The reservoir does not flow into any river. The most terrible lakes in the world (13 photos)

Wayward Reservoirs

Lost lakes

The lakes are very curious, as if playing hide and seek, now disappearing from the face of the earth, then reappearing. In the spring, due to the abundance of melt water, they overflow, and in the summer they begin to shallow and suddenly completely disappear. In our country there are several such reservoirs - in the area between Onega and White lakes, as well as in Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod and Leningrad regions. In spring and early summer, these reservoirs are not particularly different from their counterparts. Although if you look closely, in completely calm weather, when the surface of ordinary lakes is calm, it ripples and worries, and closer to the center there is something like a cycle. This is because there are deep funnel-shaped pits at the bottom of the reservoirs, into which, twisting in a spiral, water leaves.

After the flood, when the inflow of melt water weakens, the water level in these lakes drops. They quickly become shallow: first, islands appear and grow, then the bottom is exposed. And finally, there comes a moment when the reservoirs simply disappear. In the driest years, people graze cattle and mow grass in their place.

The most famous of the disappearing reservoirs are Shimozero, Kushtozero and Sukhoe. The first disappears in August, the second - in July, the third - in September. Lake Dry, for example, is connected by an underground passage with Ilmen, and Kushtozero with Onega. It used to happen that a pike released in Sukhoi with an earring or a radio sensor was later caught in Ilmen.

Scientists explain the disappearance of such lakes by purely geological reasons. These reservoirs are located in the region of karst caves and feed underground lakes, as well as various springs and springs. Sometimes a collapse occurs at the site of the funnels, and then the “drain” is clogged. In such cases, reservoirs may exist unchanged for several years, but in the end the water still dissolves the limestone and dolomite rocks and washes a new way into the underground.

Unusual content

Some of the natural lakes are filled with such unusual contents that one can only be surprised at the vagaries of nature. Take, for example, Lake Trinidad, located fifty kilometers from the northern part of Venezuela, near the settlement of La Brea, and filled with ... real asphalt. The lake is located in the crater of the former mud volcano, its depth is 90 meters, and the area is 46 hectares. Coming out of the bowels of the earth through the mouth of a volcano, lying on great depths oil loses volatile substances, resulting in the conversion into asphalt. All this takes place in the center of the lake basin, in a place called Mother Lake. Up to 150 thousand tons of asphalt, which is used for construction purposes, is mined in the Mother Lake, but its reserves are inexhaustible.

A person can safely walk on the surface of the lake, with the exception of its center, without fear of perishing in a viscous mass. But it is impossible to stay for a long time and linger in one place without moving: the thickness of the asphalt begins to drag on. Any object left on the surface of the lake disappears into the black abyss after a while. Scientists who explored the bowels of the asphalt lake discovered a whole cemetery of prehistoric animals - the bones of mastodons that died out during the ice age, and even the remains of ancient lizards.

There are reserves of asphalt in the Dead Sea, famous for its healing properties. Many people know about its extreme salinity and unique composition of water, but not everyone has ever heard of asphalt deposits. Accumulations of asphalt, resembling resin in appearance, from time to time float to the surface and are thrown ashore by waves. Asphalt has been mined in the Dead Sea since ancient times. It is used in various industries: for building roads, tarring ships, obtaining all kinds of chemical products ... Until the middle of the 20th century, it was believed that the area Dead Sea- practically the only supplier of asphalt in the world, and only in the 50s of the last century were new deposits discovered and developed.

The hottest and most explosive

Near the Red Sea Sinai Peninsula, there is one amazing lake. It is separated from the sea by a wide bridge made of petrified shell rock. Marine fish and other representatives of the fauna live in the upper layers of the lake, bluish-green algae grow in shallow water. And the amazing thing about this lake is its temperature. At the surface, the water temperature is almost all year round invariably equal to +16°C, at a depth of 6 meters or more it fluctuates from +48°C in winter to +60°C in summer. Because of this, all living creatures prefer to settle in the upper layer. The upper and lower tiers also differ in salinity: at the top it is 42-43 ppm, and near the bottom it is twice as rich. There are other hot and salty lakes in the world, but none of them has such an amazing vertical distribution of salinity and temperature.

