Baikal is not only one of the most beautiful places in the world, but also one of the most mysterious and mystical places. Baikal anomalies have been haunting the minds of scientists and ufologists for several decades.

The Great Lake constantly presents new surprises and mysteries and attracts not only scientists, but also many lovers of everything mysterious and enigmatic. The Baikal anomalies can include frequent UFO sightings over Baikal, geopathic zones, strange light phenomena, and even encounters with humanoids at the bottom of the lake.
Baikal is not only one of the most beautiful places in the world, but also one of the most mysterious and mystical places. Baikal anomalies have been haunting the minds of scientists and ufologists for several decades. The Great Lake constantly presents new surprises and mysteries and attracts not only scientists, but also many lovers of everything mysterious and enigmatic. The Baikal anomalies can include frequent UFO sightings over Baikal, geopathic zones, strange light phenomena, and even encounters with humanoids at the bottom of the lake.


Lake Baikal has been shrouded in riddles, mysteries, legends and legends for centuries. Against this background, the Baikal anomalies are perceived by many researchers as a regularity. Every year, both local and central media publish and broadcast reports related to the mysterious anomalies of Lake Baikal. Most of these cases are devoted to the appearance of UFOs over Lake Baikal or in the region of Irkutsk.

But the anomalies of Baikal are not miracles that have arisen recently, these places have been considered places of power since ancient times, and Baikal has been the center of Siberian shamanism for many centuries. And today Baikal is a sacred place for the indigenous people and the last stronghold of the shamans of Siberia. Apparently, Baikal anomalies have never been a secret for local shamans, and they knew how to use them for their own purposes.

Scientists geophysicists have identified magnetic anomalies located near the island of Olkhon. Another Baikal anomaly appeared near Cape Izhimey. There, in an incomprehensible way, perfectly regular holes with melted edges appeared in the ice - eyewitnesses say. In addition, the list of Baikal anomalies can include the zones of radio silence that appear in some places. There, for unknown reasons, magnetic fields interfere with the passage of radio waves. Such interference often knocks down and even disables the navigation devices of ships cruising around Lake Baikal.

In one of the deepest places of Baikal there is a place called the "Devil's Funnel". This is one of the most mysterious anomalies of Baikal, here sometimes even during a complete calm, the water suddenly starts to rage and in the very center of this anomaly a huge funnel appears, in which the water rotates at great speed.

An ancient Buryat legend tells that in this place, under a huge layer of lake waters, there is a mysterious entrance to the land of the dead. The ruler of this country is Erlik Khan and the funnel is the door to his country from which there is no return. Another legend tells that the progenitor of all snakes, the giant snake Abaraga mogoi, went to live in a huge funnel near Cape Izhimei. On the island of Olkhon, opposite the funnel, there is Shamanka rock - a sacred place of Baikal shamans, on which they imposed a ban on visits by local residents. From this rock, experts believe, the most excellent view of the "Devil's Funnel" opens.

Researchers of paranormal phenomena claim that in the places of the Baikal anomaly, where geopathic zones (tectonic faults) are located, one can recharge with energy that strengthens the immune system, and during sleep promotes the transition of the astral body to other dimensions.

Shamans of Baikal.

One of the most ancient religious traditions of mankind was shamanism, it was the forerunner of all world religions. Baikal shamans are mainly representatives of the Buryat and Mongolian people; today they are the main receivers of the ancient traditions of shamanism. From time immemorial, North and Central Asia has been considered the center of shamanism. And the mystical center of this religion has always been the Baikal island of Olkhon. Baikal shamans have a special power of inspiration when they perform ritual shamanic hymns.

Olkhon Island is still a sacred place for the shamans of Baikal and Siberia, and meetings with their participation take place here every year. Shamans come here from the Altai Territory, Ulan-Ude, Eastern and Western Siberia, and Mongolia. Here they hold rituals of happiness and well-being for all those present for the whole year. After the ceremony, anyone can ask the shaman a question of interest to him and get an answer to it. Baikal shamans are responsible for receiving colleagues from other regions. They prepare places for overnight ritual ceremonies and rituals.

Baikal shamans consider Shamanka rock, located on Cape Burkhan, to be the most sacred place of power on the island of Olkhon. This sacred place of shamanism is forbidden to visit ordinary mortals. There are many stories and legends about it, which both local residents and Baikal shamans themselves can tell about.

