A giant moody rock towering above the waters of the Barents Sea, the island of Kildin is an incredible mystery of nature. In this place, everything is unusual, starting from the inhabitants, names, history of development by people to geology, landscapes and Lake Mogilnoye.
Island location
In the north-eastern part of the Barents Sea, a few miles from the exit from the Kola Bay, is Kildin. The gloomy stone community is located at the intersection of the main sea routes leaving Murmansk. One of them goes through Scandinavia to Europe, the second - to the White Sea. This is the largest island, which settled near the Murmansk coast, bordering the Kola Peninsula.
Island history
In 1809, bloodthirsty English filibusters barbarianly plundered the island of Kildin, or rather, a settlement based on its hilly plateau. The devastated area has turned into a wild uninhabited area for a long time. Since then, a piece of the island in the southeast, a bay, a cape and a lake have one name - Grave. In the 19th century, they developed an ambitious project for building a harsh rock, the island was to become a metropolis. However, nothing of the kind happened.
A young Norwegian couple Eriksen settled on the island. Three generations from the Eriksen clan have lived on the island for approximately 60 years. At the dawn of the 20th century, regional authorities were engaged in the development of Kildin's infrastructure, investing a decent amount of investment.
In the same period, the Social Democrats portraying fishermen found refuge here. They used Kildin Island as a transit point. Political literature illegally brought from Norway intended for shipment to Arkhangelsk was brought here.
The young Soviet government zealously took up the development of a stony pay. In a short time, enterprises were created on its lands. There was a place for a fishing artel, an iodine factory, a polar fox fur farm and other organizations. Before the war, all residents were resettled in the Murmansk region. The Eriksen family was repressed. The island was turned into a strategic military facility.
The military era of the island was destined to last until the 90s of the last century. Its territory was equipped with observation posts, communication points, air defense, missile systems, and a frontier post. They put a marine battery and a missile regiment on it, took care of creating the appropriate infrastructure.
Today, a handful of residents and a small number of military facilities occupy the island of Kildin. The photos reflect his harsh technogenic landscapes, abandoned expanses with miserable remains of former greatness - powerful military equipment, office buildings and residential buildings.
Island Description
The geological structure of the island of Kildin is almost unlike the mainland. Its relief is very different from that on the Kola Peninsula. It is mountainous, with gentle slopes, which here and there are covered with moss and forbs. From the west and north, its high coasts are steep and steep. The north coast is increasing in height from east to west.
A stream flows along the bottom of a deep canyon, which occupies part of the northeastern territory. From the steep northern and southern peaks, waterfalls fall. A convenient bay crashes into the southeast coast of the island. Sea vessels, having entered the Mogilnaya bay, are moored to the shore for anchorage.
The Barents expedition, opening the Mogilnaya bay in 1594, put it on a geographical map. The attendants of the Solovetsky Monastery on the southeast coast maintained their crafts for two centuries (in the 17-18 centuries). A little east of the bay lies Mogilnoye Lake.
Flora and fauna
The island is home to many species of birds, among which there are those listed in the Red Book. Kildin Island is inhabited by gulls, buzzards, geese, ducks and polar owls. The Barents Sea is a habitat for dolphins, belugas, killer whales. Shoals of herring, cod, halibut and catfish are found in it. Seals and seals roost on the coasts. In the waters of the Zarubikha, Tipanovka and Klimovka rivers, pink salmon, salmon and Arctic char are scurrying around .
On Kildin there are hares, foxes and brown bears. Endemic grows on its lands - the golden root (Rhodiola rosea). At first glance, it seems that the trees on a hilly plateau are missing. But it is worth taking a closer look - one can see how, among the herbs, an endless string of stubborn dwarf birches stretch, interspersed with bushes of flowering willow, barely reaching a knee in height.
Grave Lake
About two millennia ago, an unusual relict lake formed on the island. The unique lake on the island of Kildin is formed by several water layers. The bottom layer is the dead zone with all the annihilating hydrogen sulfide. The top one is a source of fresh water. The middle part of the reservoir is filled with salt water with marine inhabitants. The middle layer became the abode for the rarest endemic, mutated fish - Kildin cod, which is protected by the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Between the lower hydrogen sulfide and the middle salt “floor” there is a layer - cherry colored water. Purple bacteria live in it - a living impenetrable barrier that can trap and absorb deadly gas. If bacteria suddenly disappear from the lake, hydrogen sulfide will begin to rise in the upper layers, turning the reservoir into an unsuitable place for life.
A unique world-class reservoir, which has no analogues, although it is listed as a Federal natural monument, environmental protection activities to protect it leaves much to be desired. According to scientists, Kildin Island, Lake Mogilnoye is a relict natural place, deserves more attention, care and further research.
Lake characteristics
In ancient times, the relict lake was part of the Barents Sea. It was formed due to the fact that the sea coast rose. The pond has spread over an area of 96,000 m 2 . In length, it stretches for 560, and in width for 280 meters. In the depths of the lake with clear green water goes 17 meters.
The hydrochemical balance between the salt and fresh layer is maintained due to the fact that water from the Barents Sea oozes through the earthen isthmus, which separated the lake from the ocean. The shaft is 70 meters wide and 5.5 meters high. The upper water layer with a depth of 5 meters greatly desalinates surface sediments.
Four zones are distinguished in the lake, which differ in the degree of salinity. Aquatic inhabitants inhabit the first three layers. Rotifers and crustaceans are found in the fresh layer. Sea waters are inhabited by jellyfish, crustaceans and sea cod. Purple bacteria settled in highly salted water , intensively releasing hydrogen sulfide into the lowest lifeless "floor" of the reservoir.