The warmest body of water in the country of eternal frost is in Antarctica. The thickness of the ice covering Lake Vanda is 4 meters. Directly under the ice, the water is fresh, and at a depth it is already salty. Even in the most severe frosts, reaching -50-70°C, the water temperature under the ice does not drop below +6°C, and at the bottom (at a depth of 70 meters) it is +25-28°C, as if in some south sea. The most amazing thing is that there are no hot springs at the bottom of this reservoir! Wanda's secret, according to scientists, is that the lake is a kind of giant thermos. Its crystal clear and transparent waters, in which there are no microorganisms, are well warmed up by the sun through the lens of ice that refracts the sun's rays. The warmest are deep waters, which, due to their salinity, greater density and gravity, remain below and do not mix with the upper layers.

The most beautiful lake Bosumtwi is located in the Republic of Ghana, in tropical African forests, 30 kilometers southeast of the city of Kumasi. It is known as the most unpredictable body of water in the world. Bosumtwi has the shape of a regular circle, as if someone had drawn a circle with a gigantic compass and dug a hole here about 400 meters deep and 7 kilometers in diameter. The color of the water in the lake is bluish, in some places along the shores the jungle parted and form glades, on which there are small settlements. Several mountain streams flow into the lake, but not a single river flows out of it. Apparently, therefore, the water level in it is steadily rising, gradually flooding the villages located on the shore. But most of all, Bosumtwi shocks people with his explosive temper. For many months it keeps silence and calm, when suddenly it suddenly explodes: in the depths of it, a giant air bubble seems to burst, huge cascades of water fly up, the surface of the lake boils and rages. Gradually, Bosumtwi calms down.

Because of such explosions, a lot of fish die, and the natives collect prey with nets. Scientists believe that the cause of the explosions are bottom sediments, in which organic matter decays. The released gases accumulate to the maximum limit, and then violently escape from the bowels of the lake.

For geographers, Bosumtwi is a real mystery. Some researchers believe that the lake was formed as a result of a giant meteorite falling to Earth, others adhere to the hypothesis of an antimatter explosion that did not leave any fragments and debris behind. And finally, the most plausible version is the formation of Bosumtwi as a result of volcanic activity. It is likely that the lake, located in a mountainous region, occupies the bottom of a destroyed volcano cone that existed in ancient times.

Hiding the secret of origin

Lake Mogilnoe, located on the island of Kildin near Kola Peninsula, is considered the most "puff" body of water in the world. The height of the water in it is slightly higher than sea level, despite the fact that it is separated from the sea by only a gravel-sand barrier. Resembling a layer cake, the reservoir is divided into five completely independent, different tiers-floors. The lowest tier, located at a depth of 17-18 meters, is filled with liquid silt. Organic residues coming from the upper floors rot here. This layer is dead, devoid of oxygen, but hydrogen sulfide is present in large quantities there. The only inhabitants of the first tier are some types of bacteria. On the second floor, eternal twilight reigns, the water is saturated with purple-colored bacteria, coloring it in a cherry-pink color. These bacteria actively absorb and oxidize the hydrogen sulfide coming from below, so that the deadly gas does not pass into the upper tiers.

In the third layer from the bottom, life is in full swing. There are starfish, hedgehogs and crustaceans on this floor, as well as a special type of cod, called Kildin in honor of the island. The fourth floor is a transitional zone, the water in it is moderately brackish, there are no marine life. But the fifth, uppermost, tier is filled with fresh (!) Water, cold and clear. Numerous inhabitants live there, typical of Arctic reservoirs. Mogilny Lake is one of the oldest. It survived several geological epochs and preserved some species of living creatures that have long disappeared in the neighboring Barents Sea. Researchers still do not know how this lake appeared and why it is divided into layers.

There is also the most lifeless body of water on the territory of Russia, in which, it would seem, there are excellent conditions for the existence of all kinds of living creatures. This is Lake Empty, located in the Kuznetsk Alatau region. All the reservoirs around are teeming with fish, and there is nothing in the Empty, despite the fact that the lakes are connected by rivers. Researchers have repeatedly tried to populate a strange pond with various types of fish, giving preference to the most unpretentious, but nothing came of it: the fish did not take root. The empty remains empty. And no one can explain how it arose and why this mysterious reservoir is still devoid of any life.

