belongs to Chile.
Carlos Maria Moyano "found" this lake while exploring the Patagonian Andes at the end of the nineteenth century.
Thanks to the shifts of glaciers, a pit was formed, gradually filled with water. Its initial level above the sea was more than four hundred meters, and the lake flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. When the glacier began to actively melt (from Chile), the flow changed towards the Pacific Ocean, and the level dropped to 208 meters.
The lake is alpine, so the climate is quite cold, strong winds blow. But tourists come to him to admire the amazing "Marble Cathedral" - an island consisting of minerals of white and turquoise hues.
Lake Matano - tenth place
In Indonesia, on the south side of Sulawesi, the waters of Lake Motano splash. Depth, like Buenos Aires, but the origin is different - the water filled the geological fault of the earth's crust. Motano area is almost three times smaller.
It is part of the unique closed ecosystem of Malili, consisting of five lakes, which are surrounded by mountains and tropical forests. The lakes are inhabited by endemic animals. Many unusual inhabitants aquariums come from this area.
The water of the lake is distributed in two layers: saturated with oxygen in the upper layer and free of oxygen and sulfates in the lower one. Deeper waters are supersaturated with iron. Along the shores of the lake, geologists have discovered deposits of nickel ores. In Indonesia, Matano is the largest body of fresh water.
Crater is the ninth deepest lake
In the USA - the first in depth. In the entire territory of North America - the second place. Owned by the State of Oregon. The eruption of the Mazama volcano, which occurred more than seven and a half thousand years ago, formed a crater, which eventually filled with water. Thus, Crater Lake was "born". The deepest place reaches almost six hundred meters (594 m). The walls of the caldera rise above the surface of the waters. Over time, they became overgrown with forests.
For the native Indians, "Blue Lake" was sacred. Looking into the depths, they tried to "find the truth" there. For European discoverers, it was interesting only from the point of view of searching for gold.
Since 1902, the area surrounding Crater (this is the third version of the name) has become a National Park. The shape of the Crater resembles an oval. The area is more than sixty kilometers. Scientists are sure that the lake is not yet fully formed - the bottom is constantly subject to hydrothermal activity. This means that the Mazama volcano only "fell asleep".
Great Slave Lake - 8th
It is not the largest - it is smaller than the Big Bear and occupies only the tenth place in terms of area. But for North America, it is the deepest - 614 meters. Located in Canadian territory.
In the post-glacial period, on the site of three lakes - Great Slave, Athabasca, Great Bear, there was one large glacial lake. Now they are connected by rivers. Mackenzie - the largest of them - flows into the Beaufort Sea. Thus, the lakes are part of the Arctic Ocean.
Indians have lived on their banks since ancient times. Europeans learned about this area thanks to the Briton Samuel Chiron in 1771. His expedition crossed the Great Slave on ice so hard that he could support the weight of a modern heavy truck. Only two months the lake is free from the ice shell.
- Do not miss:
It is known that the name Big Slave received by mistake - "difficulties in translation" (slave - slave, slave). Slave natives have never been slaves.
In the thirties of the twentieth century, the city of Yellowknife was founded, thanks to the gold mines. Diamond mines also operate in the same places (upper reaches of the Coppermine River). In winter, cargo transportation is carried out on ice.
These three lakes are not included in the Great American Lakes system, but the nature surrounding them is no less picturesque. Like the bulk of the high-mountain lakes, Bolshoe Slave is a huge body of water with fresh water.
Lake Issyk-Kul is the seventh deepest
The recorded depth is seven hundred and two meters. In the Kyrgyz language, it means - Warm (or hot) lake. Included in the top ten deepest, and in thirtieth place in terms of area. The purity of the waters is slightly inferior to the waters of Lake Baikal.
This body of water is 1600 meters above the sea, in a depression between two Tien Shan ranges. It is filled with small mountain tributaries, but there are many of them (80). The lake has no outlet. The level of lake water changes cyclically over several decades. Its uniqueness is salt water, despite its location in the mountains. But the water is not sea. Salinity is given by dissolved minerals. This combination has created a rare ecological system around the never-freezing Issyk-Kul.
- Read also:
The flora is distributed "stepwise":
close to the shores - shrubs (sea buckthorn);
above - spruce forests (Shenk spruce);
at an altitude of two and a half kilometers - mountain meadows, as in the Alps.
Of more than twenty species of fish, fourteen live only in Issyk-Kul.
There are many traditions and legends about the lake and the places surrounding it among the people.
