.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}@media all and (max-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{width:auto!important;clear:none!important;float:none!important))You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (August 2018) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:Чаган (озеро)]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|ru|Чаган (озеро))) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
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Shagan
Шаған
Location of Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan.
Location of Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan.
Shagan
Location of Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan.
Location of Lake Chagan in Kazakhstan.
Shagan
Coordinates49°56′7″N 79°0′30″E / 49.93528°N 79.00833°E / 49.93528; 79.00833
Basin countriesKazakhstan
Surface area5.2 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Max. depthca 100 m (330 ft)
Water volume19,100,000 m3 (15,500 acre⋅ft)[1]

Lake Shagan (Kazakh: Шаған) or Lake Chagan (Russian: Чаган)[2] also known as Lake Balapan, is a lake in Zhanasemey District, Abai Region, Kazakhstan. The lake lies 90 km (56 mi) to the south of the Irtysh and about 110 km (68 mi) to the southwest of Semey, formerly Semipalatinsk.[3]

History

The lake was formed by the Chagan nuclear test on January 15, 1965, which was conducted as part of the Soviet Union's Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy program. A 140 kiloton device was placed in a 178-metre-deep (584 ft) hole in the dry bed at the confluence of the Shagan and Ashchysu rivers. The blast created a crater 400 m (1,300 ft) across and 100 m (330 ft) deep with a lip height of 20 to 38 m (66 to 125 ft); it is often referred to as "Atomic Lake" (Kazakh: Атом көлі). The water continues to be radioactive – about 100 times more than the permitted level of radionuclides in the water.[4]

The lake's water comes from the Shagan River, a tributary of the Irtysh River. The lake was filled by the Soviet Union shortly after the nuclear blast. The crater lake's volume is approximately 10 million m3 (350 million cu ft).[1] To the south, the rim of the crater holds back the waters of a second reservoir.

It was estimated that some 20% of the radioactive products from the Chagan test escaped the blast zone, and were detected over Japan. This infuriated the United States for violating the provisions of the October 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, which banned atmospheric tests.[5]

Locals fish in the lake, despite warnings by authorities that it is hazardous.[6]

Media

In Netflix's documentary series Dark Tourist (season 1 episode 4, "The Stans"), David Farrier visits and swims in Lake Chagan, and eats a fish from the lake, during his tour of Kazakhstan.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Ayunov, D. E.; et al. (July 2017). "Present thermal regime of Lake Atomic (Semipalatinsk test site)". Russian Geology and Geophysics. 58 (7): 864–867. Bibcode:2017RuGG...58..864A. doi:10.1016/j.rgg.2017.06.009.
  2. ^ Trip on lake Atomic
  3. ^ "N-44 Topographic Chart (in Russian)". Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Lake Chagan, The Atomic Lake Filled With Radioactive Water". www.amusingplanet.com. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  5. ^ "Lake Chagan, The Atomic Lake Filled With Radioactive Water". www.amusingplanet.com. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  6. ^ "Семейдегі «Атом көлі» қараусыз жатыр". Qazaqstan TV (in Kazakh). 2021-08-17. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.

External links


Lakes of Kazakhstan
Categories