What is the fast or slow current of the Selenga? Selenga River and Selenga Delta

There are several hypotheses about the distant past of the river, according to one of which in ancient times (even before the formation of the Baikal depression) the Angara and Selenga were a single natural body of water. According to another hypothesis, this river was a tributary of the Lena.

But in fact, it is the largest tributary of the beautiful Lake Baikal. The Selenga River originates outside of Russia - in Mongolia.

Geography, river characteristics

Selenga is a river flowing through the territory of two states. It is formed from the confluence of the Muren and Ider rivers and flows into Lake Baikal. The extensive delta covers an area of ​​approximately 680 square kilometers. About half of the water flowing into Baikal comes from the Selenga.

Its length from the source of the river. Ider is 1024 km long. The basin has an area of ​​447 thousand sq km.

River for the most part flat. It is characterized by both basin-like expansions (up to 20 kilometers), where the river is often divided into channels, and valley narrowings (up to one or two kilometers). The Selenga River carries its waters across the territory of the two states. Mongolia is the country where the source is located.

On the banks of the Selenga River are the Mongolian city of Sukhbaatar, the Russian Ulan-Ude and Selenginsk (urban-type settlement). Navigation on the river is carried out all the way to Sukhbaatar.

The area of ​​the current delta, which is approximately 500 thousand years old, is approximately 540 sq km. Before the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, it was 2 times larger. Approximate age Selenga delta - 500 thousand years.

Based on the results of thorough research into the nature of the drawings (images of deer, goats, wild boars, camels and fish, hunting scenes), conclusions were drawn about the main occupations of the people living in those times. Images were also found here cosmic bodies, and this suggests that people could already navigate by the stars.

About the origin of the name of the river

There are the most different versions the origin of its name. From Buryat “sel” is translated as “lake, space, spill”, and from Evenki (Tungus) “sele” or “sele” is translated as “iron”, and the word “selenga” is “iron”.

In general, on the question of the history of the origin of the name of the river, there is no common point of view. The fact that the name “Selenga” was used back in those ancient times, when the Buryats as a people did not yet exist, speaks against the Buryat variant. The thing against the Tunguska is that Selenga had nothing to do with iron.

Source and tributaries of the Selenga River

The source of the largest tributary of Lake Baikal is the confluence of two rivers located in Mongolia. These rivers are Delger-Muren and Ider-Gol. The second, flowing in the northwestern part of the country, originates in the Khangai Mountains, and Delger-Muren - in the north of Mongolia in the Khovsgol aimag.

The largest tributaries of the Selenga are the Orkhon (in Mongolia), Egin-Gol, Dzhida, Khilok, Chikoy and Uda (in Russia), Temnik.

The Selenga River has a total length of 1024 kilometers. In Buryatia it extends over a distance of 409 kilometers (this is the lower reaches). The drainage basin has total area 445 thousand square kilometers.

Climate

In the river delta area, snow falls one to two weeks earlier than on the coast of Lake Baikal. The height of the snow cover reaches 23 cm. It begins to melt in early April. At the top of the delta the level snow cover usually even less. This is facilitated by its openness to the blowing winds.

Hydrology

At the state border between the Mongolian Republic and Russia, the average water flow is 310 cubic meters per second, and 127 kilometers from the mouth - 935 cubic meters. m sec. Freeze-up occurs from November to April.

On average, the Selenga River contributes about 30 cubic km of water to Baikal per year, which is half of the total inflow into the lake. Runoff in Selenga is unevenly distributed throughout the year. June and July are the most wet period, from January to March - the least.

It should be noted that, together with water, the Selenga River brings half of the total mass of incoming pollution to Baikal. The spring flood is quite stormy, the river level at that time rises from enormous speed(up to 20 cm per hour).

Huge volumes of sand, etc., enter Baikal with water (3.6 million tons per year), and during spring floods the amount of sand brought even reaches 7 million tons per month. The thickness of accumulated sediments in the river delta is estimated to be up to 5500 meters.

In my own way appearance the delta looks like a giant swampy meadow plain, which is divided into small islands with numerous oxbow lakes and channels. More than half (55%) drainage basin The river belongs to the territory of a neighboring state (Mongolia).

Fauna

The delta is home to 298 species of migrating and nesting birds, 70 of which are protected by the state (species are listed in the Red Book). This territory is one of the largest stopover points for migratory birds. The rarest species of birds living in the delta are the following: white-naped and black-headed cranes, peregrine falcon, white-tailed eagle, black-tailed godwit, etc.

