Lake Balık ( tr, Balık Gölü, literally "fish lake", ku, Gola Masiyan), is a lava-dammed freshwater lake in

Ağrı Province The Ağrı Province ( tr, Ağrı ili, ku, Parêzgeha Agiriyê) is a province in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran to the east, Kars to the north, Erzurum to the northwest, Muş and Bitlis to the southwest, Van to the south, and Iğdır to the n ...

, eastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. It has one of the highest elevations of the country's lakes.

Geography

The lake is situated on the district border of

Taşlıçay Taşlıçay ( ku, Avkevir, ) is a town in Ağrı Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Taşlıçay District.

and Doğubeyazıt in Ağrı Province. The west shore of the lake lies in Taşlıçay and the east shore in Doğubeyazıt. Its distance to Taşlıçay town is while to Doğubeyazıt town is . It is far from

Ağrı Ağrı ( ku, Agirî; ) is the capital of Ağrı Province in eastern Turkey, near the border with Iran. Formerly known as Karaköse ( ku, Qerekose) from the early Turkish republican period until 1946, and before that as Karakilise ( ota, قره‌� ...

. Formed by a lava dam, the

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology ...

and

geomorphology Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or ...

of the lake features characteristics of

ophiolite An ophiolite is a section of Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed above sea level and often emplaced onto continental crustal rocks. The Greek word ὄφις, ''ophis'' (''snake'') is found ...

and

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

s. It is situated in Aras Mountains at an elevation of about with respect to mean sea level, making it one of the highest lakes in Turkey. The average area of its surface is . The maximum depth is . The lake is fed by a number of creeks from the surrounding mountains and groundwater, and in turn it feeds Gürgüre Creek to the southeast. The lake lies in an area with

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing so ...

. Winters are harsh, and the seasons of spring and fall are short. Precipitation is mostly in the form of snow rather than of rain. In the wintertime, the lake freezes and is covered with ice of thickness up to .

Biota

Particularly the southeast of the wetland is covered with reeds. There are agricultural land and meadows in close surroundings of the lake. The fauna of the lake is composed of diverse bird species. An island of size in the lake is the nesting area of velvet duck. The lake is also a

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of national importance, however, not under protection. The

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

in the lake is consumed as a food and also as a medicine. Observed wildlife in the area around the lake are the bird species eagle, hawk, partridge, wild duck, seagull, quail, woodcock and the mammals hare, fox, wolf.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Balik Balik Landforms of Ağrı Province Balik Doğubeyazıt Important Bird Areas of Turkey