DOCUMENTATION OF A SUDDEN KARSTIC LAKE DRAINAGE EVENT IN THESHULGAN RIVER VALLEY
Publication Date: 2025/03/01
Publication Volume: Journal of Cave and Karst Science 87 #1
Publication Keywords: Karstic lake drainage, Lake Ygyshma, Shulgan River Valley, Hydrogeochemical processes
ABSTRACT:
This article presents hydrological, hydrogeochemical, and mineralogical features of karstic lakes located in the basin of the disappearing, karstic Shulgan River (southern Ural, Russia). The lakes are currently isolated from karstic channels by bottom sediments; for several decades, their levels were relatively stable. We document a case of a “breakthrough” drainage event (occurring approximately once every 50 years), which occurred in 2021–2022 and the subsequent recovery of one of the lakes, Lake Ygyshma. Thanks to hydrological monitoring at the Goluboe Ozero spring and in the Shulgan-Tash Cave, it was possible to record the time of the breakthrough and the time of lake water transit, confirming the hydrogeological connection between lakes and the underground Shulgan River. This paper proposes a conceptual model of the evolution of isolated karstic lakes and the formation of the unconventional (for epigenic carbonate karst) hydrogeochemical characteristics in them (enrichment with metals, gases, etc.).
SIMPLE LANGUAGE SUMMARY:
This article talks about a strange and rare event that happened in a valley in Russia, where a lake called Lake Ygyshma suddenly drained away. The lake is part of a karst landscape, which means the ground underneath has lots of caves, cracks, and tunnels made from limestone. For many years, the lake stayed full, because the bottom was sealed by natural sediments (like mud and sand). But in September 2021, the sediment "plug" broke, and the lake water rushed down into the underground cave system. Scientists were lucky enough to be studying the area at the time, so they could track the water using special tools. They found out that the water flowed through the caves and popped out of a spring 2.8 kilometers away, proving that the lake is connected to an underground river. After the lake drained, water started coming back in through natural springs around the empty basin. Some of this water was full of iron and gases, and even created new minerals and bacteria in the mud. The scientists studied these changes and found that the lake’s chemistry became very different from normal lake water. They believe this kind of drainage event happens only about once every 50 years, and it teaches us a lot about how underground water systems and karst landscapes work.
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