West Siberian Glacial Lake
Encyclopedia
The West Siberian Glacial Lake, also known as West Siberian Lake, or Mansiyskoe Lake , was a periglacial lake formed when the Arctic Ocean
outlets for each of the Ob
and Yenisei
rivers were blocked by the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet
during the Weichselian Glaciation, approximately 80,000 years ago. At its maximum extent, the lake's surface area was more than twice that of the present-day Caspian Sea
.
It is theorized that while drainage to the Arctic Ocean basin (e.g. by the Ob and Yenisei Rivers) was prevented, the lake would eventually overflow to the Mediterranean Sea
through a circuitous route that would include the Aral Sea
, the Caspian Sea
, and the Black Sea
. This would have resulted in water from the Selenga River and Lake Baikal
draining over a course of some 6,000 miles, considerably longer than any river's course today.
See Mangerud et al. (2004) for diagrams and descriptions of the lake as well as postulated drainage patterns.
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
outlets for each of the Ob
Ob River
The Ob River , also Obi, is a major river in western Siberia, Russia and is the world's seventh longest river. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean .The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary.-Names:The Ob is known to the Khanty people as the...
and Yenisei
Yenisei River
Yenisei , also written as Yenisey, is the largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. It is the central of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean...
rivers were blocked by the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet
Barents-Kara Ice Sheet
The Barents-Kara Ice Sheet was an ice sheet which existed during the Weichselian Glaciation. It was named after the seas it was centered upon: Barents Sea and Kara Sea. During 90-80 ka and 60-50 ka the produced ice damming resulted in creation of lakes and significant rerouting of drainage in...
during the Weichselian Glaciation, approximately 80,000 years ago. At its maximum extent, the lake's surface area was more than twice that of the present-day Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
.
It is theorized that while drainage to the Arctic Ocean basin (e.g. by the Ob and Yenisei Rivers) was prevented, the lake would eventually overflow to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
through a circuitous route that would include the Aral Sea
Aral Sea
The Aral Sea was a lake that lay between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south...
, the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. This would have resulted in water from the Selenga River and Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
draining over a course of some 6,000 miles, considerably longer than any river's course today.
See Mangerud et al. (2004) for diagrams and descriptions of the lake as well as postulated drainage patterns.
See also
- Nerpa, a freshwater sealFreshwater sealThe freshwater seals are the species of seals which live exclusively in freshwater bodies.The only true freshwater seal species is the Baikal Seal....
of Lake BaikalLake BaikalLake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
probably related to Caspian sealCaspian SealCaspian seals , one of the smallest members of the earless seal family, are unique in that they are found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea. They can be found not only along the shorelines, but also on the many rocky islands and floating blocks of ice that dot the Caspian Sea...
s. - Turgai Straits or West Siberian Sea, a CretaceousCretaceousThe Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
to EoceneEoceneThe Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
extension of the Tethys Sea separating Europe and Asia