Lake Nyasa - the sixth in the ranking
The lake "belongs" to three African states - Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi, located in the southeast of the continent. One of the reservoirs of the Great Rift Valley, the deepest - 706 meters. Although a hundred years ago it was deeper.
The reservoir is located at an altitude of 472 m. The figures show that its bottom is 234 m below the sea border. The flow of the lake is very weak. The water is updated slowly. Studies show a period of more than a hundred years. During the rainy season, the basin can be overcrowded, which leads to floods. In dry times, the level drops, causing the Shire River, the only outlet, to dry up.
One of the few places where the natural self-cleaning system is practically absent. Ecology is very sensitive to environmental conditions, pollution. The water in Nyasa, as in Issyk-Kul, is salty, but their composition is different. Also, the water column doesn't look like a three-layered cocktail. The upper layer is full of life, the lower layer contains almost no oxygen. Only fish from 230 to 500 species (according to some sources - 1000) live in this lake - the richest "lake collection" in the world, most of the "exhibits" in which are endemic.
The coast is also quite busy - in addition to birds, there are dangerous animals - crocodiles, hippos ...
The rest of the world became aware of the existence of a "great inland sea" at the center of the African continent in 1616. The Dutch traveler Bukaru became the first European to see Malawi (another “name” for the lake). Although for some time David Livingston was considered the official discoverer of Lake Nyasa.
Lake San Martin - fifth place
San Martin - the greatest recorded depth (near the O'Higgins Glacier) is 836 meters. Location - 250 meters above sea level in the Andes of Patagonia. San Martin is the separator between Argentina and Chile. The inhabitants of these countries call the same body of water differently - San Martin and O'Higgins.
Interestingly, in both cases, the lake got its “name” in honor of the heroes honored by these peoples - José de San Martin and O'Higgins Bernardo.
The southern intermontane depression of the Patagonian Andes of South America is filled with water. The shape of this lake is unusual - eight separate "sleeves". The flow occurs through the Pasuka River, reaching the Pacific Baker Fjord.
Lake water is milky blue. The lake pit is filled with glaciers flowing into it (Chico and O'Higgins), the Mayer River, and small streams. At the same time, rock particles in the form of a suspension enter the water. This is what makes the lake so unusual.
The surrounding landscape is reminiscent of the Scandinavian fjords. But not only the beauty of nature attracts tourists, but also fishing. The main catch is trout.
The Caspian Sea is the fourth place. Is it the sea or is it a lake?
The only closed sea on the planet that does not have a drain. Due to the huge size (371,000 sq. Km) and "non-standard" origin, disputes arise among researchers. According to the method of occurrence, it is a lake, and the dimensions "speak" - the sea.
The most deep point- 1025 meters. 44% of the world's lake water is in the Caspian Sea. Thirteen million years ago, the transformation of the earth's crust began, which served as the appearance of the "bed" of the Caspian Sea. Subsequently, at the junction of the continents - Europe and Asia - an immense lake arose.
Archaeologists, when they explored the Khuto cave (the region of the southern coast of the Caspian Sea), proved that people inhabited these places seventy-five thousand years ago. The first known references to this sea and the peoples living there date back to the fifth century BC. Herodotus spoke about him.
The composition of water contains salts, but their percentage, composition is very different in different places of the sea, not to mention the ocean.
Its level is very dependent on changes in climatic conditions, the magnitude of the flow of rivers flowing into it. Great importance have evaporation and precipitation. Just like any other drainless lake, the Caspian Sea is subject to pollution. The ecology of such places needs additional support.
Vostok - a lake hidden under ice, in third place
Not only the deepest, but also the largest of the Antarctic relict lakes. The informal name is "Time Capsule".
The East is hidden under a four kilometer ice sheet. Its exact dimensions are not known. The estimated area is fifteen and a half thousand square kilometers, and the maximum depth is more than 1200 meters.
For several million years, this lake has existed completely isolated. Oxygen in it, according to unverified data, is fifty times higher than the amount that can be in standard fresh water. This indicator gives scientists the right to expect that there may be living organisms in the lake.
- Do not miss:
By the way, the only thing that can be said about this lake (theoretically) for sure is that the water in it is fresh.
Lake Vostok has been little explored due to its inaccessibility. Therefore, there are very few proven facts - basically everything that is said about him is speculation. Even more open than it was made on the basis of the theoretical calculations of Andrei Kapitsa in the late fifties of the twentieth century. And "physically" this theory was confirmed in 1996 by Russian polar explorers who conducted research at Vostok station.
