One of the largest left tributaries of the Amur - the Transbaikal river Shilka - is formed by the confluence of Ingoda and Onon. It flows in the region of the Amazar and Shilkinsky ranges and is characterized by a rapid temper.
Geography
The general direction of the river is northeast. Only at the end does she confidently turn east. The length is 560 km, the width is from 40 to 200 m, the catchment area is 206 thousand km 2 . Shilka stretches between the spurs of the mountains, only occasionally retreating from the channel, forming small valleys. The upper course of the river is characterized by a large number of waterfalls and rapids.
Shilka is fed by many small rivers, which number about seventy. The most significant among them are Kara, Kurenga, Chacha, Chernaya. The main tributary of the Shilka River is on the left side - it is Nercha, which flows into Shilka with several arms and has a length of 580 km.
Hydrology
The water regime of the Shilka River Basin has its own peculiarity - the flood period here is 120–130 days. In total, there can be from 8 to 12 floods per year. Some of them seem to overlap, and then their duration can be up to 3 months. The maximum fluctuations in the water level in Shilka are recorded up to 12.5 m. The river’s nutrition consists of 80% of rainwater, and melting snow and a large number of tributaries also contribute to floods. The Shilka River spends most of the year (up to 200 days) under the ice, freeing itself completely only by May.
Flora and fauna
Along the Shilka current, mountain taiga landscapes typical of Eastern Transbaikalia occupy most of it. Dry grass-mixed steppes are combined with the mountain East Siberian taiga. Chestnut soils prevail in their lower part , and chernozems occur above. The northern slopes of the hills at an altitude of about 1000 m are lined with gray forest soils.
The most common plants in the steppe zone are feather grass, snake, thyme, stemless cinquefoil, etc. Pine, birch, larch, and cedar prevail in taiga areas. Moreover, most of the northern parts of the slopes are covered with light larches, and pine forests are mainly located on the southern ones. Cedar can be found only at the very top of the mountain taiga zone.
The Shilka River is almost completely surrounded by rocky cliffs, so trees and bushes densely overgrow all the flat areas where the channel at least expands slightly and the flow becomes calmer. The vegetation here is very diverse.
The surface of the bottom is diverse and covered with pebbles and boulders, so rifts, reaches, pits and even waterfalls are often found on the river. In such conditions, a wide variety of fish species live well. Beluga, sturgeon, salmon, chum salmon and taimen live in large numbers in Shilka. One of the richest reservoirs for fish stocks is the Shilka River. A lot of fish bring clean and cold mountain tributaries into the river, such as Unda, Delune, Boty and many others.
Economic value
Like many rivers in the Far East, Shilka is of crucial importance as a transport highway. She is navigable almost throughout. However, due to the large number of rapids in the riverbed and the high speed of the current, shipping is often difficult. In the summer, breaks of up to 15 days sometimes occur. The most developed shipping in the lower reaches - from the mouth to the city of Sretensk. The river is widely used for rafting. Navigation lasts from 160 to 180 days.
In addition, the Shilka River is a fairly large source of energy. The Trans-Baikal Territory is capable of producing millions of kilowatts of cheap electricity due to large and small rivers located on its territory. The development of hydropower resources is the most important task of the water sector in this region.
Equally important is Shilka with its tributaries for fisheries. During spawning, fishing from Amur come in shoals, rising to spawning grounds in the upper reaches of mountain rivers.
In the nearby settlements, favorable conditions are created for the reception of numerous tourists who are so attracted by the Far East recently. The photo of the Shilka River, its stony banks, overgrown with trees, valleys and vast expanses, among which it majestically carries its waters - all this is very impressive and fascinating.