Gazebo on Lake Aya and mountain ash branch. The Altai Mountains, Siberia, Russia
Aya means “moon” in the Altaian language. This lake is the most-visited lake in Altai. It is situated on one of the terraces of the Katun River at a height of 50 m above river level. Aya Lake is a unique water body: there are no rivers or streams that flow in or out of it whereas the water level of the lake remains the same all the time regardless of spring floods or downpours. The lake has a maximum length of 409 m, width of 190 m, and depth of m. On the bottom of the lake there are several deep wells (springs) reaching up to 1 m in diameter through which the lake is fed by crystal clean ground waters. The lake is a peculiar pressure indicator. When the air pressure falls and the rainy weather sets in the lake starts evaporating the gases that are dissolved in it (ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methane). This spreads a particular odor around the lake. The lake’s special appeal is a small rocky island on which a pine tree and a birch tree grow. The island is called Zmeiny (Snake) Island. In truth there were times when the island was home to lots of snakes.
Size: 4855px × 5024px
Location: Lake Aya Altay Altai Mountains Siberia Siberian Russian Federation Russia
Photo credit: © Pavel Filatov / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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