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Why is Lake Baikal considered the world’s deepest continental trough?

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A map of the continent of Asia, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities, as well as parts of Europe, Africa, and surrounding oceans. — Asia Map showing the countries and national capitals of Asia.

Lake Baikal is considered the world’s deepest continental body of water because it occupies a massive structural hollow known as the Baikal Rift, which reaches a maximum depth of 5,315 feet (1,620 meters).12

This depth is the result of tectonic activity associated with the Baikal Rift Valley, where the Earth's crust has subsided between normal faults. Unlike valleys formed by erosion, this tectonic process creates a deep, elongated trough. The structural nature of this basin is so profound that sedimentary strata on the lake floor may reach thicknesses of up to 20,000 feet (6,100 meters). Surrounded by mountains that rise more than 6,600 feet (2,000 meters) above its surface, the lake sits within a unique geological setting where crustal extension has allowed for the creation of this exceptionally deep continental depression.3415