How are the lakes formed? Learn why there are lakes

It's nice to spend a weekend somewhere in the country near the lake, away from the city's bustle. For many, this pastime is an integral part of the rest. But do people really know how lakes are formed, what can they be useful for, and how sometimes to harm them?

What are the lakes?

The lake is a closed depression in the ground, where underground and surface waters drain, which do not evaporate. Such a depression is called a lake basin. By origin all lakes are divided into tectonic, river (olden), seaside, failure, underground.

According to the salinity there are fresh (Baikal), brackish (Chany) and salty lakes (Chad). All ponds can be sewage, when one or several rivers flow out of the lake; Flowing - several rivers flow into the lake and one or several - flows out; Drainage - the rivers only flow into the lake.

Filling of reservoirs occurs due to precipitation (rain, snow) or using groundwater. Also, the food of the lake can be mixed.

The mineral composition of the lake is carbonate, sulfate and chloride.

How are lakes formed?

Most of the lakes of our planet are of tectonic origin, that is, they were formed in large deflections of the earth's crust or in rifts (tectonic fissures). The bottom of this lake has a rough outline and is below the level of the World Ocean. Its shores are covered with hard rock, weakly susceptible to erosion. All the deepest lakes are formed as a result of faults in the earth's crust.

A lot of reservoirs are obtained and due to geological processes (weathering, erosion, the activity of glaciers). Among them, the most common are glacial lakes on the plains and in the mountains, as well as the failed ones that were formed as a result of thawing of terrestrial rocks. Such reservoirs have a round shape. They are small in area and depth.

After earthquakes and landslides, ponds are formed, which can block the river valleys. Lakes appear in the river valleys. This so-called lakes-old people. About how old lakes are formed, one can judge by the long-term functionality of the river. If the climate is dry - lakes are formed, which in the form of chains stretch for hundreds of kilometers. But in the course of the river walk, delta lakes are formed.

Lake Baikal

Baikal is the deepest lake on the planet. Its greatest depth is 1,642 km, and its height above sea level reaches 460 m.

The formation of Lake Baikal was the result of large faults in the earth's crust. Baikal is territorially located in Russia, on the border of the Buryat Republic and the Irkutsk region. The area of the reservoir is 31,722 km. More than three hundred rivers and streams flow into Baikal, among them Selenga, Turka, Snezhnaya, Surma. And the Ankara River flows out of it. Thus, Baikal is a flowing lake.

The Baikal waters are fresh and transparent. The stones are visible even at a depth of 40 meters! The amount of mineral substances in the lake is insignificant, so water can be used as distilled water.

The climate of Lake Baikal is cool. Winter is mild, and summer is cold. In the lake there are more than 2600 different representatives of plants and animals, most of which are characteristic only of Baikal.

The age of the lake is estimated at 25-35 million years. The origin of the name is not exactly established. But in translation from Turkic - Baikal (Bai-Kul) - this is a rich lake, which is an indisputable fact.

The Origin of Marshes

The swamp is part of the land, characterized by high humidity and acidity. In such places, standing or underground groundwater come to the surface, but "do not linger" for long. All swamps occur in two ways:

1. Soil hardening.
2. The growth of the lake.

According to the type of vegetation, swamps are divided into forest, shrub, grass and moss. The relief of the bogs can be flat, convex or hilly. For some bogs, the formation of peat (dead, but not completely decomposed plants) is characteristic. Peat is used as a combustible material, as well as in medicine (mud cure) and industry.

If we talk about how lakes and swamps form, then the latter is the process of evolution of the former. Sedimentation gradually leads to pollution and shallowing of the lake, resulting in low-lying swamps with a rich water supply.

The value of wetlands

Marshes are a valuable natural property. This is a natural complex, which is a habitat for rare species of flora and fauna.

Most of the marshes are common in the tundra, taiga and forest-tundra - in areas with excessive moisture, where the amount of precipitation exceeds evaporation.

All marshes are subdivided into lowland, upper and transitional. The lowlands feed on groundwater, the upper reaches the precipitation. Transitional swamps are the middle stage between the two previous types.

The vegetation world of bogs is very valuable for mankind. Cowberry, cranberry, cloudberry, juniper - berries, which are widely used in medicine. Many plants from marshes are used in perfumery and industry.

Marshes are an important source of food for rivers. Most of the reservoirs originate from swamps. Marshes are the second "light" planets after the forest. They process carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

Secrets of the Lakes

On the Earth, you can count more than a hundred lakes, on the secrets of which legends are composed to this day.

For example, the lake of Death, which is in Italy, just names the name of fear. There is no vegetation around it, and there are living creatures in its waters. Swim in the lake is forbidden, and hardly anyone will want, because in it - a high concentration of sulfuric acid.

Anomalous consider the lake is Empty in Alatau. Its water is clean and drinkable, but no living creatures can survive in this lake. It's completely empty.

The Kazakh lake with the name Dead is also alarming. People are always drowning in it. At the same time, the bodies do not float up, but seem to hang at the bottom of the lake in an upright position upside down.

Many legends go not only about the lakes, but also about their inhabitants. Everyone knows Loch Ness, in which, according to eyewitnesses, a monster resembling a dragon dwells. More than once a strange big fish with a long neck and a small head was seen. The latest information is dated 2007. Truth or byl was not finally proved.

The way lakes are formed is not a secret for anyone, but those strange phenomena that fill their depths are still a mystery even for scientists ...

A few words about the lakes of Russia

In Russia, more than two million lakes, each of which keeps a secret. Since ancient times, water fascinated people with its properties, both healing and suicidal. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that most of the legends are associated with lakes.

Simultaneously, Lake Svetloyar is fascinated and frightened by its mysticism. Its water can be stored for several years, while it does not lose its properties. The surroundings of the lake are extremely clean. Over the water often appear strange mirages, sometimes - UFOs. From the bottom of the reservoir often sounds strange sounds, similar to the sound of a bell. They say that at the bottom of Svetloyar Lake the old town of Kitezh, which went under the water during the attack of hordes of Khan Baty, is buried.

There are several lakes in Russia, in which, according to rumors, there resides the likeness of the Loch Ness monster. Strange stories go about the dragon-lizard, living in the lake Brosno. On the surface of the water, air bubbles were seen, which locals take for a breathing monster under the water. However, there is also a logical explanation - the rotting of substances on the bottom of the lake, which come to the surface. Secrets also cover the lake Ivachevskoe, Verdlozero, Lake Shaitan, Chany.

The only logical explanation for all the anomalies occurring in the reservoirs is how the lakes are formed. Perhaps the reason for everything - the plant and animal world, not fully understood by mankind.

Conclusion

Lakes are an important part of the Earth. Half of all plants and animals useful to humans are inhabitants of rivers and lakes. Why lakes are formed can be judged by the internal and external processes of our Earth. Tectonic and geological changes are the main reason for the formation of all water bodies.