But the most dangerous body of water on our planet is rightfully considered the Lake of Death, located on the island of Sicily. All its banks and waters are devoid of any vegetation and living creatures, and swimming in it is deadly. Any living creature that gets into this terrible lake instantly dies. It is worth a curious person to stick an arm or leg into the water - and he immediately feels a strong burning sensation, after which, pulling back his limb, he watches with horror how the skin becomes covered with blisters and burns. The chemists who analyzed the contents of the lake were quite surprised. The water of the Lake of Death contains sulfuric acid in a fairly large concentration. On this occasion, scientists have put forward several hypotheses, for example, that the lake dissolves some unknown rocks and is enriched with acids due to this. However, studies have confirmed a different version. It turned out that concentrated sulfuric acid is thrown into the Lake of Death by two sources located at its bottom.

In Algiers, near the city of Sidi Bel Abbes, there is natural lake filled with real... ink. It is clear that there are no fish or plants in the reservoir, since the ink is poisonous and is suitable only for writing with it. For a long time, people could not understand how a substance so unusual for a reservoir arises, and recently scientists have finally figured out the cause of this phenomenon. One of the rivers flowing into the lake contains a huge amount of dissolved iron salts, and the other contains all kinds of organic compounds, many of which are borrowed from peat bogs located in the river valley. Merging together into the lake basin, the streams interact with each other, and in the course of constantly occurring chemical reactions, ink is formed. Some of the locals consider the black lake to be a devilish idea, while others, on the contrary, try to benefit from it. Therefore, he has half a dozen names. Among the most famous are the Eye of the Devil, black lake and Inkwell. Well, ink from it is sold in stationery stores not only in Algeria, but also in many other countries.

From the book Inhabitants of the Reservoirs author Lasukov Roman Yurievich

What are the reservoirs? Lake A lake is a significant mass of water at rest or slowly flowing in a natural depression of land that does not have direct contact with the sea. Stratification of lakes. Stratification is the formation of layers of water with different densities and

From the author's book

Temporary reservoirs Temporary reservoirs include small accumulations of water that occur periodically and disappear relatively quickly. They are formed in the depressions of the land after the snow melts, the recession of the flood waters of the river, or as a result of the accumulation of rain

The lake seems to us as a great place for recreation, where you can swim and go fishing. But not all lakes are like that. Some are truly terrifying. And not in vain.

Lake Empty (Russia)

Lake Empty is located in Western Siberia in the area of Kuznetsk Alatau. Lake Pustoye is a fresh, clean reservoir of continental origin, there are no chemical anomalies in its waters. Repeatedly, many scientists carried out a chemical analysis of water from Lake Empty, but not a single study of toxic substances was found in it. The water of the lake is clean, suitable for drinking, similar to champagne because of the smallest bubbles of absolutely harmless natural gases. Scientists have not been able to conclude why there are no fish in the reservoir.

There have never been ecological disasters and emergency technical accidents polluting the reservoir in the vicinity of Lake Pustoye. According to the chemical composition, its water does not differ from the nearest reservoirs of the reserve, which are distinguished by an abundance of fish resources. Moreover, the reservoir feeds several fresh, clean reservoirs in the vicinity; the fact that there are fish in them will give a special mystery to what is happening in these dreams. There were several attempts to launch unpretentious fish species of pike, perch and crucian carp into the reservoir. Each of them ended in failure, the fish died, the aquatic plants rotted. And today there are no grass and birds on the banks of the reservoir, there are no fish or fry in the water, the lake guards its mysteries.

Why are there no fish in the lake?

Samples from the Kuznetsk reservoir were studied by chemists from the USA, Great Britain and Germany. However, none of them could put forward a sensible version explaining the absence of fish in the reservoir. Scientists are not yet able to answer the questions of the inhabitants, what is happening with the Kuznetsk reservoir. However, scientists repeat attempts to explain the unusual phenomenon of the Empty Lake with enviable frequency. Stay on the coast unusual lake there are many who wish, tourists come here and stay for the night. Some of them dream of touching the mystery of nature and unraveling it.

