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	Origin & Development Legends & Fairy tales •  Earth's Crust Thickness •  Underwater Relief •  Landscapes •  History & Formation •  Seismic Activity •  History of Lake Baikal History of Explorations •  Inhabitants & Settlers •  First maps of Baikal •  Archaeological Sites •  Lake Baikal Climate Introduction •  Fogs •  Winds & Waves •  Ice Conditions •  Fauna & Vegetation Mammals •  Baikal seal - Nerpa •  Ichthyofauna •  Invertebrates •  Vegetation •  Water of Lake Baikal Colour •  Transparency •  Temperature •  Pressure •  Depth •  Currents •  Budget •  Chemical Composition •  Pollution •  Recreational Areas Circumbaikal Railway •  Peschanaya Bays •  Olkhon Island •  Chivirkuysky Gulf •  Wooden Irkutsk •  Trans-Siberian Railway •  People of Lake Baikal People of Siberia •  Buryat nation in Baikal •  Russians in Baikal •  Explanation of the local terms and geographical names at lake Baikal			Ice Conditions For almost five months a year Lake Baikal is covered with ice. This period of ice plays a very significant role in its life. The most considerable peculiarity of the ice regime of Lake Baikal is its late freezing that takes place only in the middle of winter (usually, 1 January), long after the beginning of severe Siberian frosts. When other rivers and lakes froze long before in the year, Baikal still resists ice fetters. Its cold waves break against the shore and decorate the seaboard rocks with icy patterns. The lake is freed of its ice imprisonment around May - June when its shores turn rosy due to blossoming of rhododendrons. The late ice phenomena (freezing and melting) are caused by the small range of temperature change of a huge water mass. The lake's ice attire, its beauty and majestic symphony of "ice music" make it very attractive for every onlooker. Duration of ice covered period: 4 - 5 months Freezing of the bays before the freeze-up: 10 - 30 days before Ice thickness in a freeze-up day: 5 - 20 cm Ice thickness in hummock areas: from 40 - 70 cm to 2 m and more Speed of the ice growing: from 1 to 5 cm/day Thickness of the ice: from 40 cm to 1.2 m In Maloe More / Small Sea area: thickness of ice is up to 1.5 m Width of multiyear constant cracks: 40 cm up to several metres The size of ice fields divided with cracks: 10 - 30 km Ice height in strain cracks: up to 10 - 12 m Duration of drift ice: 10 - 20 days (in the South up to 30 days) Complete release from the ice: In the South: 12 - 16 of May In the North: 9 - 14 of June The earliest and latest terms of freezing: December 14, 1877; February 6, 1959 Average date: January 9 The earliest and latest terms of breakup: April 17, 1923; May 26, 1879 Average date: May 5 Multiyear cycles: breakup: 2 - 8 years freezing: 10 - 15 years intra-century recurrence: freezing: 24 - 45 years breakup: 35 - 60 years Duration of ice crossing by horse: in the South = 95 - 105 days in the North = 110 - 130 days 1. It is save to drive the car over the ice during the period of 85 days when the ice is not less than 30 cm thick: 85 days 2. Transportation of loads up to 15 tons in weight on the ice not less than 50 cm thick: 70 days 3. Transportation of loads more than 15 tons in weight on ice not less than 70 cm thick: 45 days Click here to see more pictures of lake Baikal in winter.
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