Another sacred place of the shamans of Baikal is the rock Shaman-stone, located at the source of the Angara. Since ancient times, the Shaman-Stone rock has been endowed with mystical power. The Buryats believed that mighty spirits dwell on the stone. According to legend, the rock was the home of the ruler of the Angara named Sagan Noyon. Here, the indigenous people prayed, and the Baikal shamans performed important rituals. Previously, local justice was administered on the Shaman-stone, the alleged criminal was left overnight on the rock. If during the night the waters of the mighty lake did not wash off the criminal from the rock, he was justified and released.

UFO over Baikal.

According to ufologists, Lake Baikal is a very attractive place for UFOs. The frequent appearance of UFOs over Baikal, they believe, is due to the presence of tectonic faults at the bottom of the lake, where a huge amount of energy accumulates. Nevertheless, even ufologists are very skeptical about the huge number of reports of UFO sightings over Baikal and Irkutsk. Researchers of anomalous phenomena believe that in more than 90% of cases, natural or man-made phenomena are taken for the manifestation of UFOs over Baikal. Also, ufologists often complain that cases of falsification have become more frequent, when many pass off videos with a flying UFO downloaded from the Internet as their own, while claiming that they filmed the UFO over Baikal with their own hands.

Legends about flying heavenly houses have been circulating among local residents for many centuries, and the very first documented message appeared in 1884 in one of the issues of the Irkutsk Vedomosti newspaper. The appearance of a UFO over Baikal is described as a “white ball” hovering over the lake for a long time, along which multi-colored lights constantly ran. Which is consistent with the signs of UFOs that have been observed in our time. Many local residents who observed the appearance of a UFO on Baikal in 1967 with their own eyes describe it as a cigar-shaped object that had a contrail, but at the same time it flew completely silently. According to eyewitnesses, the dimensions of the object were about 300 meters, and when it flew over the peaks of the Khamar-Daban ridge, three white balls flew out of its bottom and with great speed moved away from the mother ship. This case was officially documented by the UFO Commission. Residents of one of the Baikal villages at about the same time saw a UFO over Baikal, which landed near this settlement. According to the villagers, creatures of two meters in height, resembling people and dressed in silver overalls, came out of the UFO. At the airport in Irkutsk in the same 1967, a mysterious object hovered over an airliner entering the runway and illuminated the plane with a bright beam. The flying object had a solid size, and for some time moved behind the aircraft, repeating its movements. Very frequent UFO sightings over Baikal and Irkutsk were recorded in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. In 2006, the mass appearance of UFOs over Lake Baikal was recorded in the area of ​​the village of Bolshie Koty. More than a dozen luminous balls staged a real "manned show" in the sky. A similar phenomenon also happened in the sky over Irkutsk, making the local residents pretty nervous.

Underwater alien base.
Russian researchers of anomalous phenomena admit that an underwater base of aliens may exist at the bottom of Lake Baikal. After all, the tectonic fault at the bottom of the lake is an inexhaustible source of energy that can be easily accumulated for further use.

Many facts testify in favor of the version about the presence of an underwater base of aliens at the bottom of the lake. For example, the glow that is observed in some places of Baikal. According to people who have observed this phenomenon, the sensation is as if someone turns on a powerful backlight, which then moves along the bottom of the lake. In favor of the version that the underwater base of aliens exists in the depths of Baikal, luminous balls also testify, which, according to data received from local residents, constantly, from the depths at high speed, go up into the sky, and then after some time, again go to the depths. The incident that happened with combat divers in 1982 made even many scientists, adherents of traditional science, pay serious attention to the version of the underwater base of aliens at the bottom of Lake Baikal. Training camps for combat swimmers were held on the western shore of the lake. Diving to a depth of more than 50 meters, our combat swimmers encountered unknown swimmers several times. These were creatures of high growth (about 3 meters) very similar to people. They were wearing silver-colored diving suits that tightly fitted the body, and transparent helmets in the shape of a ball were put on their heads, the presence of scuba gear was not detected. Strangers during the voyage developed a very high speed and showed curiosity to the actions of combat swimmers.

