The Arctic has always attracted the attention of sailors and travelers, but remained a poorly studied territory, which kept many secrets. One of its mysteries is the small island of Zhokhov, whose population hunted polar bears as early as 8000 years ago. Large-scale research work carried out on the island helps to get an answer to the question of how the climate and appearance of the planet have changed over the millennia.
Geographical characteristics of the island of Zhokhov
Zhokhov Island is located in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. He is part of the De Long Archipelago group, is considered one of the Novosibirsk islands. It belongs to the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Russia). The distance to the mainland is 440 kilometers, the nearest island of Vilkitsky is 40 km away. The island stretches in length from south to north for 11 km, the width of the northern part is 10 km, in the southern part it is 4 km.
The total area is 58 square meters. km The terrain is hilly. The highest hill has a height of 120 meters. On a small plot of land there are several small lagoon lakes into which streams flow with fresh water. The island has flat gentle shores in the southeastern part. In the north and north-west, the slopes are steep, their height in some places reaches 12 meters. The sea off the coast of the island is shallow. It freezes in September, and from the beginning of October a stable ice cover forms.
The geological structure of the island
Zhokhov Island was formed 10-20 million years ago. The relief structure consists of underground ice and rocks located in permafrost. Among them, limestone, basalt and xenolithic rocks, in which there are inclusions of olivine, stand out. They form the oceanic crust hidden under thick layers of fossil ice.
On the coast, the soil is sandy-silty soil, upon thawing of which one can find tusks of mammoths and rhinos, bones of horses and other animals. Such findings indicate that the island of Zhokhov, where the permafrost zone is currently located, was a millennium ago a site with mild climatic conditions. During geological work, minerals of garnet, zircon, apatite and some other minerals were discovered here.
Flora and fauna of the island
Zhokhov Island, a photo of which can be seen in the article, - This is the Arctic tundra. The average annual air temperature is -7 ° C, in winter it reaches 40 degrees of frost at a wind speed of up to 40 m / s. During the short Arctic summer, which happens in July-August, the soil does not have time to thaw to great depths. Therefore, the plant world is represented by thin mosses, lichens and herbs, which grow in small groups. Almost all representatives of the flora cling to the ground, fleeing from the cold wind. There is no continuous vegetation cover on the island. In many places, rocky soil protrudes from the soil. But even in such harsh conditions, you can sometimes find polar poppies and saxifrages.
Due to the cold climate and scarce flora, the fauna of the island of Zhokhov is not diverse. Here you can find colonies of seabirds, but its main representatives are arctic foxes and polar bears. Of marine animals, walruses and seals live here, adapted to exist in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. In addition, there are whales and killer whales. In summer, northern ducks and geese can be seen on the water bodies of the island.
Polar weather station on the island
In 1955, a polar station was organized on the island, where 28 people worked. In the severe Arctic zone there is no permanent population. The change of polar explorers was carried out every two years. The station monitored the weather, monitored seismic activity and the movement of ice in the area of the De Long archipelago.
Fuel for diesel plants, products and equipment were delivered to the island by AN-12 aircraft. For this, an airfield and wooden houses were built. They housed living quarters, a weather station, a radio room, a mess room, a kitchen. When the Soviet Union collapsed, difficulties arose in supplying and maintaining expensive infrastructure. Arctic research funding has been discontinued. In 1993, the station was closed.
The need to develop the islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago, study the ice situation and forecast weather conditions again arose due to the fact that deposits of oil and gas and other minerals were found in the Arctic. In 2014, meteorological observation systems in the waters of the northern seas were restored. The program also included the island of Zhokhov, on which an automatic weather station was installed. She is currently transmitting weather data to Roshydromet.
History of the discovery of the island
The need to study the Northern Sea Route arose in Russia after the defeat in the war with Japan in 1904-1905, when it was necessary to transfer ships from the Baltic Sea to the shores of the Far East. For this, a hydrographic expedition was created. She decided to go through the Arctic Ocean, from the Bering Strait to the Barents Sea. Then no one knew that to the north of the Taimyr Peninsula there is a large archipelago.
Until 1912, research was carried out in the Bering Strait and the seas adjacent to it. In 1913, it was decided to move from Chukotka to Arkhangelsk on the Taimyr and Vaigach icebreakers. They were commanded by captains B. A. Vilkitsky and P. A. Novopashenny. During the transition, the icebreakers had to disperse. “Taimyr” headed to Cape Chelyuskin, and “Vaigach” set about searching for “Sannikov Land,” which he never found. Since the sea was calm and there was almost no ice on the surface, the ship followed the north of the previously laid route.
On August 14, 1914, a watch officer Alexei Zhokhov noticed an island in the East Siberian Sea. He was not on the map. It was named Newfound Island. When Captain P. A. Newfound emigrated from Russia, in 1926 the island was renamed Zhokhov Island in honor of the lieutenant who saw him first.
Zhokhovskaya parking
Excavations were carried out on the island between 2000 and 2005. At this time, found a site of ancient northern people engaged in hunting for polar bears and deer. Scientists also arrived on the island of Zhokhov. Sights in the form of artifacts from archaeological sites, they began to study in detail. By the way, these findings indicate that people lived here 7.8-8 thousand years ago. The total area on which excavations were carried out amounted to 570 square meters. m. In the collection of archaeological finds there are products from stone, wood, mammoth tusks, as well as birch bark woven items.
It is known that in the settlement there were from 25 to 50 people, among whom were women. Discovered objects indicate that the meat of polar bears was eaten, which was not found in any of the northern settlements found earlier. Ancient northern people also hunted for furs. Bone remains of dogs were found that indicated that they were raised on the island.
As a result of complex studies, it was found that people who lived on the island of Zhokhov belonged to the Uralic language family. They came there from the Urals or from Western Siberia. Currently, the East Siberian region of the Arctic is the least studied. However, it is part of Russia's strategic interests and is of great interest not only to politicians, but also to geologists, biologists, and other scientists.