Lake of Death (Italy)

Our world is amazing and beautiful, its nature can be admired and enjoyed endlessly. But besides this, there are places on our Earth that sometimes lead us into bewilderment. Among such places is the Lake of Death on the island of Sicily. This lake can be attributed to the number of phenomena and unique natural phenomena. The name itself suggests that this lake is deadly for all living things. Any living organism that gets into this lake will inevitably die.

This lake is the most dangerous on our planet. The lake is absolutely lifeless and there are no living organisms in it. The shores of the lake are deserted and lifeless, nothing grows here. Everything is connected with the fact that any living creature that enters the aquatic environment immediately dies. If a person decides to swim in this lake, then in just a few minutes he will dissolve in the lake.

When information about this place appeared in the scientific world, a scientific expedition was immediately sent there to study this phenomenon. The lake revealed its secrets with great difficulty. The conducted water analyzes showed that the water environment of the lake contains a large amount of concentrated sulfuric acid. Scientists were not immediately able to figure out where sulfuric acid comes from in the lake. Scientists have put forward several hypotheses about this. The first hypothesis was that there are rocks at the bottom of the lake, which, when eroded by water, are enriched with acid. But further study of the lake showed that there are two springs at the bottom of the lake, which emit concentrated sulfuric acid into the aquatic environment of the lake. This explains why any organic matter dissolves in the lake.

Dead Lake (Kazakhstan)

In Kazakhstan, there is an anomalous lake that attracts the attention of many people. It is located in the Taldykurgan region, the village of Gerasimovka. Its dimensions are not large, only 100x60 meters. They call this reservoir Dead. The fact is that nothing is found in the lake, neither algae nor fish. The water is unusually cold. The low temperature of the water remains even when the strongest sun is outside. People are constantly drowning there. Scuba divers, for some unknown reason, begin to choke after three minutes of diving. Locals do not advise anyone to go there, and they themselves bypass this anomalous place.

Blue Lake (Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia)

Blue karst abyss in Kabardino-Balkaria. Not a single river or stream flows into this lake, although it loses up to 70 million liters of water every day, but its volume and depth do not change at all. The blue color of the lake is due to the high content of hydrogen sulfide in the water. There are no fish here at all. The creepiness of this lake is given by the fact that no one has been able to figure out its depth. The fact is that the bottom consists of an extensive system of caves. Researchers have not yet been able to figure out what constitutes the lowest point of this karst lake. It is believed that under blue lake the largest underwater cave system in the world.

A group of 5 karst lakes in the Cherek region of Kabardino-Balkaria is located about 30 km south of Nalchik.

The lowest lake from this group, the most unique with a relatively small surface of 235 by 130 meters, its depth reaches 258 meters, and water saturated with hydrogen sulfide gives the lake a rich blue color.

The water temperature on the surface in winter and summer is about +9 degrees. This attracts divers from all over the world - a modern diving center has been built on the shores of the Lower Lake, which operates both in summer and in winter.

Not a single stream or river flows into the lake, but about 70 million liters of water flows out daily. At the same time, the level of the lake is unchanged, which is explained by powerful underwater sources.

The nature here is quite picturesque: green hills, dense beech forests on steep slopes, and in the distance, in a blue haze, peaks sparkling in the sun.

2. Lake Khanka

Lake Khanka is located on the border of the Primorsky Territory of Russia and Heilongjiang Province of China.

It is the largest fresh water body in Far East. The area is 4070 km² (at an average water level), the length is 95 km.

24 rivers flow into the lake, and the Sungacha river flows into the lake.

The international Russian-Chinese Khanka nature reserve is organized on the lake.

Due to its location, it attracts a large number of tourists who can get acquainted with the culture and customs of the two countries at once. About 75 species of fish live in the waters of this lake, and even some of them are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

3. Seliger

Seliger is a system of lakes of glacial origin in the Tver and Novgorod regions of Russia. Also, this lake is called Ostashkovskoe, after the name of the city of Ostashkov standing on the lake shore.

The area of the lake is 260 km². The area of the entire basin is 2275 km².

Seliger receives 110 tributaries, and only one river Selizharovka flows from it.

4. Topozero

Topozero is a crystal clear, deserted lake-sea, one of the largest lakes in Karelia.

