Tuimsky failure (Khakassia): a tourist site of technogenic origin

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Tuimsky failure (Khakassia) is a depression surrounded by steep mountain walls, the height of which reaches 125 meters. This tourist site has a man-made origin.

Tuimsky failure (Khakassia): history until the middle of the 20th century

The presence of mineral deposits near the village of Tuim first became known at the beginning of the last century. They were discovered by the French engineer De Larue. He had 4 daughters, and he named each of the deposits after one of them: Julia, Daria, Lydia, Teresia.

The thirties were marked by the organization of the Tuim-Wolfram association, which was engaged in the extraction of copper, lead, gold, tungsten, molybdenum and iron.

"Tuimlag", formed before the war, is mentioned by Solzhenitsyn in his famous work "The Gulag Archipelago". The memoirs of local old-timers also confirm that in the late thirties political prisoners were kept here, who mined molybdenum at the mine and processed it at the processing plant.

During the Great Patriotic War, scheelite-tungsten mined in Tuim was used as an additive to alloy steel, which was the material for the manufacture of tank armorT-34.

Mine

The mine at the site of the failure began to work in 1953. Work underground was carried out mainly with the help of jackhammers. Underground explosions were also practiced. They led to the gradual subsidence of the mountain.

The export of ore was carried out on trolleys, then the mined minerals were sent to the factory. Its productivity by the standards of that time was quite high: 500,000 tons per month.

Formation of failure

In the 1950s, livestock began to disappear from the inhabitants of the village of Tuim. It was during the search that a large number of breaks and displacements in the mountain were discovered.

In 1954, the formation of a failure began to emerge. The diameter of the original depressions was about 6 m, and by 1961 it had reached 60-70 m.

In 1974, mining operations were h alted as many safety violations were discovered. According to rough estimates, 140,000 tons of copper remained unmined in the bowels.

In 1991, a small earthquake occurred in those parts, which provoked the collapse of part of the soil. As a result, the Tuimsky failure (Khakassia) was formed, the diameter of which at the moment is more than 300 meters, while this value is gradually increasing.

In 1996, the Tuimsky failure was discussed after Yuri Senkevich devoted one of the episodes of the TV show "Travelers' Club" to this unusual place. Already in the 2000s, the filming of the program "Fear Factor" took place there.

Tuimsky failure (Khakassia): how to get there

Located at a distance of 190 km from the city of Abakan.

If you leave from Lake Shira, then you need to move to the village of the same name, past the railway station, in the direction of the village of Tuim. The whole distance to the place is approximately 20 kilometers.

There is an interesting sight along the way that you should pay attention to. On the 9th km of the road, right on the rocky spur, there is a funerary-cult monument, which is an echo of the Okunev culture. It is called Tuim-ring. In the central part there are burial slabs, under which a female priestess and two children are buried. There are 4 huge stones along the circle line, which mark the directions of the four cardinal points. To the east of the burial place, a symbolic road of small width was laid out, it is bordered by several stones. This unique monument is somewhat reminiscent of the English Stonehenge, although it is not so large in size. The spirit and mysterious energy of this ancient burial place covers the surrounding space as if with an invisible veil.

After entering the village of Tuim, at the first big fork, you need to turn right. You will see the ruins of an enrichment factory. You need to go to them. Then you should move through the railway crossing, and then turn left. After a few minutes of the way, another turn to the left will appear, in front of which there is a sign with the inscription "Failure". If you are traveling by car, you can safely turn off. But if the car is heavy, it is better for safety reasons to drive straight for another two kilometers, until the entrance toadit.

As soon as the Tuimsky failure (Khakassia) becomes visible, the first thing that strikes the imagination is the height of the mountains. Then, when the gaze is turned downwards, the blue-green water of the lake at the bottom of the artificial crater becomes visible.

In the vertical rocky walls of the failure, you can see the holes leading to the tunnels through which copper was taken out on trolleys.

Tourism

If you decide to go to the Tuimsky failure (Khakassia), do not forget about security measures. Its walls are very unreliable and crumble quite often. Therefore, you should not go close to the edge.

The last major crash happened in November 2010. It is better to use the observation deck, from which the entire panorama of the failure is visible.

Tuimsky failure (see photo below) is a very popular tourist attraction.

This miracle, which is half man-made and half natural, is truly worth a visit. For extreme people, a very dangerous entertainment is offered - a bungee jump, and diving enthusiasts can try to swim to the unexplored bottom of the lake. So far no one has succeeded.