To find out what goals the uninvited observers are pursuing, the command gave the order to the combat swimmers to catch one of the strangers. Seven fighters under the command of an officer, armed with a heavy-duty thin net, descended to the depths. When our team tried to throw a net on one of the other swimmers, they were pushed to the surface by some powerful impulse. Since the decompression regime was not carried out, the entire group of divers was subjected to decompression sickness. The result of this unsuccessful operation against unknown swimmers was three dead, the remaining four became lifelong invalids. Who the giant swimmers in silver wetsuits were, where they came from and what goals they pursued can only be guessed at. It is likely that our combat swimmers encountered the owners of a mysterious underwater base lost somewhere in the depths of Lake Baikal. It will probably take many years to unravel all the secrets of the Baikal anomalies, perhaps no one will ever know the truth, but life is always interesting when there are secrets that need to be revealed.

The abysses of Lake Baikal, covered with a noble gray smooth surface, hide not only the most powerful fresh water resources, but also many mysteries that baffle modern science.

Optical wonders

The majestic beauty of Baikal has conquered more than one generation of tourists, naturalists and other lovers of pristine nature. At the same time, the attitude towards the lake-sea remains wary: everyone agrees that the energy of Baikal is fertile and sublime, but at the same time they admit that there are places on the picturesque coast where the path to the uninitiated person is barred. Among the indigenous peoples of the Baikal region, it is customary to believe that these places belong to spirits.

So, near Cape Rytoy and on the islands of Olkhon and Bolshoi Ushkaniy, mysterious visions often appear, reminiscent of either scenes from science fiction films, or landscapes in the style of surrealism. Physics regards the amazing phenomena on the lake as mirages that arise as a result of a strong difference in temperatures in different layers of the atmosphere, enhanced by the sharply continental climate of the region. In summer, heated air masses hit the wall of lake coolness, and in winter, on the contrary, the water retains heat, challenging the fresh frosty air. Due to the different density of uneven heating of the air layers above the lake, a refractive lens is formed - a crooked mirror of nature, distorting the most ordinary things beyond recognition. An old fishing boat can turn into a giant battleship, a duck bobbing peacefully on the waves turns into a huge galley or a formidable Varangian drakkar, and distant objects suddenly find themselves at arm's length. So, in 1957, local historian V. Lamakin observed an amazing night mirage in the vicinity of the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoye - a phantom train flying silently over Baikal through the air, while the real train at that time was traveling by rail on the other side of the lake at a distance of 50 kilometers. Lighted windows with flickering silhouettes of passengers were clearly distinguished in the darkness. Residents of the coastal villages of Bolshoe Goloustnoye and Bolshie Koty happen to see villages located on the opposite shore of Lake Baikal, which on ordinary days cannot be seen even with binoculars.

Physicists also attribute frequent UFO sightings over the sworn islands to mirages, but some phenomena that accompany the secret life of the lake stubbornly refuse to fit into the framework of scientific ideas. So, in the 70s. of the last century, two brothers went ice fishing on the rising Baikal. The dead fish pecked reluctantly, the men dozed over the holes, when they suddenly felt a slight vibration under their feet. Underwater earthquakes are not uncommon in Lake Baikal, and frightened fishermen, having abandoned their ammunition, rushed to the shore, when suddenly a powerful fountain of water and steam shot up in the middle of the lake, after which a luminescent cigar-shaped object rose from the abyss and disappeared into the clouds. It was unlikely that it was a mirage - the haze does not leave material traces.

land of spirits

It is noteworthy that the place where the fishermen brothers brought has long been notorious among the people. The surroundings of Cape Rytoy, as if cut in two by the valley of the Rita River, which ends in a gaping gorge, are famous not only for the repeated mirages of sunken ships, calling to the indifferent sky with fragments of masts with decayed sails. Old-timers say that earlier runaway convicts occasionally settled on the cape, but everyone soon died from mysterious diseases. Bright balls, from time to time sweeping over the cape, and scarlet pillars of light, beating from the ground, are nothing but their lost souls.

