Black Sea. Black Sea Marine atlas of the Black and Mediterranean Seas

The Black Sea is an inland sea that is part of the Atlantic Ocean basin. The Bosphorus Strait connects with the Sea of \u200b\u200bMarmara, then, through the Dardanelles Strait, with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. It is connected with the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov by the Kerch Strait. The border between Europe and Asia runs along the surface of the Black Sea. Sea area 422,000 sq. Km; (according to other sources - 436 400 sq. km.). The greatest length from north to south is 580 km. The greatest depth is 2210 m, the average is 1240 m. The sea washes the shores of several states: Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia. The main Russian cities are ports: Novorossiysk, Sochi, Tuapse.

The study of the Black Sea began in ancient times. Already in the IV century BC, periplas were drawn up - the ancient sailing directions of the sea. Another milestone in the study of the Black Sea was in 1696, when the "Fortress" ship sailed from Azov to Constantinople. Peter I ordered to carry out cartographic work during the voyage, a drawing of the Black Sea from Kerch to Constantinople was drawn, depth measurements were made. A more serious study was carried out in the 18-19 centuries. In 1816 FF Bellingshausen compiled a complete description of the Black Sea coast, in 1817 the first map of the Black Sea was issued, in 1842 - the first atlas, in 1851 - the Black Sea route.

The shores of the Black Sea are scarcely indented and, mainly, in its northern part. The only large peninsula is Crimean. The largest bays are: Yagorlytsky, Tendrovsky, Dzharylgachsky, Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosia in Ukraine, Varnensky and Burgas in Bulgaria, Sinop and Samsunsky - near the southern coast of the sea, in Turkey. The Black Sea is a unique nature, the most northern subtropics. Flora and fauna of the sea is diverse. Most of the modern inhabitants are brought from the Mediterranean. The fauna is represented by 2.5 thousand species of animals. Among the small marine life are mussels, oysters, a mollusc predator of rapana. Among the fish are sturgeon (beluga, sturgeon), various types of gobies, anchovy, red mullet, sea urchin, mackerel, haddock, horse mackerel, herring. Among mammals, the Black Sea is represented by two species of dolphins - the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin, as well as the white-bellied seal.

