Shalkar (Kokshetau)

For other uses, see Shalkar (disambiguation).
Shalkar
Шалқар
Sentinel-2 image of the lake in 2021
Shalkar is located in Kazakhstan
Shalkar
Shalkar
LocationKokshetau Hills,
Kazakh Uplands
Coordinates53°12′N 68°24′E / 53.200°N 68.400°E / 53.200; 68.400
Part ofKokshetau Lakes
Primary inflowsKoi-Bagir
Primary outflowsTyun-Tyugur
Basin countriesKazakhstan
Max. length9.49 kilometers (5.90 mi)
Max. width2.95 kilometers (1.83 mi)
Surface area29.6 square kilometers (11.4 sq mi)
Average depth5.34 meters (17.5 ft)
Max. depth11 meters (36 ft)
Residence timeUTC+6
Shore length138.4 kilometers (23.9 mi)
Surface elevation309.7 meters (1,016 ft)
Islands3
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Shalkar (Kazakh: Шалқар; Russian: Шалкар) is a lake in Aiyrtau District, North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.[1]

Aiyrtau village lies a little to the south of the southwestern tip of the lake and Shalkar village to the southeast of the eastern tip. There are resorts by the lakeshore.[2][3] Lake Shalkar is part of the Kokshetau National Park, a protected area.[4]

Geography

Shalkar lies in the western sector of the Kokshetau Lakes. It is an elongated lake stretching in an ENE-WSW direction with a cove at the eastern end. The entrance of the cove is 164 meters (538 ft) wide. The southern shore is steep, with up to 8 meters (26 ft) high cliffs, while the remaining lakeshore is gently sloping. The bottom of lake Shalkar is flat, with sandy and rocky areas. There are three islets near the eastern shore of the lake. The water is slightly brackish. Lake Imantau is located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) to the southwest, Zhamantuz lies 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the west, Saumalkol 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) to the northwest and Ulken Koskol 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) to the north.[1]

The Koi-Bagir river flows into the lake during the spring floods from the northwestern side. The outflow of lake Shalkar is river Tyun-Tyugur, flowing southwards from the southwestern end.[1][2][5]

Flora and fauna

There are forests close to the southern shore of the lake, with birch, aspen and sea buckthorn, among other trees and shrubs.[5] From the fish species living in the lake, the perch is autochthonous. The least cisco, peled, carp, Prussian carp and crucian carp found in lake Shalkar have been introduced.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "N-42 Topographic Chart (in Russian)". Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Google Earth
  3. ^ Nature of the Republic of Kazakhstan, volume 3, part 2
  4. ^ Kokshetau National Park map
  5. ^ a b Lake Shalkar in Kokshetau park
  6. ^ Состояние гидробионтов водоемов особо охраняемых природных территорий республиканского значения северного и центрального Казахстана