Perhaps there is no person in Buryatia who has not heard about Lake Sobolkho. This small lake, located in the Yeravninsky district, which even a child can walk around in half an hour, for some reason is called "the abode of fear."
The name of the reservoir is translated from Old Mongolian as “bottomless” or “through”. Oddly enough, the exact depth of this lake is still unknown. Hard to explain things happen in its vicinity - people and pets disappear there from time to time without a trace. All of them are considered drowned, but they could not get anyone from the bottom.
Moreover, the animals that died on Sobolkho were sometimes found in completely different water bodies. The locals have long considered the lake enchanted and try to propitiate its inhabitants with spells. Scientists from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that Sobolkho is a classic example of a natural geopathogenic zone associated with the special structure of the earth's crust at a given point.
The lake has been considered ruin since the Middle Ages. And only in recent years it has calmed down its cool temper. And even then only because the people living nearby try to bypass it. Children are strictly forbidden to visit the lake, and their parents remember how they themselves, 40-50 years ago, disobeying the prohibitions of their fathers and mothers, still came here and the bravest ones swam across the narrow isthmus where a fast stream flows into the lake. But even the notorious daredevils never dared to swim in the middle.
Without a bottom Scientists, who showed interest in the unusual lake, investigated the bottom and the composition of the water. The strange stories that tell about Sobolkho finally interested scientists. As a result, from Ulan-Ude the correspondents of Itogov went to the lake as part of a whole scientific expedition, which included the head of the microbiology laboratory of the Institute of General and Experimental Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Bair Baysaraev, employee of his laboratory, Candidate of Biological Sciences Darima Barkhutova, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Buryat State University, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor Vyacheslav Khakhinov, Director of the Institute of Ecology of the Belarusian State University, Candidate of Geographical Sciences Endon Garmaev. On the way, we were joined by an old-timer of these places, local historian Sergey Bokhlaev. We had to get to the village of Domna,located on the shore of a mysterious lake. By the way, it is located just five kilometers from the old "royal road" along which Emperor Nicholas I made his journey across Siberia.
All the way a fine, disgusting rain drizzled. The closer we got to the lake, the stronger the rain became. The harsh, blowing from the north-upper hand was ripping to the bone: it seemed that it was about to snow. By the way, no one would be surprised at this, since the Eravna lakes are located in the permafrost zone.
Finally, the expeditionary UAZ, splashing mud and puddles, slowed down on the bank of a small, thirty meters in diameter, reservoir. “This is Sobolkho,” one of the members of the expedition dropped.
The place is not exactly creepy, but unpleasant. There is almost no vegetation around. Quiet. The water is almost black and icy to the touch. Our scientist satellites are launching a rubber boat. Equipment - a lag for measuring depth, tubes for taking water and bottom sediments. Professor Baysaraev takes up the oar and, together with a local resident Bair Naidanov, sets off from the shore. Baysaraev, it seems, does not care about everything - he crossed the equator five times in his life, explored all the world's oceans. His partner is also not fussy, after all, a former boxer. Everyone is curious about the depth data. “Four meters! - shouts the professor, and it's only two strokes of the shore. - Nine meters! Ten!"
The boat stops in the middle. The halyard with a load at the end sinks under the water for a long time: "Thirteen!" For such a tiny lake, the depth of almost a six-story building is unrealistic. It's just some kind of abyss. But, then, the lake is not bottomless? The boat takes a little towards the east coast, stops again, again the halyard goes down and … does not reach the bottom. A little to the right is the same. The somewhat puzzled professor and his assistant return to the shore, where Bair Naydanov confesses to the Itogi correspondent that as soon as they left the shore, he suddenly felt dizzy. The dizziness passed only after, on the advice of the professor, he looked for half a minute at the clouds floating overhead.
Chemist Vyacheslav Khakhinov analyzes the samples taken. “Your opinion, professor,” we asked Bair Baysaraev after he tried to go into the water in wet boots, having previously tied himself with a safety rope and with difficulty rearranged the legs along the viscous muddy bottom. “The lake is interesting,” the researcher replies. “A fast stream flows into it from the north, pouring about 220 liters of water per second. At the bottom of the lake on the east side and in the middle there is silt, and it is so viscous that, getting stuck, it is very problematic to get ashore without outside help. And on the south side, the bottom is sandy. Most likely, ice and lenses of permafrost immediately appear under the mud in the middle of the lake.
Perhaps, in their next expedition to Lake Sobolkho, scientists will arm themselves with an echo sounder. To be honest, picking up equipment for their first trip, they thought that a twenty-meter cable would be enough for them, because their experience suggested: in these latitudes, the depth of all reservoirs is 5 meters maximum. For example, lakes in Karelia, the Urals, Kamchatka, with similar sizes, almost never exceed the 10-meter mark. The only exception is one of the deepest glacial lakes of the Amur region, Karbokhon - up to 14 meters deep, but in size it is incomparable with Sobolkho.
