Lake Baikal looks almost deceitfully calm. Beneath its surface, a tectonic rift has sunk the lakebed into a narrow, deep basin, so water is stored vertically rather than spread thinly across a broad shore. Depth wins here. With a maximum depth of about 1,642 meters and a volume near 23,600 cubic kilometers, it holds roughly one-fifth of Earth's unfrozen surface fresh water.Surface area misleads. L...More