Tanganyika - on the other side of the planet, a lake that ranks second
Depth, a little less than one and a half thousand kilometers. But this lake - the world record holder due to its length - stretches for 676 km. Four African states: Congo (DRC), Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia are located on the banks of Tanganyika.
At an altitude of 773 meters, in the deepest rift basin of the African continent, there is a lake. Its depth reaches a record 1470 meters. In antiquity, it is almost the same as Lake Baikal. The surrounding landscape is majestic rocks. Only in the east the shores gradually become gentle.
The lake is filled with several tributaries, the largest flowing in the north is the Ruzizi River. From the east, the lake fills the Malagarasi, a river that predated Tanganyika itself. This river in ancient times flowed directly into the Congo. Now Tanganyika enters the basin of one of the most big rivers Earth. The lake water runoff is the only Lukuga river. It connects with the Congo. Together they flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
In Tanganyika, as in the Black Sea, the upper layers of water do not mix with the lower ones due to natural causes. In terms of the amount of anoxic waters, it is in second place, right behind the Black Sea.
Animal and vegetable world lake and its surrounding area is very rich, thanks to the tropical climate. The presence of 600 endemic species is explained by its ancient origin, by the fact that it never dried up, it was isolated (drainageless) for a long time. The pioneers of such a huge body of water in the year 58 of the nineteenth century were the Englishmen Richard F. Burton and John H. Speke.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. First place ranking.
So where is the deepest lake on the planet? The answer is unequivocal - in the same place where the most big country peace. Lake Baikal is located in Russia. Baikal is not only the “most-most”… lake in terms of depth.
The oldest rift in Eastern Siberia, shaped like a crescent, is located in the south of the region. It was in this fault that Baikal was formed. It is recognized as the largest natural reservoir of clean fresh water, with an area of 31,722 sq. kilometers. The deepest lake in Russia contains 19 percent of the world's fresh water.
The length of the lake is only forty kilometers inferior to the African Tanganyika. But the depth of Baikal is 1642 meters (almost two hundred meters difference). Although these are only official figures. Many researchers say that the depth of the lake is much greater.
Lakes are natural reservoirs formed in the recesses of the land, which store 67.4% of all fresh water on the Earth. The size and depth of lakes can be very different, and some of them significantly exceed many seas in these indicators.
This review presents ten deepest lakes in the world.
10th place: - a lake of tectonic origin, located in the south of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Its depth is 590 meters. Matano is the deepest lake in Indonesia. Lake Matano is an important source of fresh water in Indonesia, famous for its crystal clear clear waters, which is home to many rare species of plants, fish and crustaceans. On its banks there are deposits of nickel ore. In Matano, the Patea River takes its source, which, flowing through the waterfall, flows into Lake Mahalona.
9th place: - crater lake, which has a depth of 594 meters. Crater - deepest lake in the usa and the second deepest in North America. This lake is the main attraction of the national park located in Oregon. Crater Lake was formed in a deep volcanic basin (caldera) more than 7 thousand years ago due to the destruction of Mount Mazama volcano. Thanks to the melting of snow, the water in the lake is particularly clean and blue. Crater Lake has an unusual attraction - a huge log called the "Lake Old Man", which has been floating in a reservoir in an upright position for more than a century. In 2005, Crater Lake was featured on an Oregon commemorative coin.
8th place: Great Slave Lake – the deepest lake in Canada and all of North America. Its maximum depth reaches 614 meters. For eight months of the year, the surface of the lake is covered with ice, which winter period so thick that it can support a heavy truck. In the 1930s, gold was found here, which led to the founding of the city of Yellowknife on the shore of the lake.
7th place: Issyk-Kul is a salty drainless lake in the northern part of the Tien Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan. The maximum depth of this deepest lake in Central Asia is 702 meters. From the Kyrgyz language "Ysyk Kel" is translated as "hot lake". It got this name due to the fact that its brackish water does not freeze even in severe winters. Several interesting legends and stories are connected with Issyk-Kul lake. According to one of them, an ancient Armenian monastery with the relics of St. Matthew is kept in the lake. Another legend says that it was in this place that Tamerlane's warriors built their famous cairns. In 2006, traces were found at the bottom of the lake ancient civilization that existed 2.5 thousand years ago.