In these places, which are considered the edge of extinct volcanoes, faults are considered a characteristic feature of the relief. And with faults it is accepted to associate the location of geopathogenic zones on the ground. The fact that it is in such zones that difficult to explain things can happen is not a secret for anyone. Therefore, scientists are in no hurry to draw final conclusions about the Sobolkho phenomenon. Apparently, the bottom of the lake is much larger in area than on the surface. We can talk about a giant network karst caves and tunnels, possibly connecting with other bodies of water. Only this can explain the disappearance of people and animals in the depths of Sobolkho and the appearance of drowned prisoners in completely different water systems. Another version is the presence of a fracture in the earth's crust in the form of a funnel, extending several kilometers in depth, at a mark below 15 meters. In 1995, a group of amateur divers from Irkutsk tried to survey the bottom of Sobolkho. One of the enthusiasts allegedly managed to walk along a long underwater channel to a nearby lake. However, as they say, he almost got lost in the underwater labyrinths and came out to the surface when the oxygen in the cylinders was already at zero.
As for the frequent deaths of people on the lake, scientists explain this simply: the water in Sobolkho is too cold (even in summer about 12-14 degrees), and the human body simply does not always withstand such a thermal stress. Another of the mysteries of the lake is the strange glow of a pinkish color, which from time to time on a clear moonlit night can be observed on the surface. We were not lucky - in the rain, as the old-timers said, we cannot see the glow. According to some assumptions, the reason for this phenomenon may be the release of thermal waters - carbonic or radon. Bottom and coastal water samples taken from the bottom showed that in the middle of the lake in the silt sediments there is hydrogen sulfide, but in insignificant amounts. Of course, the version of local residents who believe that the glow is the souls of drowned people and animals seems much more beautiful.who ask to find their bodies so that their souls can finally find peace.
Local residents have long considered the lake enchanted and are trying to propitiate its inhabitants with spells. Lake Sobolkho is one of the thirty-three lakes that are part of the Yeravno-Kharginsky system, which in Buryatia is commonly called the Thirty-three blue lakes. Indeed, if you look at sunny weather from the air, here and there the mirrors of small and large lakes glare. Outside the weather, they look completely different: cold, they are covered with small waves, and it seems as if they always looked so unfriendly.
How many thousand years are these lakes, stretching at an altitude of 1400-1700m above sea level and connecting with the Arctic Ocean through Vitimi Lena? Scientists believe that they have existed since the Proterozoic. There are a lot of interesting and sometimes unexplained stories about these lakes. For example, in one of the lakes it is enough to wash a couple of times to get rid of all eye diseases. There are two lakes located a few meters from each other, one of which is fresh, and the other is salty. Cozers are treated with respect here and to this day, with sacred horror, they remember how the Bolsheviks tried to use a one-small lake for irrigation purposes, which never dried up. Five workers who blew up its mouth died (an officially recorded fact) from an unknown illness one after another within a week, and the lake never decreased in its size. All the time that we were on the shore of the mysterious lake Sobolkho, all the members of the expedition did not leave a strange feeling. As if some living organism is invisibly present nearby. A silent cold lake (the water temperature in September is 10 degrees), in which not a single fish splashed before our eyes, although they say that perch, bream and crucian carp are brought here, like a huge eye, watching uninvited winks. The silence, unusual for a city dweller, was only occasionally cut through by the cries of disturbed birds.although they say that perch, bream and crucian carp are brought here, like a huge eye, watching the uninvited winks. The silence, unusual for a city dweller, was only occasionally cut through by the cries of disturbed birds.although they say that perch, bream and crucian carp are brought here, like a huge eye, watching the uninvited winks. The silence, unusual for a city dweller, was only occasionally cut through by the cries of disturbed birds.
In Buryatia, it is believed that pillars-amulets protect people from evil. Such pillars are usually placed either in sacred places or where a person is faced with inexplicable natural phenomena.
An absolutely incredible lake is located in the Yeravninsky district, near the village of Domny. There is nothing like this in Russia. It is called the Lake of Fear, the Lake of the Monster. Here people and animals are constantly disappearing without a trace. Bermuda Triangle of Buryatia? A fellow Loch Ness monster? These are just some of the attempts to explain the terrible riddle. However, the most common version, somehow shedding light on the strange and terrible incidents associated with the killer lake, is different. It feeds on people.
Correspondents of "Number One" left Ulan-Ude in the direction of the Yeravninsky district at 2 pm. To say that the road was bad is to say nothing. 330 kilometers through potholes and potholes, in unbearable heat. They drove up to Sosnovoozersk by nine. Here, the first thing to do was to find our mutual friend Oleg Dugarov - the head of the village club. Somehow they did not dare to appear on the Lake of Fear without a guide at midnight. Why at midnight - more on that later.
