A lake is a closed natural body of water. Such reservoirs are classified by volume, water balance, origin and other factors. Today we will consider a list of the freshest lakes. We will also tell interesting facts about them.
Why are lakes fresh?
In order for a lake to form, a deepening must appear in the earth's crust as a result of a shift of tectonic plates, a meteorite impact or a glacier. There are also reservoirs formed in the craters of dormant volcanoes.
Water in a reservoir can be mineral, s alty, brackish and fresh. In mineral lakes, more than 25% of s alt water. So, the salinity of the Dead Sea is 200-300%. It is so s alty that you can soak up the sun in it, lying on the water, as if on an air mattress, and not be afraid to drown.
In saline lakes - 10-12% s alt, and in brackish - up to 8%. Fresh water contains only 1% s alt.
S alt lakes are found predominantly in arid climates. There, moisture evaporates especially intensively. In addition, sewage lakes, from which at least one river flows, are characterized by lower salinity. Drainlessaccumulate s alt over the centuries of their existence. So, the Dead Sea is actually an endorheic lake.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world
Baikal is one of the most unique lakes in the world, which is the deepest in the world. This largest reservoir of fresh water, located in Russia, has long been called the sea by the local population. Baikal is located in the northern part of Siberia and still raises many questions from scientists.
The age of the lake, according to one version, is several hundred thousand years. However, according to another, Balkal was formed during the ice age, and its age is millions of years old. The depth of the reservoir is 1642 m.
Some interesting facts about Lake Baikal that you might not know:
- it features the purest, almost crystal clear water. It can be drunk even without pretreatment;
- on the coldest days of winter, when Baikal freezes, at its bottom you can see a crack that stretches for 30 km along;
- the body of water is located in a seismically active area. Frequent earthquakes cause storms, during which the wave height reaches 4-5 m;
- the poetic name "Lake of the Sun" was given to the reservoir due to the largest number of sunny days that are observed on its territory.
- mystical secrets also did not bypass Baikal. People often drown there, but in one of the weeks of the year the number of victims is especially high. In addition, fishermen often see mirages of past events over the waters of Lake Baikal, and in the sky above the lake,glowing objects. Locals mistake them for UFOs.
Perhaps someday mankind will solve the mystery of one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world.
Great Upper Lake
Lake Superior, in North America, is part of a group of five reservoirs called the Great. They are interconnected by straits and rivers and occupy a considerable area - 244 square meters. m! The most discussed among them is the Upper. This body of water is the largest freshwater lake in the world, with an area of 82.5 thousand square meters. m, the greatest depth is 406 m. Even the famous Baikal, whose area is 31,722 sq. km, is inferior to the upper one. m.
By the standards of our planet, the Upper is one of the youngest natural formations in the crust, since its age does not exceed 10,000 years. For comparison: Baikal is about 25 million years old.
From December to April, the entire lake is covered with ice. In former times, a thick layer of frozen water was used by smugglers to cross on foot to the other side of the reservoir. However, even during the warmer months, the water temperature in the lake does not exceed 4 degrees Celsius.
Tanganyika is the longest body of water on the planet
Tanganyika bears the title of the longest freshwater lake in the world. The length of its coastline is 1828 m. In terms of volume and depth, the reservoir is second only to the majestic Baikal. Experts estimate its age at 10-12 million years. The average depth of Tanganyika is 570 m, the maximum is 1470. For millions of years of its existenceone of the largest freshwater lakes in the world has never dried up, so its flora and fauna have not changed during this time.
There are 200 species of fish in Tanganyika, 170 species of which live exclusively in these waters. At the same time, 90% of the lake is devoid of most forms of life. Most of the inhabitants of the lake live in the upper layer, saturated with oxygen. Below 100 m, the desert depths extend.
The surface of Lake Tanganyika is larger than Belgium.
When the first European explorers visited the reservoir in 1600, they found sturgeons 2.7 meters long and pike reaching 2 meters in length. Today, the main we alth of the reservoir is fish, of which there are 90 species.
