The biggest speed of movement, +2.7 centimeters per year belongs to the North-Muya ridge. Ethiopian rift: It is formed due to divergence of the Nubian and Somalian plates. Today, science has incredible tools and techniques, yet still many of the Lake Baikal facts and phenomena observed on the lake, the causes of which are hidden by one and a half kilometers of water, are still waiting to be explored. 14. Its depth is 1,642 meters. National Geographic Headquarters thin layer of the Earth that sits beneath ocean basins. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. In winter in the water of Lake Baikal a special ice is formed, “whisper”that looks like needles of up to 1-2 centimeters, floating in the water. It lies east of the … 23. In reality, major earthquakes are not as common happen on the lake. One of the most important features of the Gregory Rift is the Afar Triple Junction, found where the Horn of Africa straddles the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea. The South Baikal depression, the world's deepest intracontinental rift valley, became the node of the entire Baikal system of rift valleys. steep volcano made of hardened lava, rock, and ash. Also called lithospheric plate. years old Maximum depth: 1637 meters or 5370 feet (the deepest lake on the earth) Area: 31500 sq. thick glacier covering most of Antarctica. Located in south-central Siberia, not far from the Mongolian border and surrounded by mountains, forests and wild rivers, Baikal is an immense and breathtaking area of natural beauty. Scientific opinion: there is no direct evidence, but these are probably methane emissions, which can ignite spontaneously in air. We will start our list with some little-known Lake Baikal facts. This fact is also important to consider for the travelers who go around places of potential emissions to reduce the potential danger exposure. Lake Baikal formed as an ancient rift valley and has a long, crescent shape, with a surface area of 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi), slightly larger than Belgium. It is located in the rift valley in Africa and is approximately 413 miles (660 km) long. The actual floor of the rift valley is more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) deep. The Baikal Rift Valley (sometimes called the Baikal Rift Zone) cuts through 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) of, The West Antarctic Rift is a series of smaller rifts that roughly separate the two regions of Earth’s southernmost, The Rio Grande Rift is a series of rift valleys along faults in the Southwestern United States. Rift valley lake: Lake Baikal Millions of years ago, Asia split apart and the floor of the Baikal valley dropped away along a series of giant faults, cracks in the Earth’s crust. Select from these resources to teach about the process of weathering in your classroom.a. Scientific opinion: it is possible that under those rings at the bottom of Lake Baikal there are gas (“mud”) volcanoes. 17. Lakes in the Rift Not all lakes located around the East African Rift are rift lakes. A large number of earthquakes is a direct consequence of the movements of huge plates of the earth. 13. depression in the earth caused by a river eroding the surrounding soil. 22. Continental drift describes one of the earliest ways geologists thought continents moved over time. It is considered to be the world's largest freshwater lake (by volume) and the world's deepest as well at 5,387 feet. A series of basins form along the zone for more than 2,000 kilometres, creating a rift valley. Also called the Rift Valley Lakes and the East African Lakes. Privacy Notice | These rift valleys are dotted by volcanoes: Erta Ale, Ethiopia; Mount Kenya, Kenya (an. On the shores of Lake Baikal there are many grottoes. See also: Top 11 Amazing Facts about Siberia. 1. Sunset view from the ice grotto on the island of Kharantsy, 31. Lake Baikal experiences some real storms, the wave height of which that reaches up to 4-5 meters! system of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley: Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu, Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, and Lake Victoria. ancient, giant landmass that split apart to form all the continents we know today. Usually freshwater lakes quickly get “overgrown” with silt, sometimes even in a matter of a few decades – and thus disappear. area of land covered by shallow water or saturated by water. These sediments have started accumulating about 65 million years ago – even before the emergence of Lake Baikal. This makes the geological rift that’s home to Lake Baikal the deepest continental rift on planet Earth. Interesting Facts About Lake Baikal Just Fun Facts . an opening in the Earth's crust, through which lava, ash, and gases erupt, and also the cone built by eruptions. Lake Baikal and Lake Tanganyika are two lakes that were once rift valleys that became so deep they formed a lake. One of the wells in Kenya produces enough power for 5,700 homes! process of one tectonic plate melting, sliding, or falling beneath another. In other cases, mass mortality of sockeye salmon was recorded that washed ashore. The East Rift Valley in Taiwan runs along the east side of the Island near the seacoast. It feels as if you are about to fall through, but it is actually so thick that you can drive over on trucks, and at one time on the ice in winter people even laid rails. Although the Dead Sea is not the world's deepest lake, the deep Jordan Rift makes it the lowest land, The most famous rift lakes in the world may be the series of narrow, deep rift valleys in the East African Rift known simply as the Rift Valley lakes. Scientists think that the tectonic activity that created the East African Rift also contributed to creating an environment that was ideal to the proliferation of life. These tectonic plates rest upon the convecting mantle, which causes them to move. Lake Baikal is in a rift valley, created by the Baikal Rift Zone, where the Earth's crust is slowly pulling apart. piece of land jutting into a body of water. 