Kronotskoye Lake is the largest natural body of water in the Kamchatka Territory, mysterious and not fully explored. Its name is translated from Itelmen as "alpine".
These most beautiful places attracted the close attention of scientists quite recently by historical standards: at the beginning of the last century (1908), the first documents prepared by P. Yu. Schmidt appeared. With the expedition, he went around the lake from the eastern and northern sides, giving a description of this amazing reservoir and adding to it a topographical sketch of the area. All earlier references were based only on information received from the indigenous inhabitants of these places - the Itelmens, since the isolation of the lake and the complex landscape served as a serious barrier that protected against any invasion. Only in 1920 did the scientist R. Malles manage to visit these places, draw up a detailed map and unravel the mystery of the reservoir's birth.
Features
The area of the lake is 242 km², and the catchment area is about 2330 km². This is not surprising, because 10 flows into it.full-flowing rivers: Severnaya, Unana, Uzon, Larchvennichnaya, etc. The river Krodakyg (Kronotskaya), stormy and capricious, overcoming many obstacles, makes its way, flowing out of a reservoir.
In terms of the impressive volume of water (12.4 km³), the lake ranks second in the region. The depth is also impressive: although the average is 58 m, the deepest places are marked by very solid figures - 136 m. According to all the above parameters, Kronotskoye Lake is the sixteenth in the list of the largest and deepest Russian lakes. Let's add that it is located in the uniquely beautiful places for which the mysterious Kamchatka is famous.
Food of the reservoir is traditional - snow and rain. The lake freezes in December and opens up by the end of May. The ice cover in some places reaches a meter thickness. The water level at different times fluctuates with an amplitude of up to several decimeters. The eastern part of the lake is decorated with 11 islands rising 25–50 m above the water surface. All of them bear the names of prominent scientists and travelers who took part in the Kamchatka expedition of the early 20th century: Komarov, Konradi, Baer, and others.
Kronotskoye Lake is distinguished by its triangular shape, so unusual for a natural reservoir. It is explained by the rigid limitation of the basin by mountain ranges and a volcanic series, consisting of 16 volcanoes, of which 12 are active.
Where is Lake Kronotskoe
This body of water, unlike any other lake, is located on the territory of the equally amazing Kamchatka natural complex -Kronotsky Nature Reserve, three dozen kilometers from the famous Geyser Valley.
From the eastern side, 8 km from the lake, there is the Kronotskaya Sopka volcano, from the south, 10 km away, the Krasheninnikov volcano. Mount Schmidt, towering in the northeast, completes the exotic picture.
Kronotskoe lake: origins
A reservoir was formed almost 10 thousand years ago. It is located in the caldera of a volcano, and therefore it was previously believed that the origin is of a volcanic nature. In fact, it has been proven that the appearance of the lake was preceded by volcanic eruptions, today called by the names of the scientists Kronotsky and Krasheninnikov. They led to the blocking of the ancient riverbed by wide and powerful lava deposits. The result of this cataclysm was a mountain reservoir at an altitude of 372 m above sea level, located in one of the most beautiful places in the world - at the foot of the Kronotskaya Sopka volcano.
Features
The lake is interesting not only for its origin, but also for the creation of a separate natural complex within its own borders.
The outflow of water goes through the river, the channel of which in the upper reaches for 12 km is practically cluttered with powerful rapids, preventing salmon from entering the lake. As a result, due to long-term isolation, a special form of sockeye salmon (kokan) and several types of endemic char were formed in the reservoir. Such a mechanism of species formation is an object of study for ichthyologists. However, at the source of the river every year a smallnumber of river and migratory Dolly Varden, as well as several rare cases of the passage of coho salmon.
Flora and fauna
Not everything is known about Kronotskoye Lake. The islands are inhabited by colonies of slaty-backed gulls. Given the sufficient distance from the sea coast (30-45 km), such nesting is a rare phenomenon. It is said that brown bears swim to the islands to feast on gull eggs.
Kronotskoye Lake, being the center of the natural complex, is surrounded by amazingly beautiful nature. There are relic specimens and especially valuable breeds. For example, only here Kamchatka larch grows and Ayan spruce is found.
The larch massifs are nesting grounds for rare birds (ospreys, Steller's sea eagles), and the surrounding mountains are home to peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons and golden eagles.
But the symbol of this fabulous place are swans. In summer, they are almost invisible, since there are few places suitable for nesting in the lake basin. And by the beginning of winter, an impressive flight of these legendary birds begins.
This is it, the mysterious lake Kronotskoye - a magical place on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