The Selenga River is the habitat of many fish: perch, pike, ide and roach.

In autumn, the Selenga is visited by the Baikal omul, preparing for spawning. He is the main object of lovers fishing on the lake itself and in the Baikal region. When the water temperature in the river reaches 6 - 8 degrees (May-June), taimen immediately rush into the Selenga, which begin to lay eggs in places with the most rocky and pebble bottom.

The severe floods that occurred in the 1990s contributed to the massive spread of the rotan river delta. It was introduced from the Amur River basin in 1980. Sometimes fishermen also come across pyzhyan (Baikal whitefish).

In addition, the Selenga River is home to carp, burbot, Siberian roach, Baikal sturgeon and many other species of fish.

Flora

Vegetation in the shallow lakes of the Selenga delta is represented by floating vegetation (bladderweeds, duckweeds, hornworts) and plants attached to the bottom (urutaceae, water lilies, pondweeds, grasshoppers, arrow-leaved plants, marsh flowers).

Areas of the delta that are periodically flooded (swampy) are represented by reed thickets, horsetail, reeds, cattails, sedges and grasses. In less flooded areas, thickets of willows and other shrubs are common, as well as meadows. On some islands there are continuous thickets of apple berry trees.

Economic importance

The river is navigable to the city of Sukhbaatar. Coal mining is also carried out in the basin, and in the lower reaches of the river there are many sources of mineral waters.

At the beginning of the 20th century (1930), it was planned to build two hydroelectric power stations (HPPs) on the Selenga River: one near the railway bridge (lower than Verkhneudinsk), and the second below the mouth of the river. Khilka. Moreover, the second reservoir was supposed to have an area of ​​approximately 3 thousand square kilometers. And its power was estimated to be 2 times greater than the hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper.

Experts carefully studied the hydropower potential of the Selenga and came to the conclusion that the construction of the above-mentioned power plants on the river is not advisable due to the absence of large consumers of electricity.

Lake Baikal is magnificent and beautiful. The Selenga River, as noted above, or rather its delta, plays the role of an excellent natural filter. It actually performs the primary treatment of numerous wastewater industrial enterprises flowing through it into the lake. Although the delta looks picturesque in appearance, you still need to swim in the river with caution, and you should not use the water for food.

River delta listed the most unique phenomena nature of global significance. It belongs to the Central Protected Zone of Lake Baikal (section world heritage UNESCO).

The eastern part of the Selenga delta is occupied by the Kabansky federal ornithological reserve.

In conclusion, a little about environmental issues

Today, the area where the largest tributary, the Orkhon River (Mongolia), flows into the Selenga is especially problematic. It is known that the main largest industrial facilities are located in its basin Mongolian Republic, including a large deposit copper ores and approximately 200 gold-bearing ones.

Satellite images perfectly demonstrate how the color of the Selenga water changes after large masses of water flow into it from the Orkhon River.

Many experts see main problem is that the quality of water flowing from Selenga to Baikal is Lately is getting worse.

The length of the Selenga (from the source of the Ider River) is 1024 km, with 409 km of the lower reaches in Russia within 7 municipal districts and the Ulan-Ude Urban District of the Republic of Buryatia.

The basin area is 447 thousand km². The river is formed by the confluence of the Ider and Delger-Muren rivers.

It has a predominantly flat appearance with alternating narrowings (up to 1-2 km) and basin-like expansions of the valley up to 20-25 km, where it is often divided into channels, forming numerous islands.

When it flows into Baikal, it forms a vast delta with an area of ​​680 km². Selenga accounts for approximately ½ river waters, entering Lake Baikal.

Hydrology

The water regime is characterized by low spring floods, rain floods in summer and autumn, and winter low water.

The average annual water flow near the border of Mongolia and Russia is 310 m³/s, 127 km from the mouth - 935 m³/s. Freeze-up from November to April.

Tributaries

The main tributaries: Egiin-Gol, Dzhida, Temnik, Orongoy - on the left; Orkhon, Chikoy, Khilok, Uda, Itanza are on the right.

Settlements

The cities of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia), Ulan-Ude, the urban-type settlement of Naushki, the settlement of Novoselenginsk, and the village of Kabansk (Russia) are located on the Selenga.

Economic use

Until the end of the 20th century, navigation was carried out along the river from Lake Baikal to the city of Sukhbaatar. In the basin there is mining of brown coal, in the lower reaches there are sources of mineral waters.

