Underwater volcanic eruptions at the beginning of formation Lakes Baikal and Khubsugul

Abstract

Terrestrial volcanism was widely distributed in the Tunka Valley of the Baikal Rift Zone. Underwater eruptions were characteristic only of the areas of connection of the eastern and western ends of the valley, respectively, with basins of lakes Baikal and Khubsugul. The Kultuk volcano erupted in underwater conditions in the early Miocene, about 18 Ma and the Hulugaisha and Gorkhonka ones – in the middle of the Miocene, about 15–14 Ma. Underwater volcanic eruptions, along with the accumulation of fine-grained sediments show existence in the early and middle Miocene of water reserviors that could belong to lakes Baikal and Khubsugul that were formed at that time.