Lake Baikal, Russia as seen by STS-60

STS060-87-087 (3-11 Feb 1994) --- Lake Baikal, in southeastern Siberia, is the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, holding nearly 20 per cent of the world's fresh water. Lake Baikal is a biospheric reserve of high international interest to the global scientific community. It is home to some 600 endemic species, many found in no other location. This view shows the northern end of the lake, and was taken in the early morning with low sun highlighting the mountain ranges rimming the lake basin. Pristine forests surround the lake, although heavy logging is evident in other photography of the central and southern portions of the lake. Another unique aspect of Lake Baikal is the existence of the world's only known freshwater hydrothermal springs. The fault system which bounds the lake allows fluids to circulate deep into the Earth and resurface as hot springs around and in the lake. Russian and American scientists are using the Shuttle photography to examine the relationship of the lake's ice cover to areas of known hydrothermal activity. Thus Lake Baikal has been and continues to be a high-priority site for photography from space from both the Space Shuttle and the Russian Space Station MIR.