Russia Travel Blog | All about Russia in English

Apr/15

15

Picturesque landscapes of frozen Lake Baikal

During freeze-up (usually from the beginning of January till early May) Lake Baikal freezes completely, except for a small area of ​​15-20 km length located in the source of the Angara River.

By the end of winter, ice thickness on the lake reaches 1 m, and in bays – 1.5-2 m. During severe frosts, cracks break ice on separate fields. The length of cracks is about 10-30 km, the width – 2-3 m.

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 1

The formation of cracks is accompanied by a loud cracking sound, reminiscent of thunder or gunshots. Due to them, fish living in the lake don’t die from lack of oxygen.

Also, Baikal ice is very clear, that’s why even in winter time the water is inhabited by planktonic algae producing oxygen.

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 2

In winter, on the shores of Lake Baikal, you can find beautiful ice caves and frozen splashes.

Unique Baikal ice presents scientists a lot of mysteries. In the 1940s, the experts of Baikal Limnological Station found unusual forms of ice cover that can be found only in Lake Baikal. The photos were taken by Anton Petrus.

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 3

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 4

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 5

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 6

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 7

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 8

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 9

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 10

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 11

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 12

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 13

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 14

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 15

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 16

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 17

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 18

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 19

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 20

Frozen Lake Baikal, Russia, photo 21

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Tags:  ·

<<

>>

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply