Lake Vostok

Lake Vostok is the largest of Antarctica's almost 400 known subglacial lakes.

Lake Vostok is located at the southern Pole of Cold, beneath Russia's Vostok Station under the surface of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is at 3,488 m above mean sea level. The surface of this fresh water lake is approximately 4,000 m under the surface of the ice, which places it at approximately 500 m below sea level.

Measuring 250 km long by 50 km wide at its widest point, it covers an area of 12,500 km2 making it the 16th largest lake by surface area. With an average depth of 432 m, it has an estimated volume of 5,400 km3, making it the 6th largest lake by volume.