29 Deepest Lakes In The World

Baikal Lake in Russia at 5,387 feet deep is the worlds deepest lake. It is around 2,000 feet deeper than the Caspian Sea which is 3rd.

A Russian ship breaks through the thin icy surface covering Lake Baikal's extreme depths below.

Lakes are usually formed in rift zones, melting glaciated areas, mountainous regions, or in basins where rivers flow. On a geologic time scale, all lakes are transitory. Over time, lakes may run out of water caused by spillage or may be filled in with sediments. Although active processes may retard a lake from drying up such as lakes with tectonic origins. Some factors that causes lakes to form are landslides, sinkholes, ice-damming, volcanic eruptions, and glacier movements.

Deepest Lakes

Lake Baikal

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Baikal Lake in Russia at 5,387 feet is the world’s deepest, as well as being the oldest lake in the world at 25 million years old. It is 2,000 feet deeper than the Caspian Sea which is the third deepest lake in the world. Endemism occurs in the lake with half of its 60 native fish species and a freshwater seal. Baikal holds 20% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, which amounts to around 5,662 cubic miles of crystal clear freshwater which is more than what the Great Lakes of North America holds in total volume.

Lake Tanganyika

Tanganyika Lake at 4,823 feet is second deepest lake in the world. It is the world’s longest lake as well, with its span reaching into four countries, including Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Zambia. It holds around 18% of the world’s freshwater which is equal to close to 4,500 cubic miles of water. Tanganyika has six large islands and other smaller islands in its boundary. Its water has a pH of 8.4 that holds some 250 cichlid species, of which 98% are endemic. The cichlids exhibit adaptive and evolutionary radiation as well. Tanganyika has its own freshwater sardine species, jellyfish, and sponges.

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea at 3,363 feet is the third deepest lake in the world, and bounded by Russia,Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It holds around 18,800 cubic miles of water with 1.2% salinity although it has no connection to the ocean. It gets 80% of its water from the Volga River. The caviar producing Beluga sturgeon is found in the lake with tuna that has been the core of the fishing industry in the area. It has its own salmon and seal population. The areas around the lake and the lake itself has oil reserves of which some have been tapped.

Lake Vostok

Vostok Lake located in Antarctica is, at 3,300 feet, the fourth deepest lake in the world. It was named after the Russian Vostok Station which is close to it. It holds around 1,300 cubic miles of freshwater, 1,600 feet under the ice surface. Its water has a high concentration of oxygen and nitrogen that is under constant high pressure in total darkness. Microbial organisms have been detected in ice core drillings, while extremophile microbes found on frozen lake waters also suggest further presence of life. The lake is under protection by environmental groups who doubt the ice drilling methods being employed which could contaminate the lake water underneath the ice.

O'Higgins-San Martin Lake

O'Higgins-San Martin Lake at 2,742 feet is the fifth deepest lake in the world, and its territory in Patagonia is shared by Chile and Argentina. Its name comes from two independence movement liberators from Chile. The lake is known as Lago O'Higgins in Chile and Lago San Martin in Argentina. Its shape forms finger-like extensions that ends in flooded valleys in both countries. The Mayer River supplies most of its water while the Pascua River discharges its water into the Pacific Ocean.

Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi, formerly named Lake Nyasa, at 2,316 feet is the sixth deepest lake in the world, spanning the borders of Mozambique and Malawi. It has around 2,000 cubic miles of freshwater and is a meromictic lake whose water levels do not mix. Malawi hosts close to 1,000 cichlid fish species that continue to speciate, in addition to non-cichlid species. The Ruhuhu River provides most of its water while the Shire River discharges its water to the Zambezi River.

Limnology of Lakes

Lakes have three zones. These include the littoral zone near land, the photic zone in the open-water area where sunlight pervades, and the benthic zone housing deep-water lake habitats. A lake affects the temperature of its surrounding areas such as lowering the air temperature during the day while at night, air temperature may go up. Although lakes provide livelihood and food for the people living around it, some dangers are present when landslides and earthquakes cause the mixing of the benthic water to release carbon dioxide to the surface air. The released carbon dioxide could potentially flow into human inhabited regions and cause mass asphyxiation.

29 Deepest Lakes In The World

Rank	Lake	Country	Depth
1	Baikal	Russia	5387
2	Tanganyika	Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Zambia	4823
3	Caspian Sea	Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan	3363
4	Vostok	Antarctica	3300
5	O'Higgins-San Martin	Chile, Argentina	2742
6	Malawi	Mozambique, Malawi	2316
7	Issyk Kul	Kyrgyzstan	2192
8	Great Slave	Canada	2015
9	Clearwater Lake	Canada	1968
10	Crater	United States	1949
11	Matano	Indonesia	1936
12	General Carrera-Buenos Aires	Chile, Argentina	1923
13	Hornindalsvatnet	Norway	1686
14	Quesnel	Canada	1660
15	Toba	Indonesia	1657
16	Sarez	Tajikistan	1657
17	Tahoe	United States	1645
18	Argentino	Argentina	1640
19	Kivu	Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda	1575
20	Grand	Canada	1558
21	Mjosa	Norway	1535
22	Salsvatnet	Norway	1523
23	Nahuel Huapi	Argentina	1523
24	Hauroko	New Zealand	1516
25	Cochrane / Pueyrredon	Chile, Argentina	1509
26	Lake Tinn	Norway	1509
27	Adams	Canada	1499
28	Chelan	United States	1486
29	Van	Turkey	1480