It has an area of 986 sq. km, a length of 75.3 km, a width of 30.3 km, 144 islands with a total area of 63 sq. km. Topozero is part of the Kuma reservoir system.

The rivers flowing into Topozero are Kizreka, Valazreka, Taka, the outflowing rivers are Pongoma, which flows into the White Sea, and Sofyanga, which flows into Pyaozero.

The nature and landscapes of Topozero are very beautiful. In the wide part of the lake, opposite shores and chains of islands are hidden behind the horizon, the shores of the lake are often dressed in sheer rocky embankments, but there are also real harbors with sandy beaches protected by rocks. You can see vast sandy and rocky shoals, swamps. There are a lot of berries in the swamps, in the forest: cloudberries, blueberries, blueberries, lingonberries.

Topozero keeps the secrets of history. Once upon a time, hermit monks lived on Zhiloy Island, spreading the Old Believer faith among the inhabitants of villages on the shores of the lake.

The lake is ideal for sailing and kayaking routes. Numerous islands offer overnight stays for tired travelers.

Fishing on Topozero is interesting and varied. Long rocky shoals are interesting for fans of grayling fishing, in the bays and lambins - perch, roach, pike.

5. Raspberry Lake

One of the most beautiful places Siberia is Raspberry Lake, Altai region. The reservoir is the largest bitter-salty lake among the Borovoye lakes of this region. Its area is 11.4 square kilometers. Raspberry Lake can surprise you with the unusual color of the water. The reason for this is a branchial-legged crustacean called Artemia Salina that lives in it. It produces a pink pigment, which, once in the water, colors it. The color changes throughout the year. In spring it is the brightest and most intense, and in autumn it becomes brown. Since ancient times, the crustacean has been considered a food product, but today the crustacean is used only for feeding fish fry.

Foreigners who were lucky enough to share a meal with the great Empress Catherine II were surprised at the unusual pinkish-crimson salt served at the table. They have not seen such a curiosity anywhere else. And the Russians knew that it was brought from the far, far Kulunda steppe, located at the foot of Altai mountains. But few people could visit those distant places - it was so hard to get there. There were only legends that a huge pink lake, having bathed in which, non-rodish women soon bring babies, and the pockmarked ones become prettier. And in modern world it costs nothing to get to those parts, so many of our compatriots know for sure about the healing salt waters of Raspberry Lake. It really helps improve women's health, has a beneficial effect on the skin (rejuvenates and cleanses it), relieves fatigue and muscle pain, heals inflammation, and swimming in the waters of this lake is a pleasure. There are also very beautiful landscapes here, so the place for recreation is excellent and very popular among Siberians. However, tourists come here from the European part of the country.

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There are very special rivers that do not flow anywhere. There are those who change the direction of the current several times during the day.

Among the snows and ices of the Pamir-Altai, the Zeravshan River originates. Escaping from the mountains, it spreads through hundreds of canals and thousands of ditches of the Bukhara and Karakul oases. Like many other rivers in the desert regions, it has neither a delta nor an estuary. In other words, Zeravshan does not flow anywhere.

Everyone knows that the water in rivers and lakes is fresh. But there are rivers with salty and sweet water.

In the north, a river flows, which is distinguished by a very high salinity. They call her that - Solyanka. Where did the salt in the river come from? Many millions of years ago, there was a huge sea on the site of modern Yakutia. Then the earth's crust rose and fell, in some places closed lagoons formed, in which, as a result of increased evaporation, powerful layers of salt settled, subsequently covered by limestones. Groundwater seeps through these deposits and, saturated with salt, enters the river.

On Victoria Land in Antarctica, scientists have discovered a lake in which the water is 11 times saltier than sea water and can only freeze at a temperature of -50 °.

There is a lake called Sladkoe in the Urals, in Chelyabinsk region. Locals wash clothes only in it. In water without soap, even oil stains are washed off. It is established that the water in the lake is alkaline. It contains baking soda and sodium chloride. The presence of these substances gave the water special qualities.