Meanwhile, the information obtained by the expedition of A. Bukharov in 1967 indicates that attempts to populate Ryty were made long before the Baikal region was mastered by the Russian Empire. Once upon a time, a developed Neolithic civilization existed here: in the northern part of the cape, pyramidal megalithic structures have been preserved, somewhat similar to the burial places of the ancient Mongols. The locals dubbed this place the "Baikal Stonehenge". And on the left side of the Rita River, a one and a half meter stone wall with a length of about 400 meters rises. The large dimensions of the boulders betray the obviously artificial origin of the ridge: the elements would not be able to lay them in such an impeccable order. One can only guess what kind of mechanisms they tossed - according to modern ideas of anthropology, in those days a person knew only primitive tools like a hoe and an ax with flint. It is all the more striking how primitive the goals this structure served - due to the lack of retaining walls, A. Bukharov concludes that the structure did not have defensive functions and served as a barrier preventing the movement of herds. Similar constructions have been preserved on another Baikal sacral object - Olkhon Island and on Mount Onkholoi in the valley of the Kurma River. At the sight of such a paradox, cryptohistorians joyfully rub their hands, depicting either the contact of a primitive tribe with a developed alien civilization, or the degeneration of the legendary ancient races, but we will not rush to conclusions.

By the way, the curse that prevails over Cape Ryty is closely connected with the redistribution of pastures. According to legend, the place was defiled by a duel between three shamans and three heroes from warring clans, as a result of which the altar of the god Ukher, the lord of the wind, was destroyed. Since then, his sons Azme and Alme, the spirits of thunder and lightning, punish any wicked who comes to the cape with selfish motives or out of idle curiosity. If cattle that have strayed from the herd wanders there, the shepherds will not dare to wrap it up - it is believed that from now on the animal belongs to Uher and his sons.

The appearance of a woman on Rytom is especially undesirable. According to legend, both brothers are convinced bachelors, so the weaker sex is only allowed to sail past on a boat without going ashore. A woman who violates the ban runs the risk of losing her mind or becoming barren. A man who unknowingly stepped onto the sacred earth is recommended to immediately confess and leave a treat for the spirits, however, this does not always help to propitiate the harsh twins. If the brothers get really angry, they will begin to send a bear, a wolf or a swarm of stinging insects to an uninvited guest. When leaving the cape, you must leave used shoe insoles as a gift to the spirits as a ransom and in no case take anything out of the cape. And only shamans without fear are going to perform their rituals on Rytom, so that Azme and Alma do not send evil cold winds to the coast.

Another sacred place for shamans is Cape Khoboy on Olkhon Island. In the Buryat language, "khoboy" means "fang", they say, a dragon flew over Lake Baikal and dropped its huge fang, which went deep into the ground in this very place. Winds and temperature fluctuations have greatly destroyed the cape, in some places there are even openings in human height.

Parapsychologists fix a powerful flow of astral energy on Khoboy, and local residents believe that here you can meet the spirits of ancestors or your previous incarnations, while the spirit of the White Shaman brings good luck. Some scientists believe that the legend of the dragon's fang is associated with the fall of a meteorite in this place millennia ago, which caused geomagnetic activity on the cape.

dead place

And now let's look at Baikal passions with the cold eyes of geologists. When the members of the expedition "Sosnovgeologiya" of the late 60s. strange ailments began to mow down, there were reasons to assume the presence of an increased background radiation in the Rita Gorge. Perhaps the people who tried to populate Cape Ryty were ruined by radiation sickness? In this case, the ban on taking out of the zone of radioactive contamination any objects that could allegedly bring revenge on the spirits is more than justified.

Later, deposits of polymetallic and uranium ores were indeed found on the cape, but this is not the dose that would lead to a fatal outcome: measurements of the radiation background on the drifts of Cape Rytoy give readings in the range of 0.25–0.35 μR / h, which is approximately twice as high as in other adjacent territories of the Baikal coast, but at the same time not higher than the permissible dose of 0.5–0.6 μR/h. The only dangerous place is the Sagan-Moryan spit, where the dosimeter goes off scale. According to local historian Igor Tsarev, in prehistoric times, a meteorite fell here, containing a large amount of uranium ores. It is possible that the legend of the duel of three shamans and three heroes was composed by unwitting witnesses of the cataclysm.

