Atomic lake Chagan, Kazakhstan: description, history and interesting facts

There is an amazing lake in Kazakhstan, in which the bottom is like a melted glass. The water in it is almost black. The saplings that inhabit it grow to a meter, while other fish are wonderful and intimidating. This is Atom-Kol, Lake Chagan in the Semipalatinsk region. Knowledgeable people try to avoid it. Those who come here by chance, are surprised by the sinister beauty of this place.

Man-made miracle

Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan is the work of Soviet nuclear scientists. They proposed by means of a directed nuclear explosion to create artificial reservoirs for water storage in arid regions. According to the scientists' idea, no less than forty such lakes were to appear on the territory of Central Asia. Thus, it was planned to solve the problem of summer drought and optimize agriculture in the Kazakh steppes. Thus appeared Chagan, whose capacity is 20 million cubic meters. M of water.

Time of grand achievements

In the Soviet Union, scientists developed ambitious projects on the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. The best minds struggled to create ships, aircraft and even cars, whose engines would work as a result of nuclear reactions. Aware of the incredible power of atomic energy, they offered to use this colossal energy in the construction of canals, tunnels and reservoirs to collect giant volumes of water.

The enthusiasm of physicists knew no bounds. The program was called "Peaceful atom". In pursuit of scientific achievements about the consequences for the environment and the health of the nation did not think. Shock construction and the uplift of virgin land embraced the whole union. Marshes were drained, the rivers turned back, and new lakes were formed according to the will of the person in the places planned for them. It was a time when man did not expect favors from nature. Now he is paying for his arrogance.

The first explosion

In the USSR, the first industrial explosion was carried out on January 15, 1965 on the territory of the Semipalatinsk region. At that time there was a testing ground on which nuclear weapons were tested. For the experiment it was chosen a place remote from the big cities in the Kazakhstan steppes.

According to the idea of scientists during the explosion, a giant funnel was to form, the edges and the bottom of which should be melted from the heat. From such a reservoir, water will not percolate into the ground, and local residents will be able to use it for watering cattle and for irrigation of surrounding fields.

In the area of the riverbed of a small river Chagan, drying out in the summer, a directional explosion was made. The project was supervised by nuclear scientist Ivan Turchin.

Powerful explosion

In the well No. 1004 on the site "Balapan" in the floodplain of a small river Chaganka an explosive device was laid to a depth of 178 meters. The operation was scheduled for January 15, 1965. At 5:45 59 seconds GMT the morning silence was broken by a deafening explosion. In just 2.5 seconds, the formation of a cloud of hot gases was recorded. After only 5 minutes, it reached an altitude of 4800 m. 10.3 million tons of soil was thrown into the air, to an altitude of 950 m. Multiton rocks were scattered within a radius of several tens of kilometers. The riverbed was blocked.

On the site of the explosion there was a giant funnel with fused edges. Its diameter is 430 m, the depth exceeded 100 m. In his diaries Turchin wrote that he did not have to observe a more beautiful sight.

Heavy Bomb

The explosive device used to create such an object as the atomic lake Chagan had a capacity of 170 kilotons. For comparison, a bomb with a capacity of 20 kilotons was dropped on Hiroshima. This whole force consisted of a cylindrical container 86 cm in diameter and 3 m long!

Lake

In the spring, in the place of the explosion, a technician arrived, which connected the rivulet with a new reservoir. Scientists realized that flood waters could carry radioactive dust to the Irtysh from the entire region and thus infect the entire Siberian region. According to the scientists, all the water should be collected in Lake Chagan. For this purpose, a dam was poured in, which did not let the river water to the Irtysh.

In the spring, the funnel was filled with melt water, but it did not turn out from an artificial reservoir - the radiation level exceeded the norm by a thousand times.

Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan exists to this day. The river Chaganka broke its own path, bypassing the mortal trap. Residents of the surrounding villages disregard a terrible place, but shepherds still drive cattle to a watering place. After all, there is nowhere else.

Area of infection

As a result of the explosion, after which the nuclear lake Chagan was formed, an area with 11 population centers with a population of about 2,000 people was exposed to radioactive substances.

Radiation day after the test exceeded 30 r / h, and after 10 days reached 1 p / h. Current measurements show 2000-3000 microR / h, while in the rest of the territory the radiation level is 15-30 microR / h.

At the construction of the canal 182 people worked from different parts of the Union. Despite the measures taken (excavator cabs were sheathed with lead), radiation caused a huge damage to the health of young healthy men. All of them received huge doses of radiation. Each of them finished his labor watch with a deep disability. For several years, the vast majority of them died of radiation sickness and other ailments.

When many years later the liquidators showed a copy of the geochemistry on which the explosion data were noted, to the specialist in geoecology E. Yakovlev, he noticed that it was worse than Chernobyl.

Settlement of the lake

When in 1966 military and liquidators left the test site, where an underground nuclear explosion occurred, Lake Chagan became a research site for biologists. Since the effect of radiation on living organisms was still poorly understood, biologists conducted experiments, populating the nuclear lake with various species of flora and fauna. Often atypical for this region. At the biological station Atom-Kol, experiments were conducted on the effects of radiation on living organisms. 36 species of fish were launched into Lake Chagan, among them were even piranhas from the Amazon, 27 species of mollusks, 42 species of invertebrates, 32 varieties of amphibians, 8 mammals, 11 reptiles. In addition, experiments were performed with 150 species of vegetation, most of which were algae.

90% of the introduced livestock were killed due to high levels of radiation and unusual habitats. The remaining ones were exposed to mutations until the appearance of offspring changed and the radical transformation of behavior. So, carp, which in normal conditions are herbivorous fish, entered in the atomic lake Chagan (Kazakhstan), have become active predators. Here they grow to almost a meter. But to use them for food is strictly not recommended.

And the usual river crayfish is the size of an oceanic yellow lobster. In the natural environment, there was a crossing of different species of living creatures that gave a common offspring. Some species of animals mutated so that their descendants do not resemble ancestors or each other.

Scientists noted that even herbivorous fish in the conditions of radiation became predators. In 1974, the research station was closed.

Related art object

Lake Chagan - the echo of Soviet nuclear tests. After its formation, the leadership refused to repeat such experiments. Although initially it was planned to create a whole network of similar reservoirs. But this experiment is not the only one in the world. In the US in Nevada there is a Sedan crater, which was also formed as a result of the explosion.

But Soviet scientists managed to increase the useful power of the explosion and to minimize the devastating impact on the environment. Although even with such "achievements", the region suffered tremendous damage.

Chagan today

Now the territory of the Semipalatinsk half-way, including Lake Chagan, is included in the list of areas particularly affected by nuclear tests. Radioactive contamination of water is 300 picocuries / l (with an acceptable - 15 picocuries / l). This water is not suitable for drinking and irrigation of fields. But the cattlemen bring cattle to the watering place. The level of cancer and genetic disorders in the region is much higher than in neighboring ones.

Fish, caught in Lake Chagan, should not be eaten. But smart dealers offer in the markets of Semipalatinsk giant carp to buyers who turned out to be passing through and do not know about the wonderful lake.

Calculations of scientists did not materialize. This lake with dead water, for human life, even after half a century it is unsuitable. Here tourists are brought to tell about the achievements of nuclear technology in the USSR.