Atomic lake Chagan - an experimental project of the USSR

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In the 60s of the last century, at the height of the Cold War between the USSR and the United States, both countries competed not only in the space sphere. As you know, this race ended with the fact that it was the Americans who landed a man on the moon. Both countries were actively testing atomic weapons.

And not only for military purposes. In the USSR, there was a so-called "Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy" program, during which Soviet scientists considered the possibility of using atomic bombs to solve industrial and other non-military tasks.

The idea of using the energy of a nuclear explosion for solving non-military tasks, for example, laying water canals, extracting minerals, destroying glaciers and other peaceful purposes, the Soviet leadership can say "spied" from the West. In 1957, the United States launched the so-called Operation Plowshare, or as it was called in the Union, "Operation Ploughshare". Within its framework, the Americans made 27 peaceful nuclear explosions. In 1973, the program was declared hopeless and closed. A similar program appeared in the USSR in 1965 and was carried out until 1988 on the territory of the Yakutsk, Kemerovo, Uzbek SSR and other regions. A total of 124 peaceful nuclear explosions were carried out within its framework.

How the atomic lake Chagan was created

The program began with a project to create an artificial lake Chagan in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan. Subsequently, it received the name Atomic Lake. According to the scientists' idea, the funnel created as a result of a nuclear explosion could be used to create an artificial reservoir. At high temperatures from the explosion, the edges of the funnel and the bottom should have melted. Thus, the water that got into the lake, for example, as a result of spring floods, could remain there. It was planned to place at least forty such reservoirs in the arid Kazakh steppes. Scientists envisioned using them to solve the problems of summer drought, as well as watering places for farm animals. But the scientists' arrogance ultimately let them down.

The first industrial explosion in the USSR took place on January 15, 1965 in the floodplain of the small river Chagan, which is a tributary of the Irtysh. For this, scientists created a well with a depth of about 178 meters and laid a nuclear charge with a capacity of 140 kilotons in it. The power of the explosion turned out to be so great that 10.3 million tons of soil were lifted into the air to a height of more than 950 meters.

A crater 100 meters deep and 430 meters in diameter was formed at the site of the explosion. Tons of rock were scattered over a radius of several tens of kilometers.

Satellite image of Lake Chagan (round crater)

In the spring of the same year, work began on digging canals to drain flood waters from the Chagan River into the funnel. The work was carried out very quickly. Scientists wanted to be in time before the spring flood. But in the end, when all the engineering work was completed, an artificial reservoir with a total volume of about 20 million cubic meters appeared on the territory of Kazakhstan.

Soviet specialists understood that melt water could carry settled radioactive dust from the entire region to the Irtysh, therefore, to prevent such consequences, a protective platinum was also erected on the lake. According to various sources, between 180 and 300 people worked in the blast zone. All subsequently developed chronic diseases due to high doses of radiation.

They tried to populate the lake with animals

At first, the USSR was proud of this project. They shot a film about the achievements of the Soviet peaceful atomic program. And yes, they even swam in the lake. The first swim was made by the Minister of Mechanical Engineering of the USSR.

In the late 60s, a biological station was built near the lake, which conducted a number of experiments to study the effect of residual radiation on living organisms. More than three dozen different species of fish, more than two dozen species of molluscs, as well as mammals and almost 150 species of various plants were launched into Lake Chagan.

It is noted that up to 90 percent of all these organisms subsequently died. But not because of radiation, but because of their uncharacteristic habitat. But on the remaining 10 percent of the animals that could survive in these conditions, the radiation had a very strong effect. Many species have mutated and passed on the genes of these mutations to subsequent generations. In particular, some species of fish and other aquatic life have increased in size. In the mid-70s, the research station was closed.

Is Lake Chagan dangerous today?

Undoubtedly. Lake Chagan is included by the government of Kazakhstan in the list of areas especially badly affected by nuclear tests. Some species of fish still live in the lake, but it is highly discouraged to eat them. The water contained in the lake is not suitable for drinking and irrigation of agricultural land. The level of radioactive substances contained in it is hundreds of times higher than the permissible standards. Nevertheless, this does not stop some local residents who bring livestock here to watering.

Despite the radiation hazard, the Chagan atomic lake today, like the Chernobyl exclusion zone, is a place that attracts tourists from all over the world.