Baikal is ‘a Rich Lake’ (translated from Turkic)

Abstract

Baikal is one of the most interesting and unique places of the Earth. It is a geological history of Asia for the period of almost 30 mln years, a huge amount of fresh water of excellent quality, deposits and ore occurrences of various minerals, including hydrocarbons, precinctive flora and fauna, the richest taiga, surprising geological and archeological finds. At the same time the ecosystem of the Baikal region is young and evolving. It is connected with the intensive neotectonic movements which influence all ecosystem elements: relief, landscape, climate, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, etc. The study of Lake Baikal and the use of its countless treasures are necessary and possible, but this should be done cautiously and carefully, so as not to disrupt the unstable balance of the Baikal zone ecosystem and in the same time to create favorable conditions for the wise use of resources of the Lake.

Keywords

• Lake Baikal
• rift
• fresh water
• climate
• hydrocarbons
• ecology