In the first half of the 1930s, proposals were put forward to build two hydroelectric power stations on the Selenga: one at the railway bridge below Verkhneudinsk (Ulan-Ude), the other below the mouth of the Khilka. The first reservoir would have flooded the valley of the Ivolga River, the lowland part of Verkhneudinsk, up to the village of Vakhmistrovo (now within the boundaries of Ulan-Ude), and the valley of the Uda River in its lower reaches.

The second reservoir would have an area of ​​about 3000 km². The power of its hydroelectric power station was estimated to be twice that of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station.

In 1934, the hydropower potential of the Selenga and its tributaries was studied by specialists from the Hydroelectric Project Institute. As a result, the construction of power plants in Selenga was considered inappropriate due to the lack of large consumers of electricity.

The Selenga River is the most major influx Lake Baikal.

The name of the river “Selenga” comes, according to some sources, from the Evenk “sele” - iron, according to others - from the Buryat “sel”, meaning “space, spill”.

The river originates in the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic from the confluence of the Ider and Muren rivers. The total length of the Selenga is 1024 kilometers, of which 409 kilometers of the lower reaches pass through the territory of Russia (Republic of Buryatia). The drainage basin area is 445 thousand square kilometers.

The water regime of the Selenga is characterized by rapid spring floods, when the river level rises at a speed of up to 20 cm/hour; summer floods are mainly observed after heavy rains. The river is most abundant in June-July, least in January-March. Freeze-up lasts from November to April. On average, the Selenga brings about 30 kb/km of water to Baikal per year, which is about half of the total inflow into Lake Baikal. The average annual water flow is 310 kb.m/s near the Russian-Mongolian border and up to 950 kb.m/s at the mouth.

In the first half of the 1930s, it was proposed to build two hydroelectric power stations on the Selenga: one below Verkhneudinsk, the other below the Khilka mouth, and the capacity of the Khilkinskaya hydroelectric power station was estimated to be twice that of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station. In 1934, specialists from the Hydroelectric Project Institute investigated the hydropower potential of the Selenga and its tributaries. As a result, due to the lack of large consumers of electricity, the construction of power plants on Selenga was considered inappropriate.

Almost along its entire course, the Selenga has a predominantly flat character with alternating narrowings (up to 1-2 kilometers) and basin-like expansions of the valley up to 20-25 kilometers, where it is often divided into channels. When it flows into Baikal along a wide swampy lowland, the Selenga forms a vast delta with an area of ​​680 square kilometers.

Together with the water, the Selenga brings half of the total volume of pollution entering the lake to Baikal. The Selenga carries a huge amount of suspended solids to Baikal, on average 3.5 million tons per year. Due to huge amount suspended solids at the confluence with Lake Baikal, the Selenga forms a huge delta, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Selenga delta is a multi-kilometer thick layer of loose sediments carried by the river onto the steep slope of the Baikal rift. The thickness of precipitation in the Selenga delta is estimated at 5-5.5 kilometers. Externally, the delta looks like a giant meadow swampy plain, divided into islands by numerous channels. The area of ​​the modern delta is about 680 sq. km, and before the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station the delta area was twice as large. At the same time, the underwater part of the Selenga delta reaches the western shore of Lake Baikal. The Selenga Delta is about 500 thousand years old. The Selenga Delta is one of the most seismically active areas of the Sayano-Baikal zone; earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 10 are probable here.

The delta serves as a haven for 298 species of nesting and migrating birds, 70 of which are listed in the Red Book. This is one of the largest stopping points on the route of migratory birds, therefore the Selenga delta is included in the list of wetlands in Russia that fall under the International Ramsar Convention. Among the most rare species Birds living in the delta include: black and white-naped cranes, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, Asian snipe godwit.

In addition to birds, the Selenga delta is a favorite habitat for many species of fish: mainly perch, roach, ide and pike, which are numerous here. Severe floods of the 90s contributed to the massive spread of rotan, introduced in 1980 from the Amur basin, into the delta. With the onset of autumn, Selenga is visited by those preparing for spawning Baikal omul, which is the main object of fishing in the Baikal region and on the lake itself. At the end of May - beginning of June, as soon as the water temperature in the river reaches 6-8 degrees, taimen rush into the waters of the Selenga to spawn. The river is also home to carp, burbot, Siberian roach, and Baikal sturgeon.