Key Information
Lake Baikal
| Type | Freshwater Rift Lake |
| Area | 12,248 square miles |
| Depth | 5,387 ft (Max), 2,442 (Average) |
| Length | 395 miles |
| Width | 49 miles |
| Age | 25 to 30 million years |
Learning Point
- Located in Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world’s oldest and deepest lake, plunging over a mile down and holding 20% of Earth’s liquid freshwater—more than all the North American Great Lakes combined. It is a “rift lake” formed by shifting tectonic plates and is famous for its extreme biodiversity, featuring over 1,500 species found nowhere else, including the Nerpa, the only freshwater seal on the planet. During the winter, its incredibly pure water freezes into massive sheets of transparent, turquoise ice, making it one of the most unique and protected natural wonders in the world.
Project
- Draw a picture of Lake Baikal during one of the seasons.
- Overview
- Map
Location
| Location | Siberia, Russia |
Fun Facts
- Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. If you dropped the world’s tallest building (the Burj Khalifa) into its deepest spot, the building would be completely underwater with enough room for another half of the building on top!
- In the winter, the lake freezes and traps bubbles of methane gas under the surface. They look like giant white pearls or pancakes frozen in time inside the clear ice.
- The water is so clean and clear because of tiny shrimp-like creatures called epischura. These “hungry heroes” eat up algae and debris, acting like a giant vacuum cleaner for the lake.
- Lake Baikal is actually a “rift lake.” Because the Earth’s crust is slowly pulling apart there, the lake grows about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) wider every year—the same speed your fingernails grow!
- If you took all the water in Lake Baikal and spread it evenly across the entire United States, the whole country would be covered in 3 meters (almost 10 feet) of water!
Past Lessons
| 182 | January 12, 2026 | (North America) |