Lake Chebarkul (the map is shown in the photo below) is located on the territory of the Southern Urals, in the eastern part of the Ural Mountains, administratively - in the Chelyabinsk region.
Name
The name of the lake comes from a mixture of two languages - Bashkir and Tatar.
- In Bashkir "sibur" means "beautiful", "kul" means "lake".
- In the Tatar language "chybar" means "motley", "kul", as well as in the first case, "lake".
So it turned out "beautiful motley lake". Indeed, Lake Chebarkul (Chelyabinsk region) is one of the most beautiful reservoirs in Ural Switzerland. It is variegated with aquatic plants that grow in abundance along its winding shores. The lake gave its name to the city located on its eastern shore.
History
Primitive people inhabited the surroundings of the lake 40,000 years ago. There are more than forty archaeological sites from the Neolithic to the early Iron Age on the southern and southwestern shores.
In the Middle Ages, the territory adjacent to the lake was inhabited and developed by the tribes of Tatars andBashkir. In the 17th century, the development of this region began by the Cossack freemen, "artisans" and free peasants. In 1736, the Chebarkul fortress was founded on the eastern shore of the lake. She performed the task of a transit point for the delivery of food to the capital of the province - Orenburg. But, despite the appearance of the fortress, Lake Chebarkul and its environs remained a refuge for robbers and other "dashing people" for a long time. In memory of that time, one of the islands is called "The Robber".
The Pugachev uprising did not bypass these places. In 1774, the fortress was taken by rebels; their camp was located on its territory and along the shores of the lake. Retreating after the defeat from government troops, the "Pugachevites" burned the building. Subsequently, the restoration of the fortress took two years. Later it turned into one of the largest cities in the Southern Urals - the city of Chebarkul (Chelyabinsk region).
Origin and geology
Chebarkul is a lake of tectonic origin. Scientists determine its age at about 10 thousand years. The shores of the lake are mostly rocky, but there are also low-lying, swampy areas. Rocks - gneisses, quartzites and pyroxenites. The coastline is uneven, often steep.
Lake Chebarkul has several islands. In the northern part - Kopeyka, Two Brothers, Ship, Robber, near the eastern shore is the island of Golets and near the southern - the largest - Grachev. The coastline forms peninsulas Krutik, Nazarish,Linden, Cow Cape and others. Its unevenness contributed to the emergence of many large and small bays and backwaters, called by the locals "chickens".
Description and hydrology
The height above sea level, at which Lake Chebarkul is located, is 320 m. Its area is 19.8 square meters. km. The maximum depth of the reservoir is 12 m, the average is 6 m. Chebarkul contains 154 million cubic meters. m of water. Fluctuations in its level are insignificant - 1.25 m. The highest water level is in June. The freezing of the lake occurs in November, and the melting of ice ends in early May. The water is fresh, the mineral content in it is 0.3679 g per liter.
The lake is fed in a mixed way. Precipitation dominates the water supply. But small rivers also play a significant role. Elovka flows into the lake, a channel from the lake. Spruce, watercourses Kudryashivka and Kundurusha. In Chebarkul, the river originates. Koelga, included in the basin of the river. Obi. There are also spring sources in the lake.
The water level in the reservoir under the influence of natural factors (dry or, on the contrary, snowy years) fluctuated slightly. But in the 1970s, he began to fall critically. By 1990, it reached 318 m above sea level, while the norm is 320 m. This was caused not so much by a series of particularly dry years, but by too intensive consumption of lake water for the needs of the Chebarkul region (Chelyabinsk region). The intake should not exceed 3.6 million cubic meters per year. However, the city then consumed about 8 million cubic meters. m of lake water. Measures were taken to saturate the reservoir - the channels were expandedrivers flowing into it, a water conduit was built from the Kambulatovsky pond, exploration of artesian sources near the city was carried out. All this gave its results - since 2000, the water in the lake began to gradually rise, and by 2007 its level returned to normal.
Nature and wildlife
There is a dense coniferous forest on the western shore of Chebarkul. Linden groves, rare for the South Ural plantations, are also found there. They also grow on almost all islands in the lake. On the eastern shore, forest-steppe vegetation prevails - fields with a rare birch forest and thickets of wild sea buckthorn. Willow, alder, and shrubs grow in abundance near the water itself.
Lake Chebarkul is rich in sedge, reed, reed, pondweed and cattail. This vegetation is especially abundant near the low-lying shores of bays and backwaters. Thickets of these plants are a favorite place for wintering and spawning of fish. In the middle of summer, the water often blooms, especially in the same chickens.
The fauna of the lake is traditional for the Ural lakes. This is primarily fish - carp, crucian carp, chebak, bream, pike, perch, ruff and some others. Such diversity is supported by the Chebarkul fish factory. He also carries out commercial fishing. The lake is open to all fishing enthusiasts who can fish on it all year round. In its vicinity, mainly in the western part, there are roe deer, hares, foxes, and sometimes moose appear. In swampy chickens, lizards and snakes feel at ease. Poisonous vipers are frequent guests on Lake Chebarkul. Rest here can be arranged all year round, but you need to bemindful and avoid wetlands.
Interesting fact - meteorite
Today Chebarkul lake is known all over the world. Such popularity was a significant event. On February 15, 2013, a meteorite exploded over the territory of the Chelyabinsk region at an altitude of about 50 km. Lake Chebarkul became the site of the fall of a fragment weighing about 600 kg. In September of the same year, part of it (4.8 kg) was raised from the bottom. Now it is in the Chelyabinsk Museum of Local Lore.
