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Mir Subs Dove to Baikal Depth
Deep-sea manned submersibles Mir-1 and Mir-2 have reached the bottom of Baikal Lake, having passed the distance of 1,680 meters, Vesti Channel reported.
The submersibles broke the world record for fresh water dives. What’s more, they proved that Lake Baikal is deeper than expected. The previous estimate was just 1,637 meters.
The expedition, which today’s location is close to the Island of Olkhon, will last for two years and the plans are that Mir-1 and Mir-2 subs will dive around 160 times in various parts of Baikal. The researchers are going to explore the bottom, study hydrocarbon stockpile, obtain tectonic data, inspect archeological artifacts.
The first dives to Baikal bottom were carried out July 24 and July 27.
Lake Baikal, which age is estimated at 25 million years, is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. It is the deepest lake of the world and a part of UNESCO world heritage. Its length is 636 kilometers, and the water volume is roughly 23,000 cu kilometers, i.e. 20 percent of the world reserves of fresh water and 90 percent of Russia’s reserve.
The researchers are endeavoring to unravel the mystery of Baikal emergence for 300 years, but no uniform conclusion has been reached so far.
www.kommersant.com
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