The heavy aura over Ryty is so strong that it extends to the very heights, overthrowing careless pilots from the skies. The first catastrophe in these parts happened back in tsarist times, when a couple of daredevils decided to break a new record for flight distance and cross Baikal. Approximately in the middle of the lake, in the midst of complete calm, the airplane suddenly spun like a top and pulled up with monstrous force. The skeptic, probably, will object that in those distant times the technology was unreliable, but time passed, and the number of catastrophes did not decrease. The last one happened not too long ago. In 2006, a helicopter of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, mobilized to extinguish forest fires, crashed near Cape Rytoy, and rumors circulated in the surrounding villages that the car, before crashing down, fell into the field of a bright blue beam coming from the depths of the lake. Then the local authorities decided to finally ban aircraft flights over the ruined place - out of harm's way.

Near Rytoy, not only aviators are in distress, but also ships. Captains of patrol boats complain that when approaching the cape, navigational instruments shamelessly lie.

One could consider this an ordinary manifestation of a magnetic anomaly, however, the vagaries of electronics are not observed constantly, as, for example, in the Kursk region, but as if by mood, as if the “Baikal triangle” is deliberately looking for a victim.

There is also a deadly place thirty kilometers from Olkhon Island - the so-called Devil's Funnel. With complete calm, a rotating column of purple water suddenly appears, and from inside, eyewitnesses say, human groans and screams are heard. Locals believe that this is the gate through which all the souls of sinners enter hell.

Aliens from the abyss

The most terrible stories about Baikal can be heard from divers. Many believe that some special people lives at the bottom of the lake, sending glows on the water surface on dark nights. In 1980, two scuba divers doing maintenance work at a depth of 50 meters noticed that a strange figure in a silver suit was approaching them. As the distance between the scuba divers and the stranger shortened, it suddenly became clear that the silvery robe was not a spacesuit at all, but some kind of scales. The face of the creature as a whole resembled a human, but the features seemed too convex, and the eyewitnesses did not notice the nose, lips and ears at all. The main thing that scuba divers remember in the guise of an inhabitant of the abyss is large slanting eyes, unnaturally stretched to the very cheekbones. The men decided to catch the guest, but as soon as they took a step towards the stranger, an unknown force abruptly pushed them to the surface. The sharp rise provoked decompression sickness, and both witnesses soon died, barely telling their comrades about the unfortunate adventure.

Buryat and Evenki folklore also mentions the mysterious underwater people, but definitely does not recommend contacting them: it is they, the crafty children of the waters, who scattered grains of gold along the mouths of the rivers that carry their waters to Baikal. Since then, there has been no harmony between people, they are ready to kill a friend for gold. Tellingly, almost the same version is voiced by contactees who are looking for a secret UFO base in the steppes of the Baikal region, which is supposedly located underground and moves from time to time, provoking fluctuations in the geomagnetic field here and there. The radiation of the ship-womb, according to the conclusions of ufologist Gennady Belimov, like Solaris, plays with hidden complexes of people, materializing their own destructive principle. Why do they need it? The aliens are in no hurry to be frank with earthlings. Perhaps they are thus fueled by someone else's energy, or perhaps, having despaired of teaching us the mind, they prove from the contrary that it is impossible to be like that!

According to the well-known surgeon Ernst Muldashev, who is fascinated by the history of the ancient world, Baikal was chosen as a base by the descendants of the Atlanteans guarding one of the possible entrances to Agarthi, and the mortal shells of representatives of ancient civilizations who went into samadhi are stored in the Shaman cave on Olkhon Island. Mysterious phenomena that terrify the townsfolk are assigned the role of a smokescreen blocking the path to Agarthi for those who have not yet grown morally to it. Muldashev is convinced that if humanity were not so poor spiritually, the powerful energy vibrations of sacred places would not become a source of grief, misfortune and cataclysms for us.

Prepared by Anabel Lee
based on materials from baikalturizm.com; e-reading.co.uk and books by E. Muldashev "The Matrix of Life on Earth"

Lake Baikal is fraught with many secrets and mysteries that have given rise to many myths and legends, however, they have quite scientific explanations.

Mirages
Local residents have come across, going out on boats to fish, more than once in their lives with realistic pictures depicting what should not have been here. The most common mirages are castles, ancient ships and islands. Scientists explain this phenomenon simply: the deep waters of the lake never warm up, remaining cold even in hot summers, and the air above the smooth surface is warm, which creates a resonance. Layers of air of different density refract the sun's rays, which is why pictures are formed. The locals call them "golomenitsa". This is a phenomenon on Baikal, in which it is possible to see objects on the horizon that are actually at a distance of 40 kilometers.

