An expedition of deep submergence vehicles, or Mir, could help researchers understand the mechanisms of oil formation.

Scientists of the Limnological Institute which studies lakes and other internal waters at the Russian Academy of Sciences, have been studying oil formation processes in Lake Baikal for years and are hoping the new Mir submersibles will help them to better understand the nature of black gold. They believe that oil is formed from fossils and organic elements at the bottom the lake.

Mikhail Grachev, an academic at the Limnological Institute says that he and his colleagues are particularly interested in the oil stains found on the lake’s surface.

“We believe that oil is being formed nowadays from fossils and organic remains at a depth of 2-3 kilometres,” Grachev said.

Scientists estimate around 4 tons of oil are formed each year in Lake Baikal. Oil seeps through cracks in the lake’s bottom and is then absorbed by micro organisms living in Baikal; therefore it does not spread across the lake.
 
There are two basic points of view on the origins of oil formation. The first hypothesis is the organic nature of oil, according to which it is formed from the organic remains of animals and plants. The second is mineral (inorganic).

The expedition will continue next spring. A total of 160 immersions are planned in different parts of the world’s deepest lake.

Fact box:

Baikal, aged over 25 million years, is situated in south-eastern Siberia. It is considered the deepest lake on the planet and is on UNESCO’s world heritage list.

The lake is 636 kilometres long and 79 kilometers wide. It contains about 23,000 cubic kilometres of fresh water, which makes up 20 percent of world and 90 per cent of Russia’s fresh water reserves.