The Arctic has always attracted the attention of military sailors and travelers, but remained a poorly explored territory that kept many secrets. One of its mysteries is the small island of Zhokhov, whose population hunted polar bears 8,000 years ago. Large-scale research work carried out on the island helps to answer the question of how the climate and the face of the planet have changed over the millennia.
Geographical characteristics of Zhokhov Island
Zhokhov Island is located in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. It is part of the De Long archipelago and is considered one of the New Siberian 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 located 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.
Total area - 58 sq. km. The terrain is hilly. The highest elevation is 120 meters high. On a small stretch of land there are several small lagoons-lakes into whichstreams flowing with fresh water. The island has flat, gently sloping shores in the southeastern part. In the north and northwest, 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 a stable ice sheet forms from early October.
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 are limestones, bas alt and xenolithic rocks, in which there are inclusions of olivine. It is they who form the oceanic crust, hidden under thick layers of fossil ice.
On the coast, the soil is a sandy-silty ground, when thawing, you can find the tusks of mammoths and rhinos, the bones of horses and other animals. Such finds indicate that Zhokhov Island, where the permafrost zone is currently located, was a site with mild climatic conditions several millennia ago. During the geological work, minerals of garnet, zircon, apatite and some other minerals were discovered here.
Flora and fauna of the island
Zhokhov Island, the photo of which can be seen in the article, is the Arctic tundra. The average annual air temperature is -7 °C, in winter it reaches 40 degrees below zero with wind speeds up to 40 m/s. During the short Arctic summer, which occurs in July-August,the soil does not have time to thaw to a great depth. Therefore, the flora is represented by thin mosses, lichens and herbs that 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 on the soil. But even in such harsh conditions, sometimes you can meet polar poppies and saxifrage.
Due to the cold climate and poor flora, the fauna of Zhokhov Island is not very diverse. Here you can find colonies of sea birds, but its main representatives are arctic foxes and polar bears. Of the marine animals, walruses and seals live here, adapted to the existence in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. In addition, there are whales and killer whales. In the summer, northern ducks and geese can be seen on the waters of the island.
Polar weather station on the island
In 1955, a polar station was organized on the island, where 28 people worked. There is no permanent population in the harsh Arctic zone. The change of polar explorers was carried out every two years. The station monitored the weather, seismic activity and ice movement in the area of the De Long archipelago.
Fuel for diesel installations, 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 wardroom, and a kitchen. When the Soviet Union collapsed, difficulties arose withsupply and maintenance of expensive infrastructure. Financing of work on the study of the Arctic was terminated. The station was closed in 1993.
The need to develop the islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago, study the ice situation and predict weather conditions has again arisen due to the fact that oil and gas deposits and other minerals have been found in the Arctic. In 2014, meteorological observation systems were restored in the northern seas. The program also included Zhokhov Island, on which an automatic weather station was installed. It is currently transmitting weather data to Roshydromet.
History of the discovery of the island
The need to explore 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 B altic Sea to the shores of the Far East. For this, a hydrographic expedition was created. She decided on the passage of the Arctic Ocean, starting from the Bering Strait to the Barents Sea. Then no one knew that there was a large archipelago to the north of the Taimyr Peninsula.
Until 1912, research was carried out in the Bering Strait and adjacent seas. In 1913, it was decided to cross from Chukotka to Arkhangelsk on the icebreakers Taimyr and Vaigach. They were commanded by captains B. A. Vilkitsky and P. A. Novopashenny. During the transition, the icebreakers had to disperse. "Taimyr" headed for Cape Chelyuskin, and "Vaigach" started searching for the "Sannikov Land", which he did not find. Since the sea was calm and there was almost no ice on the surface, the ship followed the route north of the previously laid route.
On August 14, 1914, watch officer Aleksey Nikolaevich Zhokhov noticed an island in the East Siberian Sea. It wasn't on the map. It was called Novopashenny Island. When Captain P. A. Novopashenny emigrated from Russia, in 1926 the island was renamed Zhokhov Island in honor of the lieutenant who saw it first.
Zhokhovskaya parking
In the period from 2000 to 2005, excavations were carried out on the island. At this time, they found the site of ancient northern people who hunted polar bears and deer. Scientists also arrived on Zhokhov Island. Attractions in the form of artifacts from archaeological excavations, 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 the excavations were carried out was 570 square meters. m. The collection of archaeological finds includes items made of stone, wood, mammoth tusks, as well as birch bark wickerwork.
It is known that in the settlement there were from 25 to 50 people, among whom were women. The discovered objects indicate that the meat of polar bears was eaten, which was not found in any of the previously found northern settlements. The ancient northern people also hunted for furs. Bone remains of dogs have been found that indicate they were bred on the island.
As a result of complex research, it was found that the people who lived on Zhokhov Island wereto the Uralic language family. They came there from the Urals or from Western Siberia. At present, the East Siberian region of the Arctic has been studied least of all. 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.