Is on the globe"vinegar" rivers and lakes. "Vinegar" river flows in Colombia (South America). This is El Rio Vinegre (one of the tributaries of the Cauqui River), which flows in the area active volcano Purase. The water of this river contains 1.1% sulfuric acid and 0.9% hydrochloric acid, so no fish can live in it.

On the island of Sicily there is a lake of Death. Two sources of acid of high concentration are beating from its bottom. This is the most "dead" lake on our planet.

There are rivers that have one common source, but they flow in different directions and often flow into different basins. This natural phenomenon is called river bifurcation. Orinoco river flowing through South America, in the upper reaches is divided into two. One of them retains its former name Orinoco, flows into Atlantic Ocean, and the other, Casiquiare, flows into the Rio Negro, the left tributary of the Amazon.

There are amazing lakes in Antarctica. One of them - Wanda - is covered with a thick layer of ice all year round. At the very bottom, at a depth of 60 meters, a layer of salt water with a temperature of + 25 ° was found! The riddle is all the more curious because there are believed to be no hot springs or other sources of heat deep within the Earth.

Usually rivers flow into lakes or seas. But there is a river that flows ... from the bay into the depths of the mainland. This is the Tadjoura River on the northeast coast of Africa. It flows from the bay of the same name into the depths of the mainland and flows into Lake Assal.

There is an amazing river in Europe: it flows to the sea for six hours and back for six hours. The direction of its current changes four times a day. This is the river Avar (Aviar) in Greece. Scientists explain the “whims” of the river with level fluctuations Aegean Sea as a result of tides.

"Ink" lake! It is located in Algiers, near locality Sidi Bel Abbes. Water from this lake can be written on paper. Two small rivers flow into the natural "inkwell". The waters of one of them are rich in iron salts, and the waters of the other are rich in humic substances. They form a liquid like ink.

Where does the Kuban river flow? “Of course, to the Sea of Azov,” you say. True, but it turns out it wasn't always like that. Even 200 years ago, this river flowed into the Black Sea. It would have flowed there even now, if in 1819 the Cossacks from the Staro-Titarovskaya and Temryukovskaya villages had not decided to desalinate the salty estuaries of Azov. The Cossacks dug a canal between the Kuban and the Akhtanizovsky estuary. But the wayward river “liked” the new channel more than the former, and it rushed along it, washed away and expanded the banks, demolished everything that it met on its way, and carried its waters to the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. And the old channel, laid for the river by nature itself, is overgrown.

The Diala River, which flows through Iraq, was sentenced to death. She was judged by none other than the great Persian king Cyrus. Crossing the Diala, the king lost his "sacred" white horse, which drowned. Enraged, Cyrus ordered 360 canals to be dug in order to divert water from the river. It ceased to exist for a thousand years. Over time, the sands of the desert dried up and brought the channels, and the river returned to its former course.

There are many amazing lakes, but there is no one like Mogilnoye anywhere. It is located on the small island of Kildin off the Murmansk coast, somewhat east of the entrance to the Kola Bay. The shores of the bay are rocky and steep, but in the southeastern part they drop and form a beautiful bay. The lake adjoins it, separated from the sea by a high sand and pebble shaft. The area of the lake is slightly more than one square kilometer, the greatest depth is 17 meters. But, despite these modest sizes, the layers of water in it never mix. Vertically, the lake is clearly divided into five “floors”. At the very bottom, the water is saturated with hydrogen sulfide. Above it is a “floor” of red water from many purple bacteria. Then comes a layer of sea water, in which dwarf marine fish, sea anemones and starfish are found. Above, the water is brackish - jellyfish and crustaceans live here, as well as freshwater fish. The upper layer - fresh - is inhabited by freshwater. At high tide, through the shaft of sand and pebbles that separates the lake from the sea, sea water seeps into the lake. Heavier water - sea - and less heavy - fresh - almost do not mix with each other, since salt water enters the lake from the side, through the shaft, and fresh water - from above, from rains and melting snow.

The water of some salt lakes has healing properties. Lake Duzkan in Turkmenistan is located on the left bank of the Amu Darya, near the western outskirts of the village of Sayat. Concentration brine so large that it forms a thick crust. In summer, especially on weekends, on Duzkan, or, as the locals call it, Lake Sayak, hundreds of people take salt baths - they are treated for rheumatism.