Lake Elgygytgyn Explained

Elgygytgyn Lake
Pushpin Map:Russia Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Chukotka, Russia
Location:Chukchi Peninsula, northeast Siberia
Coords:67.5°N 172°W
Type:Impact crater lake, oligotrophic
Outflow:Enmyvaam
Catchment:293km2
Basin Countries:Russia
Length:12km (07miles)
Width:12km (07miles)
Area:110km2

Lake Elgygytgyn, also transcripted El'gygytgyn, (Russian and Chukchi: Эльгыгытгын) is a crater lake in Anadyrsky District, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in northeast Siberia, about southeast of Chaunskaya Bay.

The word "Elgygytgyn" means "white lake" in the Chukchi language.

The lake is of particular interest to scientists because it has never been covered by glaciers. This has allowed the uninterrupted build-up of of sediment at the bottom of the lake, recording information on prehistoric climate change.

Geography

Lake Elgygytgyn is an impact crater lake located in the Anadyr Plateau, part of the Anadyr Highlands. It is drained to the southeast by the Enmyvaam, a tributary of the Belaya. It is approximately in diameter and has a maximum depth of . The lake is centered within an impact crater with a rim diameter of that formed 3.6 million years ago during the Pliocene.[1] Before it was reliably dated, preliminary papers in the late 1970s suggested either Elgygytgyn[2] or Zhamanshin[3] as the source of the young Australasian strewnfield.

Scientific drilling

In late 2008 and early 2009, an international team conducted a drilling program targeting three holes in Elgygytgyn Lake. The resulting cores are designated ICPD Site 5011-1 and 5011-3.[4]

Fauna

The conditions in Elgygytgyn lake are extremely severe for fish life, being classed as an ultra-oligotrophic lake and the surface covered by ice for around 10 months of the year. Even so, there are three species permanently inhabiting the lake's harsh aquatic environment, all species of char.[5] These are Salvelinus boganidae (Boganid Char), S. elgyticus (Small-mouth Char) and Salvethymus svetovidovi (Long-finned Char).[6] The two latter species are endemic to the Elgygytgyn lake. All three species are adapted to the lake's extremely cold waters, which are generally just above the freezing point, and spend most of the year in total darkness. It may start to melt in the summer, but some years it never fully thaws.[7] The lake is also home to more than a dozen endemic diatoms.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. El'gygytgyn. Elgygytgyn. 2009-08-19.
  2. R.S. Dietz (1977), Elgygytgyn Crater, Siberia: Probable Source Of Australasian Tektite Field Meteoritics, June 1977, Vol 12, Issue 2, p. 145–157
  3. B.P. Glass (1979), Zhamanshin crater, a possible source of Australasian tektites? Geology, July 1979, v. 7, p. 351-353
  4. Melles . etal . 2011 . The Lake El'gygytgyn Scientific Drilling Project – Conquering Arctic Challenges through Continental Drilling . Scientific Drilling . 11 . 10 . 29 . 2011SciDr..11...29M . 10.2204/iodp.sd.11.03.2011 . free.
  5. http://flyfishingrussia.com/articles/elgygytgyn-lake-endemic-fish-long-fin-char Fly Fishing Russia – The Elgygytgyn Lake, Chukotka
  6. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/19878/all Salvethymus svetovidovi
  7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2640517 Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in the lake