Kildin Island. Barencevo sea. Lake Mogilnoe on the island of Kildin

The gigantic rock, towering above the waters of the Barents Sea, Kildin Island is an incredible mystery of nature. In this place everything is unusual, ranging from inhabitants, names, history of human development to geology, landscapes and Lake Mogilnoe.

Location of the island

In the north-eastern part of the Barents Sea, a few miles from the exit from the Kola Bay, is Kildin. A gloomy stone community is located at the point of intersection of the main sea routes that leave from Murmansk. One of them goes through Scandinavia to Europe, the second - to the White Sea. This is the largest island, located near the Murmansk coast, edging the Kola Peninsula.

History of the island

In 1809, bloodthirsty English filibusterers barbarously looted the island of Kildin, or rather, the base, based on its hilly plateau. The devastated terrain turned into a wild uninhabited place for a long time. Since then, a piece of the island in the southeast, the bay, the cape and the lake bear the same name - Grave. In the XIX century, developed an ambitious project of building a steep rock, the island had to turn into a megacity. However, nothing of the sort happened.

On the island, a young Norwegian couple Eriksen settled. Three generations of the genus Eriksenov lived in the island for about 60 years. At the dawn of the 20th century, regional authorities were engaged in the development of Kildin's infrastructure, investing a good amount of investment.

During this same period, the Social Democrats representing the fishermen found refuge here. They used the island of Kildin as a trans-shipment point. Illegally brought political literature from Norway, intended for sending to Arkhangelsk.

The young Soviet government zealously undertook the development of a stony fee. In a short time on its land created enterprises. There was a place for a fishing artel, an iodine plant, a sandy animal farm and other organizations. Before the beginning of the war, all residents were resettled in the Murmansk region. The Eriksen family was repressed. The island was turned into a strategic military facility.

The military era of the island was destined to last until the 90s of the last century. Its territory was equipped with posts of observation, points of contact, air defense, missile systems, border post. They installed a marine battery, a rocket regiment, and took care of creating an appropriate infrastructure.

Today, a handful of residents and a small number of military facilities occupy the island of Kildin. Photos depict his harsh man-made landscapes, abandoned expanses with miserable remains of his former greatness - powerful military equipment, service buildings and apartment buildings.

Description of the island

According to the geological structure, Kildin Island is almost unlike the mainland. Its relief differs sharply from that on the Kola Peninsula. It is mountainous, with gentle slopes, which here and there are covered with moss and mixed grass. From the west and north its high coasts are steep and precipitous. The north bank is increasing in height from east to west.

On the bottom of the deep canyon, which occupies part of the north-eastern territory, a stream flows. From the steep northern and southern peaks waterfalls are overthrown. In the south-east coast of the island runs a convenient bay. Naval vessels, going to the Bay Mogilnaya, moored ashore on the anchorage.

The Barents expedition, having opened Mogilnaya Bay in 1594, applied it to a geographical map. Servants of the Solovetsky Monastery on the south-eastern coast kept crafts for two centuries (in the 17th and 18th centuries). A little to the east of the Gulf is the Mogilnoye Lake.

Flora and fauna

On the island there are many species of birds, among which there are those that are listed in the Red Book. Seagulls, buzzards, geese, ducks and polar owls are inhabited by the island of Kildin. The Barents Sea is the habitat of dolphins, beluga whales, killer whales. It contains herds of herring, cod, halibut and catfish. On the coasts, rookeries of seals and seals are arranged. In the waters of the rivers Zarubikha, Tipanovka and Klimovka, pink salmon, salmon and Arctic char rush.

On Kildina there are hares, foxes and brown bears. On its lands endemic is growing - the golden root (rhodiola rosea). At first glance, it seems that there are no trees on a hilly plateau. But it is worth taking a closer look - you can see how stubborn dwarf birches stretch endlessly among the herbage, interspersed with bushes of blossoming willow, barely reaching the height to the knee.

Lake Mogilnoe

About two thousand years ago an unusual relict lake formed on the island. A unique lake on the island of Kildin is formed by several water layers. The bottom layer is a dead zone with all the destructive hydrogen sulphide. The upper one is a source of fresh water. The middle part of the reservoir is filled with salt water with marine inhabitants. The middle layer became the abode for the rarest endemic, mutated fish - Kildin cod, under the protection of the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

Between the lower hydrogen sulphide and the middle salt "floor" is a layer - water, painted in cherry color. It is home to purple bacteria - a living impenetrable barrier, capable of delaying and absorbing lethal gas. If suddenly the bacteria disappear from the lake, the hydrogen sulphide will begin to rise in the upper layers, turning the reservoir into an unfit for life place.

A unique reservoir of world rank, which has no analogues, although it is listed in the Federal Natural Monuments, nature protection activities for its protection leave much to be desired. According to scientists, Kildin Island, Mogilnoye Lake - a relict natural place, deserves more attention, concern and further research.

Lake Characteristics

Relict Lake in the distant past was part of the Barents Sea. It was formed due to the fact that the seashore rose. The reservoir was spread over an area of 96,000 m ² . In length, it stretched to 560, and in width to 280 meters. In the depth of the lake with transparent green water goes to 17 meters.

The hydrochemical balance between the salty and fresh layer is maintained due to the fact that the water from the Barents Sea oozes through the earth's isthmus separating the lake from the ocean. The width of the shaft is 70, and the height is 5.5 meters. The upper water layer, 5 m deep, is highly desalinated with surface sediments.

In the lake four zones are distinguished, differing in the degree of salinity. Water inhabitants inhabit the first three layers. In the fresh layer there are rotifers and crustaceans. Seawater is inhabited by jellyfish, crustaceans and sea cod. In the highly saline water, purple bacteria have settled, intensively releasing hydrogen sulphide into the lowest lifeless "floor" of the reservoir.