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspWith the Russians coming to the shores of the Black and Azov Seas during the time of Peter I, a period of systematic study of these reservoirs begins. By order of Peter I in 1696, the depth of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov was measured, which turned out to be very shallow. Many valuable observations and measurements were made by the "Fortress" ship on the way from Kerch to the Bosphorus. Based on these data, a map of the sea was compiled with depth marks and it was proved that south of Kerch there are great depths, in the central part of the Black Sea there are no shoals, as previously thought.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspBased on the observations made at the "Fortress", which laid the foundation for the hydrographic study of the Black Sea, in 1703 an atlas of the Black and Azov Seas was published with a navigational map of the route from Kerch to Constantinople.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Crimean peninsula and the Northern Black Sea coast, a powerful Black Sea fleet is being created to the Russian state, new ports are being built. Systematic hydrographic studies also began. In 1820 a Franco-Russian expedition describes the shores of the Black Sea. In 1825 - 1836. a special expedition led by E.P. Manganari maps the Black Sea and Azov shores in detail, as a result of which the first substantial atlas of the coast was published in 1842.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspExploration of the coast and measurement of the depths of the Black Sea continues on the orders and instructions of the famous Russian navigator and naval commander Admiral M.P. Lazarev. The Russian expedition (tenders "Hasty" and "Fast") during the exploration off the Turkish coast is accompanied by Turkish ships.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspAt the same time, the first studies of the chemical composition of the Black Sea water were carried out with an accuracy available for analytical methods of that time. The Russian chemist I. Gebel established (1842) that the salinity of the Black Sea is much lower than the salinity of the ocean: in a water sample taken far from the coast, south of Feodosia, he obtained a dry residue equal to 17.666 g per 1 liter of water. In 1871 - 1876. F. Wrangel and F. Mandel were the first to measure the temperature and density of surface sea water off the coast of the Crimea. Studies have determined that the density of the Black Sea water is lower than the density of the ocean, and this confirmed the opinion expressed by the ancient authors about the greater freshwater content of the Black Sea in comparison with the Mediterranean Sea.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp The beginning of systematic, detailed studies of the Black Sea was laid by two scientific events of the late 19th century. - study of the Bosphorus currents (1881-1882) and carrying out two deep oceanographic expeditions (1890-1891).
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspThe understanding of the underwater relief of the central part of the Black Sea, in contrast to the depths of the coastal part, continued to remain extremely unsatisfactory. The assumption of the existence between the Crimea and the Turkish coast of an underwater threshold dividing the Black Sea basin into the western and eastern halves gave rise to the Russian geologist I.I. Andrusov, who worked on the problems of the origin of the Black Sea and its geological history, to conceive a detailed study of the relief of the Black Sea bottom. At the end of the XIX century. on his initiative, a systematic and comprehensive study of the Black Sea was started. On December 30, 1889, at a congress of Russian naturalists and doctors in Moscow, Andrusov, in his extensive report, proved the need to study the relief of the Black Sea bottom.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspIn 1890, the first deep-measuring expedition was carried out. Studies have shown that the bottom of the central part of the Black Sea is a flat basin. It was sensational that all the samples taken from the bottom did not bring living creatures, the vessels only carried the smell of hydrogen sulfide. This proved that the depths of the Black Sea are lifeless. It has been proven that in all parts of the sea at a depth of more than 200 m, the water contains hydrogen sulfide.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspIn the matter of in-depth study of the physical and chemical characteristics of the Black Sea waters, a large role belongs to the Black Sea stations and research institutes: the Azov-Black Sea Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography in Kerch, the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, and the Marine Hydrophysical Institute in Sevastopol.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspData on the relief and geological structure of the Black Sea depression were clarified as a result of research carried out in 1956 - 1958. By the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences on the ships "Akademik S. Vavilov" and "Akademik Shirshov". About 40 thousand km of echo sounder lines and over 1000 km of seismic lines were made. The Institute of Geophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR was also engaged in the study of the Black Sea.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspAs a result of comprehensive studies, a more accurate map of isobaths, geophysical maps, and a geomorphological map of the Black Sea were compiled.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspUnder the leadership of the outstanding oceanologist V.P. Zenkovich, long-term studies of the dynamics and morphology of the Black Sea basin coastal area were carried out. A doctrine was created about the dynamics of the Crimean coast, which is currently developing in Ukraine.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspThe topography of the Black Sea bottom and the sediments covering it are being investigated with more and more advanced methods. A lot of new and interesting results are obtained from the analysis of samples taken from the bottom with the help of a specially designed device called "vibrating piston tube".
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspThe coastal underwater slope to a depth of 15 - 20 m was studied using aerial photography, and some areas were examined by scuba divers under the direct supervision of V.P. Zenkovich. Based on paleontological data and with the help of radioactive carbon, the age of the underwater terraces of the Black Sea shelf off the coast was determined.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspIn April and May 1969, as a result of comprehensive studies of the Black Sea basin on the Atlantis 2 vessel, American oceanologists determined the age of the three upper sedimentary layers: 3, 7, 25 thousand years, respectively. It was found that modern sedimentation processes at the bottom of the Black Sea basin are 10 times more intense than at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It turned out that the salinity of fossil waters in bottom sediments at a depth of up to 2 m is equal to 7 - 8%, that is, it can be concluded that the sediments were formed under almost freshwater conditions.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp In the summer of 1975, the American special vessel "Glomar Challenger" carried out three deep-water drilling in the Black Sea: one - in the deepest part of the Black Sea basin, the second - 50 km north-east of the Bosphorus, the third - 135 km south-west Sevastopol. The most interesting were the data from the last drilling: Pliocene deposits were found at a depth of 3185 m, and the thickness (thickness) of the Quaternary sediment layer was 1075 m.
& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbspIf we compare the height of the Pliocene sediments in the Burgas Lowland and the upper boundary of such sediments, reached during drilling in the sea southwest of Sevastopol, we get a difference of 3385 m. This shows that the modern Black Sea Pliocene basin was formed in the middle or at the end.

Under different wind conditions.

This manual can be used by mariners in order to choose the most beneficial sailing routes, in design and construction organizations, in research institutions when solving various problems that require knowledge of the regime and accounting for currents, as well as in educational practice in the preparation of specialists in the field of hydrometeorology.

Atlas data cannot be used to account for currents during dead reckoning, as well as to assess the regime of currents in coastal areas of the sea with depths less than 200 m.

When compiling the atlas, materials from oceanographic expeditions for the period 1951-1977 were used, as well as previously published manuals and results published in last years works and articles on the regime of currents and winds of the Black Sea.

The atlas was compiled at the 453 Hydrometeorological Center (453 HMC) under the general supervision of the head of the Hydrographic Service of the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet, Candidate of Naval Sciences Rear Admiral L.I.Mitin and the head of the Hydrometeorological Service of the Black Sea Fleet, Captain 1st Rank Engineer O.N.Bogatko, with the participation of head of the hydrometeorological detachment, captain of the 2nd rank-engineer V.N. Stetyukhno and captain of the 1st rank-engineer of the reserve | I. Ryndenkova |.

The development of methodological issues, management of the processing and generalization of materials, as well as the analysis of the results obtained were carried out by senior engineers at 453 GMC, captain of the 1st rank, retired
| R.I. Ivanov), N.I. Zhidkova, and a retired lieutenant colonel-engineer K.V. Shutilov. ) Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences S.G. Boguslavsky.
The processing, generalization and design of the materials were carried out by employees of the 453 State Medical Center and the Moscow State Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences with the participation of VB Titov, senior researcher of the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

The atlas was edited and prepared for publication in the 280th Central Cartographic Order of the Red Banner of Labor produced by the Navy by M.A.Kislova.

