A Mystery, a Tragedy, Russia’s Lake Goluboe

Every good story starts with a mystery, this one is no different. Given it’s location – in the North Caucasus, between the Black and Caspian Seas, Lake Goluboe is truly a mysterious place. The lake itself and the surrounding area are truly beautiful but the odor that comes from this lake isn’t that pleasant, it emits hydrogen sulphide throughout the summer which gives off a peculiar odor and taste. The lake, known for its unique blue color, stays at a steady 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit), and doesn’t freeze.

The mystery itself is that the lake moves approximately 30 to 50 cubic meters a day of dissolved gypsum into the river that leaves the lake, signalling erosion of cavities somewhere down below within it’s depths. The lake itself is a karst lake which in itself is not unusual, they don’t usually show signs of an incoming river or stream nor do they usually have a river as a outlet. They can rise and fall depth wise, with the seasons but Lake Goluboe doesn’t do this. So the mystery begins.

On Dec. 29th, 2011 an international team came to the lake of which only has 2 other known counterparts in the world, one being Saskatoon in Mexico and Vaucluse in France. But they have already been thoroughly researched. Goluboe lake in the Caucasus up to this point had never been explored. It is very likely that this could be one of the largest underwater caves in the world. It was during this exploration that death of one diving explorer and the hospitalization of another occurred. The Divers of Awareness Project were understandably shocked and saddened by the loss of Rodionov, but they made the decision to continue with the exploration of the lake in memory of their lost team member. There are secrets that still needed to be revealed.

There is a legend that during World War II trucks loaded with bottles of wine and military hardware may be lying on the bed of this lake, the other is that this lake is on the path of a caravan route and artifacts maybe found somewhere in it’s depths. Today Lake Goluboe is becoming a destination not just for the lake but also for the surrounding beauty as well.

Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/27/62991436/

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/27/62991436/

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The Mysteries and Tragedy of Russia’s Bottomless Karst Lake.