
World Records
The Deepest Lakes in the World: Lake Baikal and the Crack in a Continent
Lake Baikal in Siberia plunges to 1,642 metres — deep enough to swallow the world's tallest building twice over with room to spare. It is not just the deepest lake on Earth; it holds about a fifth of all the planet's unfrozen fresh water and has existed for 25 million years, longer than any other lake. The deepest lakes share a common origin: they sit in places where the Earth's crust is literally being pulled apart.