Baikal Ice Lake, Siberia

By: Mahnoor
In the southern part of the Russian region of
frigid and untamed cold known as Siberia
lies a lake unlike any other on Earth. Siberia
consist of an enormous Lake Baikal, the
deepest and most ancient lake on the planet,
and so renowned for its beauty that it is
sometimes referred to as The Pearl of
Russia. It is a majestic place not only
remarkable for its deep water, but also for
its crystal clear water and biodiversity.
 Topics
Topics included in my presentation are following:
1. Chose a place you find beautiful.
2. Research the Geologic History
a. How old is the area?
b. What fossils are present in that area?
c. What events have have shaped the topography?
d.What is the history of mankind living in this area?
e. What radioactive isotope did they use to determine
the age of the area?
f. Where else in the world formed at the same time?
What evidence do we have for this?
 Baikal lake
Baikal Lake is one of the most amazing destinations in
Russia. Baikal lake is located in Eastern Siberia, a region
that makes up more than 75% of Russias total
landmass.In Russia we spell Lake Baikal like
OzeroBaykal. It is the oldest lake of the world, and is
25-30 million years old (during the late Paleogene
geological period, Cenozoic era, and Phanerozoic eon). It is
also known to be the deepest lake of the world, about 1,642
meters deep.
 Formation of lake Baikal and
Topography
Lake Baikal is a rift lake, meaning it was formed within a deep
rift created by tectonic movement along fault lines (divergent
plate boundary), and lies in the Russian region of Siberia.
Block tectonics appears to be the main mechanism of the
formation of the topography of Baikal lake. Stratigraphic
record of Lake Baikal was deposited in three broad
sedimentary environments, defined by seismic-reflection
(reflection of the waves between rocks), and coring
methods(drilling of the rock layers to get samples).
 Three Sedimentary Environments
1. Turbidite depositional systems: layers were formed by
turbidity (cloudiness or haziness of the fluid).
2. Large deltas of major drainages: deltas which are formed
by the rain water, melting of ice etc.
3. Tectonically: the movement of the earth crust.
Sediments of Lake Baikal reach thicknesses in excess of 7
kilometers (4 miles), and the rift floor is perhaps 8 to 9
kilometers (more than 5 miles) deep, making it one of the
deepest active rifts on Earth.
 Index Fossils
Index fossil : A fossil of a plant
or animal that is
geographically widespread
and lived for a short amount of
time.
As Siberia was formed in
precambrian eon, some index
fossils which can be found in
this area are early
precambrian trilobites which
include Elliptocephala,
Cryptolithus, and Phacops.
 A mammoth found in
Baikal lake
Russian scientists found a frozen
female woolly mammoth in Siberia in
2013. She died at least 10,000 to 40,000
years ago. The animal was about 2
years old when it died. It was fully
preserved by the ice, and scientists also
found some blood flowing in her body.
The woolly mammoth is a species of
mammoth that lived during the
Pleistocene epoch, and was one of the
last in a line of mammoth species,
beginning in the early Pliocene.
Radioactive Isotope used to find the
age of the area
The radioactive isotope which is used to find the
age of Baikal lake is Uranium-236 which has the
half life of 2.3107 years which is almost equal to
the the age of Baikal lake. By using it we can find
the lakes age.
 History of Mankind
The Buryats are a Mongol people and the largest
indigenous(native) nationality in Siberia, numbering about
500,000. Buryat-Russian interactions began in the early 17th
century when the Russian Empire was aggressively
expanding eastward across Siberia. The Buryat Mongols
(traditionally nomadic herders of sheep, horses, cattle, and
camels) were the most numerous tribe in the Lake Baikal
region. Prior to the arrival of the Russians in central Siberia,
the Buryat Mongols subjugated neighboring tribes.
 Russian troops battled Buryat Mongols for control of the
Baikal region throughout much of the 17th century. The
Russians exerted their dominance over the Buryats and
other tribes of Siberia. By the early 18th century most of
the Buryat Mongols were under Russian domination. By the
early 20th century, Russia had made the Buryats a
minority in the Lake Baikal region, and tried to remove
their traditions, and culture, and wanted them to adopt
russian culture, and traditions.
 The species of Baikal lake
It also contains more than 1,700 plants and animals,
80% of which can be found only in the area and
nowhere else in the world, Out of more than 2,000
aquatic species that live in the lake, 1,500 are found
only here. Animals that live around Lake Baikal
include bears, moose, elk, deer and Siberian
chipmunks,and many different fishes live in Lake
Baikal.
 The famous animal of
Baikal lake
The most famous specie of Baikal lake
is Baikal seal which is also known as
Nerpa. It is one of the only freshwater
seal species in the world, it means that
they only live in freshwater, and can
remain underwater up to 70 minutes.
This is due to the extraordinary
capacity of their blood to hold oxygen,
and allows them to dive to depths of
almost 400m.
 Glamorous Turquoise Ice
During the winter months, from January to May, the lake turns
into an incredible sight that has to be seen to be believed, it is
turned into Turquoise Ice cubes, and it is the most special thing
about the lake. While it freezes over much like any other lake in
the cold weather, it hardens so clear and crisp that when you
walk out onto the surface of the ice, you can peer straight down
and see over 130 feet below from the surface. These enormous
pieces of ice glow like giant gemstones when the sun light hits
them. That is why I have chosen this place, this place is so
adorable, amazing, and attractive.
 Crystal Clear Water
The lake is famous for its crystal clear waters. This
clearness is due to both a lack in mineral salts and its
gigantic population of tiny crayfish, Baikal epischura,
which eat algae and other small particles in the water.
These small creatures help filter about 10 to 15 times the
amount of water that flows into the lake. As a result, you
can see 130 feet beneath its surface.
 Facts
The name of the lake was originated from Turk language,
the word bai means wealthy,and kul means lake.
So, Baikal originally means wealthy lake.
The lake contains 20% of the worlds surface fresh water.
The lake is so huge and enormous that locals call it sea.
This sea is rapidly growing with the average speed of 2
cm (0.8 in) per year. Baikal is considered to be a future
ocean; in several million years there will be a new great
ocean all over Asia and Baikal is a starting point for this
ocean.
 About 336 rivers flow into Baikal lake but only one
river flows out which is Angara river.
The lake is completely surrounded by mountains, and
there are 26 small islands over the lake, and the
largest one is Olkhon Island, this island is the second
largest island of the world.
Its water volume is approximately equal to the total
volume of the Great Lakes of North America, about
23,000 cubic kilometers. If you were able to pull the
plug on the lake it would take all the water in all the
Great Lakes to fill it again!
 The area of Lake Baikal is about equal to the area of
the whole country Belgium.
It is about 640 km long, and 80 km wide.
For most of the Asian people this lake is a holy
place, peoples through over the centuries prayed to
the lake and believed in its power.
 Lake Tanganyika
Tanganyika lake is an African lake which was
formed at the same time when Baikal lake was
formed, about 20-30 million years ago. Both of
them are known as rift lakes because they were
formed tectonically.
 References
mysteriousuniverse.org/.../the-deep-mysteries-of-the-worlds-deepest-lake
www.baikalex.com/info/nerpa.html
www.tcsworldtravel.com/blog/discover-russias-lake-baikal
knowledge-sastha.blogspot.com/2012/.../interesting-facts-lake-baikal.htm
pubs.usgs.gov/fs/baikal/
waytorussia.net/Siberia/Baikal/Baikal.html
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/.../traditionally-integrat
Thank You for
listening