Lakes typically aren’t thought of as deep and many would incorrectly assume that one of the Great Lakes holds the spot for the deepest – after all, they were carved out by glaciers during the last ice age. So if one of the Great Lakes isn’t the deepest, which lake is?

The Deepest Lake In The World

The current title holder is Lake Baikal of Siberia in Russia. It’s over a mile deep (5,387 feet) and is also the most voluminous fresh water lake on Earth containing nearly 20% of the world’s unfrozen fresh water.

Its incredible depth was created when Earth’s crust was pulled apart due to tectonic activity and created a rift. This ‘gap’ was eventually filled with fresh water. The lake is estimated to have been created over 25 million years ago which makes it also the world’s oldest. Because of the depth, clarity and remoteness, researchers will be deploying a ‘neutrino telescope’ in the lake. At a dept of almost .7 miles will lie the Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope (BDUNT). It will consist of separate 192 optical modules

The silver medal goes to Lake Tanganyika, located in Africa, which is also a rift lake. It is .93 miles deep at its deepest and like Lake Baikal, is also a rift lake.

Deepest Lake In The United States?

The Great Lakes still don’t hold a candle to Crater Lake. Crater lake is a caldera lake located in southern Oregon. It is nearly 2,148-foot deep and is known for its incredible clarity.

The lake was formed inside a dormant volcano caldera and it is believed that it took 720 years for rain and snow to fill it to its current depth because no rivers or tributaries are connected to it. It is also the reason for it’s unusual clarity which was measured by scientists at 142 feet in 1997.

Crater Lake is also known for the “Old Man of the Lake”, a full-sized tree which is now a stump that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for over 100 years. Due to the low temperature of the water, the log is incredibly well preserved.

How Deep Is The Ocean? – Infographic

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