6th place: Malawi(other name - Nyasa) - the southernmost of the lakes of the East African Rift Valley, located between Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. This is the second deepest lake in Africa - its maximum depth is 706 meters. The tropical waters of Malawi contain the largest species diversity of fish among all the lakes of the Earth. Scientists have come to the conclusion that over the past 100 thousand years, the depth of the lake has decreased by more than 100 meters. The causes of water losses are surface evaporation (up to 80%) and the Shire River flowing from the southern part of the lake.
.jpg)
5th place: San Martin(other name - O'Higgins) is a fjord-like lake in Patagonia, located on the border of Argentina and Chile at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level. The area of the lake is 1058 km², and the depth is 836 meters. This is deepest lake in south america. In Argentina, the lake is called San Martin, in Chile - O'Higgins. The lake is named after national heroes José de San Martin of Argentina and Bernardo O'Higgins of Chile who fought together for the freedom of South America. The lake is fed by the waters of the Mayer River and small glacial streams, and flows into the Pasqua River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. A unique feature of the lake is the milky-blue hue of the water, which occurs due to particles of stone deposits that enter the lake along with the melt waters of glaciers and settle on its bottom.
4th place: Caspian Sea – the largest closed lake in the world with salt water, called the sea due to the fact that its base is the earth's crust of the oceanic type. Located between Europe and Asia, the lake washes the shores of five countries - Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The maximum depth of the Caspian reaches 1025 meters, and its area is 371 thousand km². More than 130 rivers flow into the lake, the largest of them is the Volga. The Caspian Sea has a rich fauna - the Caspian seal is found in it, there are many sturgeons, and some species of fish are found only here. This huge reservoir is a rich source of energy resources. To date, the total cost of oil and gas in the sea is 12 trillion. dollars.
3rd place: East – the deepest and largest of all subglacial lakes on Earth, covered with a thickness of ice of 4 kilometers. The unique reservoir is located in Antarctica, next to the Russian Antarctic station Vostok, after which it got its name. The estimated maximum depth of the lake is more than 1200 meters. The lake was opened in 1996. In February 2012, Russian scientists reached the surface of Lake Vostok, the drilling of the ice shell of which lasted 20 years. Studies of the lake can give a lot of useful information to the world, because the conditions in it are similar to those that existed many millions of years ago, and there is also an assumption that there are similar lakes on the satellites of Jupiter.
2nd place: Tanganyika- This deepest lake in africa and the second deepest (1470 meters) in the world. It is also the first longest (673 km.) Lake in the world, belonging to four countries at once - Tanzania, Congo, Burundi and Zambia. The lake is located in the deepest tectonic basin in Africa. It was accidentally discovered in 1858 by British explorers John Speke and Richard Burton, who discovered it while searching for the source of the Nile. The lake is fed by several channels, and only one river flows out of it - Lukuga. Tanganyika is home to crocodiles, hippos, many waterfowl, and many unique fish species. After a National Geographic magazine published a story about a 9-meter killer crocodile that caused the deaths of several dozen people, Lake Tanganyika has long been an object of special interest.
1st place: Baikal- This the deepest lake in Russia, Eurasia and the whole world, reaching a depth of 1642 meters. The reservoir located in the south of Eastern Siberia is the largest natural reservoir of fresh water - it stores 20% of the total supply of surface fresh water on the planet. The volume of water in Baikal is greater than in all lakes in the United States combined. Baikal is also known as the oldest lake on Earth, formed 25-35 million years ago, although lakes usually do not exist for more than 15 thousand years. Baikal is a unique ecosystem, home to about 1,700 species of flora and fauna, many of which are found nowhere else. The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are about 5 million lakes in the world, but we have only heard of a few of the largest. Do you think Baikal is the largest lake in the world? In fact, Baikal occupies only the 7th line in the ranking of the largest lakes!
Did you know that the area of the largest lake on the planet is equal to the area of 52 million football fields and is comparable to the area of Moscow multiplied by 150 times? Not? Then read below!
No. 10. Great Slave Lake - 28,930 square kilometers. North America.
Great Slave Lake is the 10th largest lake in the world by area, and it is also the deepest lake in North America. Its depth is 614 meters. The dimensions of the Great Slave Lake are 480 km long, 19-109 km wide, and the area is 28,930 square kilometers.
From October to June, the lake is covered with ice; in winter, the ice can withstand the weight of trucks. Rivers flowing into the lake: Hay, Slave, Snowdrift, etc. The Mackenzie River flows out of the lake. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.
No. 9. Lake Nyasa - 30,044 square kilometers. East Africa.