26. Lake Baikal – is a new and emerging ocean. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. If successful, this program would provide a sustainable energy source for millions of people, many of whom do not have access to electricity today. In 1959, an earthquake of 9.5 points lowered the bottom of Lake Baikal by 20 meters. On the shores of Lake Baikal, you can try the most tender and fresh fish prepared … These resources can be used to teach middle schoolers more about the natural world, its distinctive features, and landscapes. solid material transported and deposited by water, ice, and wind. An example of chemical weathering is acid rain. It ranks as the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area. If we calculate the depth of Lake Baikal from the top of the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal down to the solid bottom of the lake, it will be equal to 12,977 meters! The rifts form between the Eurasian Plate to the west and the Amur Plate to the east. According to local residents local spirits live in these areas and you shouldn’t go there. 20. I am reading Silk Roads and was looking up some info on Siberia and there you were. In the form of a new moon baikal stretches from south west to north east between latitudes 55 47 and 51 28 in the northern hemisphere and longitudes 103 43 and 109 58. a crack in the Earth's crust where there has been movement. base level for measuring elevations. Today, these theories serve as the foundation upon which we understand the geologic processes that shape the Earth. Rift valleys can also form at transform faults, where tectonic plates are grinding past each other. area where two or more tectonic plates are moving away from each other. Currently there are no active volcanoes on Lake Baikal. You cannot download interactives. I’d love to see it some day. Indeed, the ice in such circles is thinner and is more saturated with water than in other areas on Lake Baikal. 8. Lake Tanganyika is 673 kilometers (418 miles) long, which makes it the world’s longest freshwater lake. Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, is not a rift lake, for instance. At the Afar Triple Junction, the Arabian plate, Nubian plate and Somali plate are all tearing away from each other. Lake Natron, Tanzania, is one of the shallow. The water of Lake Baikal is the most transparent of all freshwater lakes. The summer water temperature is from 10 to 24°C. 21. 1. 12. depression in the earth created by a moving glacier. The Black Forest reaches its greatest elevation at Mount Feld (Feldberg; 4,898 feet [1,493 metres]) in the south and declines northward beneath secondary sediments before rising to the smaller Oden Forest. Well written and fascinating article! Baikal. http://todiscoverrussia.com/the-monster-of-lake-baikal/. Also called the geosphere. region where the boundaries of three tectonic plates meet and interact. You just need to keep reading. Also called a collision zone. There are two main types of weathering: chemical and physical. It contains over 1/5 of all fresh water in the world. 29. m Lengths: 636 km by 70 km Islands: 26, the largest one is Olkhon island Rivers flowing into the lake: 336 Rivers flowing out of the lake: 1 (Angara river) Water in the Lake Baikal is completely renewed approximately every 383 years. Fishermen and local residents, as well as representatives of the scientific community many times have observed glowing orbs on the lake, and a lot of these observations were made especially in the vicinity of Cape Rytii. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 18. middle layer of the Earth, made of mostly solid rock. Lake Tanganyika is also the second deepest lake and second by volume in the world after Lake Baikal. Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography, Photograph by Emory Kristof, National Geographic. Of course, this number will increase with each new study of the lake. When Lake Baikal freezes in winter, the waves create amazing icicles in grottoes. Interesting Facts Baikal – freshwater lake located in the southern part of eastern Siberia. The area of Lake Baikal is about equal to the area of the whole country – Belgium. It is also a shelter for Buryat people who are staying near the lake and for a lot of animal and plant species. Thank you for all your info!!! 5. Lake Baikal formed as an ancient rift valley and has a long, crescent shape, with a surface area of 31,722 km 2 (12,248 sq mi), slightly larger than Belgium. The movements of these plates can account for noticeable geologic events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and more subtle yet sublime events, like the building of mountains. There are many rift valley lake formations in this area, like Koka, Awasa, Abaya, etc. 10. Rift valleys are typically deep and narrow. 27. Also known as a composite volcano. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. There are three categories of fresh water. And only on Lake Baikal gas hydrates were found at a shallow depth and in a freshwater reservoir. The Gregory Rift stretches from the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to as far south as Mount Kilimanjaro. chemical compound often found as mineral salt in soils and bodies of water. Also called the Somali Peninsula. That’s why gas hydrates are called the fuel of the future. 