Ice
Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. So, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, typical only for Lake Baikal. For example, hills are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. In appearance, they resemble ice tents, “open” in the opposite direction from the coast. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form

Funnel
Near Olkhon Island, not only mirages appear, but also a terrible funnel that forms spontaneously, regardless of meteorological conditions. To see it, you need to move in a southeast direction from the island, about 30 kilometers from it there is a place called the Devil's Funnel. A couple of times a year, it is here that the elements begin to run amok in complete calm, forming a rotating column of water.
Scientists offer several versions of the causes of the phenomenon. One of them is based on the assumption of local dips of the Baikal bottom with the formation of cavities quickly filled with water, which leads to the formation of a whirlpool on the surface.
According to another theory, it is in the place where the funnel is formed that two local countercurrents collide. The direction and strength of these currents depends on the time of year and the weather, so that under certain conditions the water flows move strictly towards each other. Such interaction of countercurrents can indeed lead to very powerful whirlpools.

witch circles
On the way to the salt lake Shara-Nur, 3 kilometers from the western coast of the island, you can meet an interesting phenomenon - the mysterious Olkhon circles. They appear by themselves in fields that have never known arable land. There are no signs of trampling, on the contrary: a strip of more juicy and tall grass appears along the border of a perfectly even circle - it is especially clearly visible on usually dry plots of land. Mysterious crop circles are known to the peoples of different countries - they even came up with the name “witch circles” for them, since, according to legend, they appear here because of the round dances of witches. Researchers have so far determined that the intense growth of plants in the rings is not related to the characteristics of the soil or underground water sources.

Rings on ice
On satellite images of Lake Baikal on spring ice, sometimes you can see dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 kilometers. For the first time such a ring was seen on a satellite image taken in April 1999. The ring was located opposite Cape Krestovsky (not far from the village of Buguldeyka). Presumably, the formation of circles is associated with emissions of natural combustible gas (methane) from the many kilometers of sedimentary strata of the bottom of Lake Baikal. In summer, in such places, bubbles rise from the depths to the surface, and in winter, “steams” form from half a meter to hundreds of meters in diameter, where the ice is very thin or completely absent.

dragon fang
According to legend, once a dragon flew over the lake and dropped its fang over the island of Olkhon. The fang fell on Cape Khoboy, stuck deep into the ground, leaving a distinct imprint in it. Locals believe that this is their amulet. However, scientists are convinced that the cavity was formed due to the fall of a cosmic body.

glowing water
The glow of Baikal water was discovered by Viktor Dobrynin, a leading researcher at the Irkutsk Institute of Physics and Technology, back in 1982. Studies show that almost any water is a source of light. But, for example, distilled glows weakly. The one from the faucet fades quickly. And the most intense glow is in Baikal. Here it can last for a month. To catch light streams invisible to the eye, highly sensitive devices are used, which were created specially. Studies have also shown that the glow of the waters is heterogeneous and loses intensity at depth, and its brightness decreases from November to mid-January.

Miquitos / flickr.com Cape Burkhan (Shaman Rock), Olkhon. (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Baikal seal (Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com) Shamanka rock. View from Olkhon island. Baikal (Tanya Legkobyt / flickr.com) Olkhon Island, Baikal (alexey_nitsa / flickr.com) Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Klas Š. / flickr.com Klas S. / flickr.com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Baikal seal (Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com) Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Klas Š. / flickr.com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Olkhon, Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Oleg Gant / flickr.com Sunset in Siberia, Northern Baikal, Russia (Yuri Samoilov / flickr.com)

The origin of Lake Baikal causes a lot of controversy and reasoning in the scientific world. There are two polar points of view on this issue.

One of them advocates that the natural object originated in the ice age and has a history of calculation in millions of years. Another version, more controversial, testifies to the relatively “young age” of the lake, according to which the reservoir appeared “only” several hundred thousand years ago.

Olkhon, Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

Regarding the reasons that led to the formation of a unique phenomenon, most researchers favor the version of a transform fault. A number of scientists associate the origin of Baikal with the fact of the divergence of the Eurasian and Hindustan plates. There is a version that speaks of the formation of a natural depression under the influence of vacuum centers, which then filled with groundwater.