Tanganyika Horror
The picturesque shores of the reservoir are a haven for many animals. One of the most interesting and terrifying of its inhabitants is the crocodile Gustav, elevated by the local population to the status of a deity. According to local legends, he accounted for more than three hundred human victims. Perhaps more, as the crocodile often feasts on local sailors.
At the same time, any attempts to catch the seventy-year-old cannibal remain in vain. The attempts made by the hunters end with human casu alties and a night snack for Gustav. Even bullets cannot take it, as evidenced by the numerous traces from them on the scales of the crocodile.
Gustav is probably the biggest crocodile in the world. Its length can only be guessed from photographs, but it has been established that it reaches 7 m. Today, Gustav is already over 70 years old, he continues to grow and terrify the localpopulation. Africans consider him a devil who cannot be killed.
Titicaca - "mountain cougar"
Titicaca is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, located in South America. The area of the reservoir is 3872 sq km, the maximum depth is 281 m. The reservoir is located at an altitude of 3812 m above sea level and is of incredible beauty.
Its unusual name for our ears consists of two words of Spanish origin and translates as "mountain cougar". The name is explained by the location of the reservoir, which is located in the Andes, on the border of Peru with Bolivia. There are more than 40 islands on the surface of the lake, on some of them the leaders of the Inca tribes are buried.
The lake was probably formed over a hundred million years ago. The age of the reservoir is evidenced by the fossilized remains of animals that were found on its banks, as well as a variety of flora and fauna. Titicaca is home to crustaceans, fish and even sharks. Once the lake was a bay, which, as a result of one of the natural disasters, turned into a lake and rose along with the Andes. The latter continue to grow today.
Ancient Aztec city at the bottom of a reservoir
It is known that an ancient city is buried at the bottom of Titicaca, which is more than 1500 years old. As a result of lengthy excavations, archaeologists have found numerous artifacts - dishes, sculptures and even parts of stone structures. Scientists believe that they have discovered the remains of the Inca civilization - Tiwanaku. Probably a powerful earthquake or flood destroyed the city,burying local residents under layers of ruined structures and water column.
Lake Ladoga is the largest in Europe
Lake Ladoga is located in the Republic of Karelia and covers an area of 17,700 square meters. km. This is the largest freshwater lake in Europe with picturesque shores and a maximum depth of up to 233 m in the northern part. It is noteworthy that in the southern part the depth of the reservoir does not exceed 70 m.
Scientists still cannot explain such a sharp change in depth. Perhaps, according to scientist Valery Yurkovitsa, the reason for the formation of the lake was the fall of a meteorite that formed the deep part of the reservoir 40 thousand years ago.
Lake Ladoga arose as a result of a meteorite impact, which formed a crater and became a deep part of the reservoir. There are 660 islands on the lake, there is also an incredibly rich flora and fauna.
Some interesting facts about Lake Ladoga:
- in ancient times, the Scandinavians and Slavs called the reservoir the sea because of its large size;
- one of the most interesting mysteries of the lake is the so-called barrantides. These are sounds of unknown origin that often appear in the depths, frightening the local population;
- besides this, according to many eyewitnesses, the Ladoga monster lives in the lake, resembling the famous Nessie;
- only one river flows out of Lake Ladoga - the Neva, but it is one of the most full-flowing rivers in Europe due to the volumetric catchment of the reservoir;
- water temperature in the lake does not exceed 14 degrees Celsius. Only the southernits part warms up to +24 in warm months. The rest of the lake is unsuitable for swimming.
The largest lake in the world
Despite the fact that in this article we are discussing fresh lakes, it is impossible to ignore the largest body of water in the world.
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest lake with a salinity of 8-12%. Its picturesque shores lie at the border of Europe with Asia and are owned by five countries - Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Its area is 3,626,000 km², the maximum depth is 1025 meters.
The Caspian Sea is a kind of unique body of water, which can be classified as an endorheic lake with marine salinity. However, if you delve into the numbers, the salinity level of the Caspian is still lower than in the sea. Therefore, today the Caspian Sea, retaining its former name, is considered a lake.