15. Lake Baikal is located in a rift valley surrounded by mountains, and sits above a divergent plate boundary where two plates are slowly moving away from each other, and this activity has created hot springs in and around the lake. 9. The East African Rift, the Baikal Rift Valley, the West Antarctic Rift, and the Rio Grande Rift are Earth’s major active continental rift valleys. When measured by length, Lake Tanganyika is the largest lake in the world. The rift system is characterized by a high level of seismicity and massive vertical displacements of the basement across the rift valley shoul- … All rights reserved. » This means that one-fifth of all the fresh water in the world is located here at Lake Baikal. In tectonic basins and rift valleys: Rift valleys Similarly, the Baikal Rift in Siberia, which contains the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, has a very steep northwestern edge … Today, however, the Great Rift Valley exists as a cultural concept, not a scientific one. Currently there are no active volcanoes on Lake Baikal. Try Baikal omul. Enter your email address: We put our heart into the project. We live on a beautiful planet. Facts about Lake Baikal 4: the surface area The surface area of Lake Baikal is measured at 12,248 square miles or 31,722 km square. The San Andreas is a, Many of Earth’s deepest rift valleys are found underwater, dividing long mountain ranges called. one of the seven main land masses on Earth. depression in the ground caused by the Earth's crust spreading apart. At 636 km (395 mi) long and 79 km (49 mi) wide, Lake Baikal has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in Asia, at 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi), and is the deepest lake in the world at 1,642 m (5,387 ft). Landforms are natural and distinctive features. Baikal is home to thousands of species of plants … It also contains the greatest volume of fresh water on our planet. Lake Baikal, in eastern Siberia, is no ordinary lake. Famous Rift Valleys and Facts • East Rift Valley, Taiwan • Jordan Rift Valley, Israel and Jordan • Baikal Rift Valley, southern Siberia • Great Rift Valley, East Africa. 7. Search through these resources to discover more about unique landforms and landscapes around the world. Yes, I live not far from here. In the waters of Lake Baikal live 1455 animal species (endemic), which you will not find anywhere else. natural or artificial line separating two pieces of land. All of the rift valleys in the “system” are connected, but not part of a single unit. Very few active rift valleys are found on continental lithosphere. Lake Baikal experiences around 2000 earthquakes per year. having to do with the physical formations of the Earth. South of the Red Sea Rift lies the massive, The two major rift valley systems of the East African Rift are the Gregory Rift and the Western Rift. It was formed as a rift valley (earth's crust slowly pulls apart) and is crescent shaped. region of land stretching across Russia from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. In addition, over the past 25 million years, layers of soft sediment have accumulated on the lakebed. Similar to Lake Tanganyika, Lake Baikal was formed as an ancient rift valley, having the typical long crescent shape with a surface area of 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi). Lake Baikal. Baikal Sea. The bedrock plunges to a depth of at least 9 kilometres (nearly 6 miles), the deepest point on any of the continents. 11. Lake Baikal is in a rift valley, created by the Baikal Rift Zone, where the Earth's crust is slowly pulling apart. While there is no official distinction between a graben and a rift valley, a graben usually describes a small rift valley. Caused mostly by the burning of fossil fuels, acid rain is a form of precipitation with high levels of sulfuric acid, which can cause erosion in the materials in which it comes in contact. But not Lake Baikal! African and Arabian Plates diverge to form the Red Sea. Take Care n plz continue your work. Grabens Rift valleys are sometimes called grabens, which means “ditch” in German. Burhan cape of Olkhon Island. Baikal is formed as a rift valley which makes it the deepest lake with 1642m depth. The continual erosion of the cliffs of East African Rift also contribute to the dozens of discoveries. © 1996 - 2021 National Geographic Society. Lake Tanganyika is the second largest lake and contains the second largest volume of fresh water on Earth. The region to the east of Lake Baikal is referred to as Transbaikalia or as the Transbaikal and the loosely defined region around the lake itself is sometimes known as Baikalia. The Earth’s crust is broken up into a series of massive sections called plates. On Lake Baikal about a hundred gas (“mud”) volcanoes were found. 3. On the shores of Lake Baikal cedars of around 550 years old were found. large region that is higher than the surrounding area and relatively flat. Lake Baikal is the world’s largest freshwater lake in terms of volume. As these rifts continue, the narrow, The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, includes many of the, Lake Baikal, the rift lake over the Baikal Rift Valley in Siberia, is the deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world. Explore how they show up in various landscapes. Sustainability Policy | Also called an alkaline lake. Should it be ok to visit during the new year? According to other sources – 1637 meters. It is the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area. Let Her Rift With so much volcanic and tectonic activity going on there, the East African Rift Valley is a potent power source. In 1977, after decades of tediously collecting and mapping ocean sonar data, scientists began to see a fairly accurate picture of the seafloor emerge. To you for writing this and sharing it with the physical formations of the Baikal rift Zone the... At 456 meters above Sea level is determined by measurements taken over a 19-year cycle moving! 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