Lake Nyasa (Malawi) is the ninth largest lake in the world. Lake Nyasa fills a crack in the earth's crust in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, located between Mozambique and Tanzania. The length of the lake is 560 km, the depth is 706 m. Nyasa contains 7% of the world's reserves of liquid fresh water.
Nyasa is known for its rich ecosystem, many of the species found in the lake are endemic. The origin of the lake is tectonic.
No. 8. Big Bear Lake - 31,080 square kilometers. Canada.
The Great Bear Lake is located 200 km south of the Arctic Circle in Canada. The lake ranks eighth in area in the world and fourth in North America. The dimensions of the lake: length - 320 km, width - 175 km, maximum depth - 446 m.
The lake has a not very good history. Uranium was found here. It was from here that uranium was mined for the manufacture of bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The lake is almost always covered with ice, the ice rarely melts before the end of July. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.
No. 7. Lake Baikal - 31,500 square kilometers. Eastern Siberia.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, the largest water reservoir, which contains 20% of the world's liquid fresh water. Baikal is also considered one of the cleanest lakes in the world.
The lake ranks seventh in terms of area in the world and first in terms of volume. The dimensions of the lake are: length - 636 km, width - 80 km, maximum depth - 1642 m, volume - 23,600 km3.
The origin of the lake is tectonic, the age is more than 25 million years. The fauna of Lake Baikal is one of the most unique in the world, many species are endemic.
No. 6. Lake Tanganyika - 32,893 square kilometers. Central Africa.
Lake Tanganyika is one of the deepest lakes in the world, along with Lake Baikal. The lake lies between 4 countries - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.
The dimensions of the lake are: length - 676 km, width - 72 km, maximum depth - 1470 m, volume - 18,900 km3. The origin of the lake is tectonic.
Tanganyika lies in the deepest tectonic basin in Africa and enters the basin of the Congo River, one of the largest rivers in the world.
No. 5. Lake Michigan - 58,016 square kilometers. North America.
Lake Michigan is one of the Great Lakes. This lake is the largest of the lakes located entirely within the United States. Michigan is the fifth largest in the world and the third among the Great Lakes. The volume of the lake is 4918 m3, length - 494 km, width - 190 km, maximum depth - 281 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.
No. 4. Lake Huron - 59,596 square kilometers North America.
Lake Huron is one of the Great Lakes. This lake is located on the territory of two countries: the USA and Canada. Huron is the fourth largest lake in the world. The volume of the lake is 3538 m3, length - 331 km, width - 295 km, maximum depth - 229 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.
No. 3. Lake Victoria - 69,485 square kilometers. East Africa.
Lake Victoria is located in Tanzania, Kenya. After the construction of the Owen Falls Dam in 1954, the lake was turned into a reservoir. There are many islands on the lake. Fishing is developed on the lake and there are many ports on the territory of the three countries. On the island of Rubondo (Tanzania), a national park has been formed.
Victoria is the third largest lake in the world. The volume of the lake is 2760 m3, the length is 320 km, the width is 274 km, the maximum depth is 80 m. The origin of the lake is tectonic.
The lake was discovered and named after Queen Victoria by British traveler John Henning Speke in 1858.
No. 2. Lake Superior - 82,414 square kilometers. North America.
Lake Superior is the second largest in the world and the largest among the Great Lakes, located on the border of the United States and Canada. The volume of the lake is 12,000 m3, length - 563 km, width - 257 km, maximum depth - 406 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.
Etymology of the name. In the Ojibwe language, the lake is called Gichigami, which means "big water".
No. 1. Caspian Sea - 371,000 square kilometers. Europe Asia.
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth and is classified as the largest lake or sea due to its size. Located at the junction of Europe and Asia. Volume - 78,200 m3, length - 1200 km, width - 435 km, maximum depth - 1025 m. The coastline of the Caspian Sea is approximately 6500 kilometers long.
130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, the largest of them are the Volga, Terek, Sulak, Ural, Kura, Artek, etc. The Caspian Sea washes the shores of Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan.
The origin of the lake is oceanic.
The deepest lake in the world, freshwater Lake Baikal, is located in Russia. Its depth exceeds 1600 meters.
Lake Baikal is the largest lake in the world in terms of fresh water volume. The lake contains 20% of the world's fresh water. Baikal water is one of the cleanest in the world, and even some scientists consider it the cleanest lake in the world. You can see and observe the bottom of the lake up to 40 meters deep without any equipment.
The area of the Baikal water mirror is 31,500 square km. This is about the same area as Belgium, the Netherlands or Denmark.