The approaches of scientists to the question of the toponymy of the term "Baikal" are also ambiguous. According to one version, the name of the lake came from the Mongolian combination of the words "baigal" and "dalai" (from Mongolian - "big" and "lake").

Later, this phrase was transformed in the Buryat language and sounded like "Baigal-Nuur", which literally means "Lake Baigal". With the advent of the Russian population to the great waters, the name of the lake acquired a dull connotation, changing the sound “g” to “k”.

Another version connects the name of the lake with the Turkic "Bai-Kul" (from Turkic - "rich lake").

There are many other theories regarding the toponym "Baikal", according to which the term has Buryat, Arabic, Chinese and other bases. But the first two options are the most likely.

Lake Baikal: interesting facts

Regarding Lake Baikal, a lot of interesting facts and information have been collected, and all of them come with the epithet “the most”. Here are just a few of them:

• Lake Baikal is the largest natural reservoir of fresh water. It contains 20% of the total volume of fresh water on the planet, which is 23 billion tons;
• Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. According to the results of measurements, the depth of the reservoir is 1580 m. However, there are separate depressions, the size of which is 7 km. Such indicators are rarely found even near the seas, and therefore, based on this fact, a number of scientists are inclined to the version that a unique natural object, according to its classification, belongs to the seas;
• Baikal is the cleanest body of water on our planet. This is the only hydrological facility on the planet that has a natural biological treatment system;
• The flora and fauna of the lake is different in that most of their representatives are endemic. There are more than 1000 species of them, according to scientists. In total, about 2600 living organisms live in the waters of Baikal;
• Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. Its age is 25 - 35 million years.
• Baikal is the most beautiful lake on earth, and this fact is perceived as an indisputable truth.

Baikal seal (Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com)

The interest of scientists to the lake is also connected with the fact that mammoths and woolly rhinos once inhabited its environs.

The territories along the lake are also interesting because here, perhaps, is the burial place of the legendary Genghis Khan. According to one of the existing versions, the powerful Mongol found peace near the waters of the Great Baikal Sea.

Adventurers and numerous adventure seekers of Baikal water are attracted by the opportunity to find lost treasures. According to legend, it is here that the wealth of the Chinese caravan was buried, fleeing from the raid of the Mongol troops.

Many believe that this area was chosen by Admiral Kolchak to hide gold, and at the bottom of the Baikal depths lies Chinese silver, sent in 1867 from Irkutsk to the Chinese Fair.

Legends of Baikal

Rock Shaman

The secrets of Lake Baikal are connected with natural objects and phenomena. One such secret is located on the island of Olkhon, where the Shamanka rock is located, in the cave of which, according to legend, Guta-Babai lives, who once descended from heaven. He married a beautiful Buryat woman, and Great Shamans descended from their family.

Cape Burkhan (Shaman rock), Olkhon. (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The legend of Baikal is connected with the rock about how in the old days, criminals were brought to the Shamanka. The culprit was knocked into the water by a wave, as a result of which he died. The innocent were not touched by the water.

Another Baikal legend says that once upon a time, husbands brought their wives to the foot of the rock in order to convict the latter of treason.

It was believed that a faithful wife must endure all the trials of nightmares and not lose her mind. Otherwise, the spouse did not keep the oath of allegiance.

Cursed Cape Ryty

Another terrible legend of Baikal is connected with Cape Ryty. The territories of the cape are considered cursed. An ordinary person is forbidden to set foot on his lands, otherwise he will die from the curse of the spirit that lives in the protected area. Only shamans are allowed to enter the sacred territory.

Glows and mirages over the water surface

One of the modern mysteries of Baikal is strange glows and mirages observed above the water surface of the lake. Most often they are observed in the areas of the island of Olkhon and Bolshoy Ushkany, as well as near Cape Pokoiniki.

According to scientists, these optical phenomena are associated with the contrast of temperature regimes. But ordinary people associate unidentified phenomena with the activities of UFOs. Thus, a new legend of Baikal arose, which thousands of tourists come to see with their own eyes.

The legend about the daughter of Baikal

An interesting fact is that a large lake, fed by many small springs, is the "parent" of only one river flowing from its waters - this is the Angara.

