Aikhal village in Yakutia was founded relatively recently in 1961. In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), this settlement is part of the Mirny district, known for its mining industry, including diamond mining.
History of creation
The village of Aikhal was created in the Republic of Sakha, when forwarding agents in January 1960 discovered a kimberlite pipe here . She received the name of the same name with the future village. After finding the source, it was decided to build a company in this uninhabited taiga area that mined diamonds and other minerals. Now the Aikhal rock deposit is widely known for the fact that in addition to deposits of kimberlite and ore, diamond deposits are mined in it.
In 1960, work began on the construction of a mineral processing factory, and already in 1961, the hardest minerals, diamonds, were mined there. In the same year, the village of Aikhal in the Sakha in Yakutia was formed .
Thus, we can say that this settlement was founded by prospectors during search expeditions that discovered a kimberlite pipe.
Population and infrastructure
The population of the village of Aikhal is small - in 2017 the number was about 14 thousand people, the sex ratio is about half. The distance from the village to the regional center - the city of Mirny, is about 500 km.
As for the municipality as an industrial center, on the territory of the Aikhal settlement in the Sakha in Yakutia there is a mine, a mining and processing complex, it produces building materials, and also conducts exploration expeditions.
What are the spiritual and cultural objects of the village in Yakutia? In Aikhal now work: a theater of folk art, a palace of culture, as well as a sports complex. The spiritual objects of the village are the mosque and the Orthodox Church. In addition, there are several schools in the village, there are preschool institutions and training centers.
Geographic features
The village is conditionally divided into two component parts: upper and lower. There are five-story concrete buildings in the upper part of the village, and old wooden buildings in the lower part.
The main enterprises that manage the economy of the settlement are AK Alrosa and the local mining and processing complex.
The construction site of the village of Yakutia - Aikhala, is located near a river called Sohsolooh, which translates from the Yakut language as "river with a trap." According to local legend, in the fall, during the period of freezing, many deer drowned in this river, trying to cross to the other side.
Climatic conditions
In a small village of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Aikhale, a harsh subarctic climate operates. It can also be described as continental, that is, with a small amount of rainfall, very frosty winters and hot summers. In the vicinity of the village lower temperatures are observed.
This village is located in the permafrost zone. At a depth of up to 15 meters, the temperature of the soil all year round is from -3 to -6 ° C. The power of the zone with a negative temperature reaches 1100 meters. In summer, soil rocks in Aikhal thaw a little by a couple of meters, and peat soils by only 0.5 meters.
Nuclear explosion incident at Kraton-3
In 1978, near the village there was a nuclear explosion, designated as "Kraton-3". Its capacity was 19 kilotons. This peaceful explosion was made specifically for the study of the surface of terrestrial rocks with the participation of geologists of the Soviet Union.
During the preparation of the industrial explosion, mistakes were made, as a result of which a cloud with radioactive radiation was formed. The received doses of radiation affected the expedition members in the amount of 26 people, as well as the population of the village. The total number of irradiated was 80 people. Of these, all received varying degrees of exposure.
Since the place where this incident occurred is very close to the village (about 50 kilometers), it often attracts various mystical stories, according to which people see UFOs and find strange bones.
For example, residents claim to have seen a UFO near the village. There is a legend that unearthly creatures have their own base in the taiga near Aikhal. Also, local hunters often discover huge territories scorched by unknown symbols. According to residents, in order to see an unidentified flying object, one must go through the taiga deserts to the north for 4 hours.