Then we talked with the locals. From what we learned, my blood froze in my veins. Lake Sobolkho was the most notorious in the area. It was considered sacred, it instilled horror and at the same time the desire to solve an incredible riddle.
Bair Maidanov: “Last year, my family and I rested on the bank of the Vitim River and witnessed a stranger drowning. Then I was told that he was an excellent swimmer. And this sacrifice is one of so many. They say that the lake literally feeds on human lives. The man's body was not found, as in many other cases."
Tsyregma Dorzhieva: * “One evening I was returning home and passed this lake. Suddenly I heard a scream. They called for help. I hurried to Sobolkho. But, oddly enough, there was no one where the voice came from. It was already getting dark, I was very scared and walked in quick steps towards the direction of my village."
Ekaterina Sambueva: “When I was little, my sister and I decided to swim in the lake. My sister entered the water first. At first, nothing foreshadowed trouble, but suddenly Anna, waving her hands, disappeared under the water. I was terribly scared and ran for help. Thank God, on the way I met a man to whom I explained the whole situation. He saved his sister - it's good that she didn't swim that far. We thanked the savior and went home, vowing to each other never to approach the Lake of Fear again.”
* Oleg and Margarita Dugarov: * “Our son was herding cows and accidentally wandered into this lake. The cows immediately went to the reservoir and began to drink. One of the cows sank into the water so far that her hooves began to sink, she moaned in alarm and backed away. However, her efforts were in vain, as if an invisible force was sucking the animal under the water; she published her last moo and disappeared into the depths of the lake.
We got to Sobolkho, which is 10 kilometers from the regional center, at about 12 am, as planned. A wonderful, almost idyllic picture opened before our eyes: mountains, forest, mirror surface of the lake, washed by the gentle glow of the moon. Nothing threatening. Except for the strange, subtle pink glow. It was because of him that we paid a visit to the monster at night.
Oleg, our guide: “Every midnight a strange pink glow appears over the lake. Locals believe that these are the souls of drowned people and animals who cry for help - to find their bodies so that their souls can finally find peace. To this day, no one can solve the secret of Sobolkho. This word is translated from Buryat as “through”.
There are only a few legends. One of them says that during the heavenly procession of Genghis Khan and his troops (according to an old legend, when Genghis Khan was defeated, he, like a son of heaven, was called to heaven, and then all his mighty army rose above the mortal earth and moved east) alone of the soldiers greatly angered the emperor. Grabbing the spear, Genghis Khan threw it at the soldier, but he managed to dodge. The spear hit the ground with such force that even the mountains trembled, the earth opened up and a hollow was formed. But the spear continued to drill the ground until water poured from the bowels of the earth. Everyone around here is sure that the lake simply has no bottom; its approximate depth is 250 meters. Further - the unknown …"
Oleg told us that a whole expedition of amateur divers from Irkutsk came here in 1995 to solve the mystery of Lake Sobolkho. They repeatedly submerged under water, trying to find the bottom. The efforts were in vain. Many of them nearly died. One daredevil dived so deep that he was sucked in by an underwater funnel. They were thrown onto the banks of the Vitim River, which flows a few hundred meters from the "through" lake. That is, the evidence of an underground channel connecting the lake and Vitim has been proven. Only by a miracle the diver survived. However, this is the only fact of the safe return of the bottomless monster who fell into the funnel. Our correspondent group did not have special equipment to investigate the reservoir in any detail.
So far, we have had a completely different task - to collect information. The correspondent of "Number One" only swam not far from the coast, not daring to swim further. Over the past ten years, over 300 horses and over 500 cows have drowned in Lake Sobolkho. There are also human casualties - 25 people have buried the Fear water lake in the last two years alone. How long will the lake harvest a terrible harvest, why this is happening and how true is the incredible assertion that Sobolkho has no bottom - we thought about this when we returned home. All these questions and secrets still await their researchers. We will definitely come back here. This is a phenomenon that needs to be studied in order to solve it, an expedition of scientists will be sent to the Lake of Fear.
Bolot Shaibogonov, Head of the Department of the Federal State Institution of the Russian Federation of Water Management in the East Siberian Region, comments:
Corr.: Tell me, is such a phenomenon as a lake without a bottom possible?
- This is not the first time I have heard of such a phenomenon. If, after all, there is a similar lake that does not have a bottom, then perhaps it is located on karst rocks (limestone).
Corr.: How do you explain the strange pink glow over the lake?
- This is a difficult question, most likely it depends on atmospheric phenomena. Perhaps there are outlets of thermal waters, i.e. some kind of break in the artery crust. Magnesium can give a pink glow under certain circumstances.
We also turned to BNTs for a comment on the phenomenon. Bair Namsaraev, head of the laboratory of microbiology: - This lake is really a natural phenomenon, and we will certainly study it. Only after research can you say something concrete and solve the Sobolkho mystery.