Baikal is also the oldest lake in the world. He is approximately 25 million years old. During these years, sediments were deposited in the lake up to 8500 meters thick. If the level of the lake remained unchanged, the depth of the lake can be up to 8.5 kilometers. This means that Lake Baikal contains the highest mountains on earth, but they are hidden from human eyes by water and mud.
Lake Baikal arose as a result of seismic activity. This activity continues today. During the earthquake of 1862, about 200 square kilometers of land with 5 villages went under water.
More than a thousand species of animals and plants live on Baikal, which are not found anywhere else. For example, a unique deep-sea predatory fish is viviparous. This fish does not spawn, but breeds small fish. Only a few species of fish found in the tropics can also do this. The water in the lake is very cold, especially in depth. To survive in such conditions has 30-40% fat. In addition, because of the fat, this fish is almost transparent. In the old days, the fat of this fish was used to make candles.
For some people, the very word lake is associated with a shallow body of water, which is suitable for floundering in the water and is safe even for children. But in reality, lakes can be huge in size, and their depth can be completely fantastic.
Not all lakes have a great depth - the most impressive in this regard are reservoirs of tectonic origin, that is, those that are located at the site of cracks, faults in the earth's crust, and the same Baikal can be cited as an example. Lakes located in the lowlands usually have a shallower depth, but at the same time a larger area. As part of this article, information will be provided on the deepest lakes on the planet, which are definitely worth paying attention to.
Fifth place - San Martin
This reservoir is located in Patagonia, and its very location is already interesting. It is located between Chile and Argentina, right on the border of these countries, at an altitude of about 250 m. The mirror surface is 1058 square meters. km by area, the reservoir has a depth of 836 meters. For the entire mainland of South America, it is considered the deepest, and it also has two names. San Martin - this name is relevant for Argentina, but in Chile its name sounds like O Higgins. Cold streams from the mountains flow into this reservoir, which are formed during the melting of glaciers, and only one more or less large Mayer river. The waters leave this lake through the Pasqua River, which flows directly into the Pacific Ocean. Since small stone deposits, which are brought with water from glaciers, get into the water, the water here has a specific milky hue. Minerals eventually settle at the bottom of this reservoir.
Interesting:
The largest cities in Russia - list, area, population, photo and video
Fourth place - Caspian Sea
It would seem, where did the sea appear in the article about lakes? But this is no coincidence. It's worth knowing that The Caspian Sea is a lake, just salty, because it has no access to the ocean, neither direct nor through other seas. Although at the bottom of it is the oceanic crust. Perhaps, sometime in the past, the water level was higher, and the Caspian Sea, together with the Aral Sea, connected with the Black Sea, forming a common basin. This could very well be.
But at the moment, this lake, separated by a chain of the Caucasus Mountains, with an area of 371 thousand km., And with depth reaching 1025 meters. The Volga River and about 130 other rivers flow into this lake. There are a lot of fish and other living creatures, many inhabitants are found only here. And under this lake there are deposits of oil and gas.
3rd place - East
This lake is located in Antarctica, and it will be problematic to find it with the naked eye, because it is under the ice sheet. This is the largest subglacial lake of all that exists in the world, and it owes its name to the nearby Vostok station, which belongs to Russia. According to studies, this lake can reach depths of 1200 meters and more, it was discovered relatively recently - it was discovered only in 1996. It was explored by drilling. These studies are extremely important for science, since there is a hypothesis according to which the surface of Jupiter's moons also has similar lakes in which life may well develop.
Interesting:
The most poisonous fish in the world - a list, names, where they live, photos and videos
Second place - Tanganyika
This lake is the deepest in all of Africa, its depth is 1470 meters.. This is a tectonic reservoir located in the depression of the rift zone, and it was found quite by accident. Scientists were looking for the source of the Nile, and found this lake. The Lukuga River flows out of it, and several small rivers flow into it at once. The flora and fauna here is very rich, there are hippos, there are also crocodiles - there were reports that they found a record-breaking 9-meter crocodile attacking people here (Read our article: the largest species of crocodiles). A huge number of birds also live here.
The deepest lake in the world
The deepest lake in the world is Baikal. The depth of the reservoir is 1642 meters, and perhaps this is not the limit, since tectonic activity in the region is aimed at expanding, deepening the lake due to the divergence of plates. Yes, this is another tectonic body of water. At the moment, Baikal contains 20 percent of fresh water located on the surface of the planet, and In terms of its volume, Baikal exceeds the entire network of the American Great Lakes taken together..
