Lake Baskunchak (russian: Баскунчак; kk, Басқұншақ, translit=Basqunshaq) is a salt lake of 115 km² in Astrakhan Oblast,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, located at , about 270 km north of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

, and 53 km east of the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...

. Since 1997, the area is protected as part of the Bogdinsko-Baskunchakski Nature Reserve. The surface elevation of the lake is 21 m below

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. It is fed by a river that draws from an area of 11,000 km². The salinity of the lake is about 300 g/L. Since the 8th century, its salt was mined and traded along the Silk Road. Nowadays, the lake's salt of distinct purity (99.8%

NaCl Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g/ ...

) covers 80% of

's salt production. Depending on demand, 1.5 million to 5 million tons of salt are mined per year. To the south of the lake, Mount Bolshoye Bogdo rises to 150 m above

, forming the highest elevation in the

Caspian Depression The Caspian Depression ( kk, Каспий маңы ойпаты, ''Kaspıı mańy oıpaty''; rus, Прикаспи́йская ни́зменность, p=prʲɪkɐˈspʲijskəjə ˈnʲizmʲɪnnəsʲtʲ, Caspian Lowland) or Pricaspian/Peri-Casp ...

. The hill is pushed up about 1 mm per year by a

salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered usin ...

Sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

s, and

Karst caves Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant r ...

of up to 1.5 km length lead through the hill. It also is the only area in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

where

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Year#Abbreviations yr and ya, Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 ...

lagerstätten surface. To the local Kalmyk people, it is a sacred location. On the coast of the lake, there are deposits of

medicinal clay The use of medicinal clay in folk medicine goes back to prehistoric times. Indigenous peoples around the world still use clay widely, which is related to geophagy. The first recorded use of medicinal clay goes back to ancient Mesopotamia. A wi ...

and mud. The high season of the tourist season here is in the summer months - from May to September. The natural conditions of the area are truly unique: the healing air is high in bromine and phytoncides, sulphide silt mud, similar in effect and composition to the Dead Sea mud, sodium chloride brine containing macro-complex and trace elements. Baskunchak lake

References

External links

Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky Nature Reserve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baskunchak Lakes of Astrakhan Oblast Endorheic lakes of Europe Saline lakes of Europe

See also

References

External links