A similar interesting fact is explained by another Baikal legend, according to which the lake is a formidable father, the streams of the river flowing into it are sons, and Angara is a naughty daughter who ran away from her father to her beloved Yenisei.

Each legend of Baikal was born from the desire of man to explain the secrets of nature. And there are many of them, this is Cape Khoboy, which is a dragon's tooth; and Cape Bogatyr, protected by a fiery wall; and Lake Shara-Nur, the shelter of the Yellow Snake, etc. - all of them are waiting for their explorers.

Secrets of Lake Baikal

The main secret of the lake is water. The features of Lake Baikal, which distinguish it from other freshwater reservoirs, are the presence of the purest water rich in oxygen. Baikal can be called a happy chosen one of nature, which took care of the purity of its waters, creating a natural barrier environment from pollution.

Olkhon Island, Baikal (alexey_nitsa / flickr.com)

The water basin of the lake is filled with many streams and underground sources. All water entering Baikal passes through natural filters.

In addition to thorough mechanical filtration, Baikal waters also undergo natural biological purification.

The main element of the lake's ecosystem is the microscopic crustacean Epishur. Billions of crustaceans destroy any traces of pollution and organic decomposition.

As a result, it is thanks to the "work" of natural orderlies that the reservoir is distinguished by its special purity and amazing transparency.

Water taken from the lake does not need additional treatment and is suitable for direct consumption. Despite the fact that there are very few minerals in the lake, its water is considered healthy and life-giving due to its high oxygen content.

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We are in website we just adore secrets, riddles and legends. And Baikal is just a storehouse of such stories. Many of the local myths border on insanity, but some of them can be explained scientifically.

Mirages

Local residents have come across, going out on boats to fish, more than once in their lives with realistic pictures depicting what should not have been here. The most common mirages are castles, ancient ships and islands. Scientists explain this phenomenon simply: the deep waters of the lake never warm up, remaining cold even in hot summers, and the air above the smooth surface is warm, which creates a resonance. Layers of air of different density refract the sun's rays, which is why pictures are formed. The locals call them "golomenitsa". This is a phenomenon on Baikal, in which it is possible to see objects on the horizon that are actually at a distance of 40 kilometers.

Ice

Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. So, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, typical only for Lake Baikal. For example, hills are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. In appearance, they resemble ice tents, “open” in the opposite direction from the coast. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature "mountain ranges".

Funnel

Near Olkhon Island, not only mirages appear, but also a terrible funnel that forms spontaneously, regardless of meteorological conditions. To see it, you need to move in a southeast direction from the island, about 30 kilometers from it there is a place called the Devil's Funnel. A couple of times a year, it is here that the elements begin to run amok in complete calm, forming a rotating column of water.

Scientists offer several versions of the causes of the phenomenon. One of them is based on the assumption of local dips of the Baikal bottom with the formation of cavities quickly filled with water, which leads to the formation of a whirlpool on the surface.

According to another theory, it is in the place where the funnel is formed that two local countercurrents collide. The direction and strength of these currents depends on the time of year and the weather, so that under certain conditions the water flows move strictly towards each other. Such interaction of countercurrents can indeed lead to very powerful whirlpools.

witch circles

On the way to the salt lake Shara-Nur, 3 kilometers from the western coast of the island, you can meet an interesting phenomenon - the mysterious Olkhon circles. They appear by themselves in fields that have never known arable land. There are no signs of trampling, on the contrary: a strip of more juicy and tall grass appears along the border of a perfectly even circle - it is especially clearly visible on usually dry plots of land. Mysterious crop circles are known to the peoples of different countries - they even came up with the name "witch circles" for them, since, according to legend, they appear here because of the round dances of witches. Researchers have so far determined that the intense growth of plants in the rings is not related to the characteristics of the soil or underground water sources.

Rings on ice

On satellite images of Lake Baikal on spring ice, sometimes you can see dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 kilometers. For the first time such a ring was seen on a satellite image taken in April 1999. The ring was located opposite Cape Krestovsky (not far from the village of Buguldeyka). Presumably, the formation of circles is associated with emissions of natural combustible gas (methane) from the many kilometers of sedimentary strata of the bottom of Lake Baikal. In summer, in such places, bubbles rise from the depths to the surface, and in winter, “steams” form from half a meter to hundreds of meters in diameter, where the ice is very thin or completely absent.