Siberian rivers can conditionally be divided into two categories. These are large arteries and ducts flowing into them. One of the largest Siberian rivers is Vitim. This is the right tributary of the river. Lena, which, in turn, connects with the Laptev Sea.
River history
The Buryat rivers China and Vitimkan in the mountains of Western Transbaikalia merge together. And as a result, p. Vitim. The river was developed for the first time by the Cossack chieftain Maxim Perfiliev. In 1639, he sailed along the river. Vitim. And at the mouth of the river. Kugomary founded the winter hut.
Location
The Vitim River flows through the territory of Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, Yakutia and the Irkutsk Region. The reservoir originates on the Irkutsk ridge. Then surrounds the Vitim plateau. It cuts through the North and South Mui ridges. Where does the Vitim river flow later? In the river Lena, which is connected with the Laptev Sea.
First, Vitim flows through the territory of Buryatia, then along its border with the Trans-Baikal Territory and in the lower reaches of the Irkutsk Region. The last 50 kilometers of the river stretch along Sakha-Yakutia.
Description
The beginning of the river is considered the source of the river. Vitimkan. With this in mind, the length of Vitim is 1978 km. The basin area is 225 thousand square kilometers. After the rivers Aldan and Vilyuya, Vitim is the third longest tributary of the river. Lena.
The upper and middle reaches are located on the Vitim plateau and the Stanovoi plateau. Lower frames Patomskoe on the west side. From the source to the village of Romanovka, Vitim is considered a mountain river. It forms bends at the nearest islands. Many shores there are steep with oval-talus processes. Vitim is a river with a strong current in some places.
After crossing the South Mui Range, water enters the basin. And there the river has a branched broad floodplain channel with small rifts. Vitim is divided into two parts by the Paramsky threshold. Downhill, the riverbed is rapids-waterfall. There are many rocky ledges under the water to the Delun-Oron threshold.
To Bodaibo, the river flows in a narrow valley. In these places, underdeveloped floodplains and terraces. In the lower reaches, the Vitim River flows along the Baikal-Patom Highlands. Gradually, the reservoir expands and becomes a flat type.
Rapid flood occurs due to melting snow and slope of the territory. Rain floods are not so harsh. During them, the river spends a lot of water, more than spring flood. Autumn ice drift lasts from two to three weeks. During this period, congestion occurs on the rifts. The thickness of the ice reaches almost two meters.
Flora and fauna
Vegetation on the Vitim shores consists mainly of coniferous forests. On the plateau, the eye of the larch is pleasing. In the area of some tributaries - the dense thickets of a mixed forest (fir, aspen, cedar, etc.). Dwarf species of trees, moss and mosses grow on the mountain shores. Almost forty species of mammals live in the Vitim basin. There are many fur-bearing animals (sable, ermine, etc.), and fish in the water.
Hydrology
By the nature of the course, the Vitim River is intermediate between the plain and mountain. The water supply is mainly rain. The average annual water consumption of 1530 square meters per second in Bodaibo. Two thousand square meters per second is also consumed at the mouth of the river. At r. Vitim stretched flood. It begins in May and lasts until October. The highest month is June. A sharp decrease in water is observed from March to April. Vitim begins to freeze in early November. And ice breaking occurs in the second half of May, when relatively warm weather sets in.
Fishing
Siberian rivers are famous for their fishing. And one of these reservoirs is Vitim. The river is home to a wide variety of fish:
- bream;
- ide;
- red salmon;
- pike;
- nelma;
- roach;
- burbot;
- perch;
- taimen;
- tugun;
- grayling.
Therefore, many are attracted to the river by fishing. Vitim is famous for big pikes (you can catch a ten-kilogram specimen). And also five-kilogram taimen are often caught here. For fishing lovers there are even special tours (up to ten days) along the river.
Values Vitim
On the Vitim River is one of the largest gold mining centers. This is the city of Bodaibo. Deposits of mica and jade were found in the basin. And in the Vitim Reserve there is a unique lake Oron. Vitim is the main transport waterway through which cargo is delivered to mining areas. Shipping is possible only to the village of Luzhki. On the banks of the river it is planned to build a cascade of hydroelectric power stations.