by The American Geosciences Institute Monday, July 30, 2018
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Located within a rift valley, this water body and the land around it are home to more than 1,500 species of flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth, including the only known seal species that lives exclusively in freshwater.
This picture shows part of an island that got its name from the words “oyhon” and “olhan,” which translate from the local indigenous language to “woody” and “dry.” Metamorphic rocks on the island include vertically oriented marble outcrops, which resemble fangs.
This water body holds more than 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater and has a maximum depth of more than 1,600 meters.
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Answer: Located in a rift valley, Lake Baikal in Russia holds more than 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater and has a maximum depth of more than 1,600 meters. Photo by Dave Boden.
August 2018 Winners: Jerilyn Bachowski (Lackawanna, N.Y.) Edward S. Grew (Orono, Maine) John J. Hebberger Jr. (Jackson, Wyo.) Jim Hensel (Tonawanda, N.Y.) Stephen McKay (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)
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