Lake Baikal in Russia’s Siberia region is one of the most interesting places in the world. First of all it is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Some people claim that it is also the oldest in the world at 25 million years old. The lake area itself has species of animals and plants that exist nowhere else in the world. That fact alone makes it a very interesting place to learn about. Siberia has some pretty brutal winters. Lake Baikal is usually the last body of water in the area to freeze. This usually happens in January and once it freezes it normally stays that way for around five months. The ice can get anywhere from three to six feet thick in many places, making it safe to drive vehicles over. The wind over the lake causes a lot of interesting things to happen. One of them is the ice hummocks that are pushed up through the surface. The combination of the wind and the temperature changes from day to night cause this to happen. They are pretty interesting to look at. Another thing that happens is closer to shore the wind can push the ice onto shore, creating a slow moving ice wave. This video captures some of that in action.
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