Lake of fountains

In Russia, near the city of Urzhum, there is a lake of fountains Shaitan, which in translation means "Satan", "demon". This name was given to the lake because of the mysterious eruptions on the surface of the huge fountains of water.

In Russia, near the city of Urzhum, there is a lake of fountains Shaitan

As scientists have established, this extraordinary phenomenon of nature depends on combustible gases, which, formed at the bottom of the lake due to the increased decomposition of accumulations of algae, peat and other plant remains, are thrown to the surface by powerful fountains.

The same lake fountains can be called Lake Ilmen, located in the north-west of the Russian Plain. In coastal areas, it spills water fountains from time to time. If you throw a lighted match in any of them, it immediately flashes a bright, smokeless flame. In winter, local fishermen punch holes in the ice... they are lit and heated in such an unusual way. Fuel for these fires are combustible gases that form at the bottom of the lake.

There are other types of lake fountains. In the mountains of the Western Tien Shan is the "Devil's" lake. For a long time, he was circumvented by the entire local population because of the deafening mysterious explosions that often came from there. As it turned out, the "Devil's" lake of fountains is located in a large fault in the thickness of the earth's crust. As a consequence, various gases, nitrogen and methane come from the cracks of the earth here. Mingling, it is they who cause mysterious explosions.

A large natural barn of combustible gases is the African lake of Kivu fountains, which was formed in a deep basin in the territory of Rwanda. Its depth is 780 m, and a powerful 25-meter layer of strongly "carbonated" water is located on a separate "floor" here at a depth of 300 m. It is estimated that in the waters of the Kivu Fountain Lake there are huge reserves of combustible gas - over 50 billion cubic meters. The difficulty is only how to get it from there.

Finally, an extremely interesting lake of fountains is on the slope of the Karymsky volcano in Kamchatka. Despite the fact that this lake is quite deep, you can go to the ford...

For a long time this mystery intrigued the scientists. But now she is solved. It turns out that constantly the gushing gas pushes out from the bottom of the lake a lot of fine grains of sand and even pebbles that together with the gas bubbles create a reliable bridge along which it is possible, by plunging on the chest, to force a deep lake. But the water in it is quite hot.

Of course, on the globe you can find more than one such lake of fountains.

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