All reviews, suggestions and comments on the atlas, please report to the Main Directorate of Navigation and Oceanography of the USSR Ministry of Defense at the address: 199034, mountains. Leningrad, B-34.

Explanations for the atlas

The highest flow rates

Unstable wind and constant currents
Type No. 1, schemes No. 11 - 14
Northeast wind and wind currents
Types No. 21-27, schemes No. 21-27
East wind and wind currents
Types No. 31-35, schemes No. 31-35
Southeast wind and wind currents
Types No. 41-44, schemes No. 41-44
South and southwest winds and wind currents
Types No. 51-58, schemes No. 51-58
West wind and wind currents
Types No. 61-65, schemes No. 61-65
Northwest wind and wind currents
Types No. 71-75, schemes No. 71-75
North wind and wind currents
Types No. 81-86, schemes No. 81-86
Cyclonic wind and wind currents
Types No. 91-92, schemes No. 91-92

On August 2, 1981, the eruption began at 3 am, with a volume of up to 8-10 thousand cubic meters. and was accompanied by three hours, according to the shepherd I.I. Chaly, hum, push, but no flame. The year 1982 was also marked by the same type of eruption of the hill breccia. Ejections of large masses of mound breccias were accompanied by hum and tremors. On May 6, 2001, a paroxysmal catastrophic eruption of the Karabetova Gora mud volcano took place, accompanied by a strong rumble, tremors, flames, columns of thick smoke and dust up to 100 m high.A rounded mass of hill breccia up to 500 m3 was formed at the site of the explosion center. and a volume of up to 800 cubic meters, as well as centers of brick-red slag. The dry bulk gases selected later were studied for their chemical and isotopic-carbon compositions. The studied gases are mixtures of hydrocarbons of a number of methane and its homologues to iso- and normal pentanes and hexanes, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and helium, and in single samples - molecular hydrogen. On June 19, 2004, the eruption was repeated with a violent outburst of a mound breccia of about 47 thousand cubic meters. In the XIX century. on Karabetovaya Mountain, researchers distinguish 5 strongest eruptions, and in the second half of the 20th century - 4. The crater of the volcano (more precisely, the crater plateau), in the plan has the form of an oval elongated with a long axis from southwest to northeast at 1380 m, the width of the crater 860 m. Its surface is complicated by cones of mud hills (salz), mud flows, bulging domes and closed hollows, sometimes occupied by lakes. By the color of the mud, stages can be distinguished very clearly and the relative time of eruptions can be determined. There is a mud lake in the eastern part of the crater plateau. In its center, gases are constantly evolving. Liquid mud flows out in a stream along a well-worked hollow into the nearest ravine. There is a small active mud hill near the lake. It looks like a boot. In the upper part of the “top” there is a crater hole 40 cm long and 10 cm wide. The “top” is 65 cm high.

In the crater of the hill there is liquid mud. Its fresh streams can be traced to the bottom of the ravine. Near this salsa there is a dome of dried mud with a height of more than 0.5 m. According to local residents and travelers, the largest, active and beautiful Taman volcano can be called Karabetova Sopka. It erupts at intervals of 2 times a year - in spring and autumn. There is an outpouring of mud, and catastrophic eruptions, judging by the literary sources, are repeated approximately every 15-20 years. The slopes of the volcano, composed of mound breccia, are subject to intense erosion. Perhaps not a single uplift of the Taman Peninsula is cut as much by ravines as Karabetka. At the top of the volcano, the steps are clearly visible, corresponding to the periods of active outpouring of the hill breccia, as a result of which the plateau seemed to be built on, and the mountain grew upward. Maya Ivanovna Lyut, Director of Tamansky, spoke about the impressive volcanic eruption on Karabetka in June 1985 local history museum... - "... at the pre-sunset time on August 19, 1984, the population of the village of Taman was seriously alarmed by the behavior of a restless neighbor, the shepherds of sheep flocks were especially worried. At first, something rumbled inside Karabetka, so much so that cold sweat covered the skin, and everyone In a matter of minutes, a flame shot up over the volcano and, at the same time, a roar of deafening force was heard, very similar to the firing of a large-caliber artillery device. Columns of flame tossed up and went out, and the volcano threw huge stones over considerable distances. This continued for a little over an hour. At the same time, there was an outpouring of a solution of clay breccia and small stones; gas evolution. Such emissions, increasing in intensity, were repeated several times. Against the background of the evening sky, flashes were especially The chaos was not only on the volcano.

Karabetka's long stay in a "lethargic dream" set people in a carefree mood, and then the administration was alarmed. And many did not go to bed and tried not to use electricity. They called, of course, to Temryuk and prepared for the evacuation. But closer to midnight, it seemed that everything had calmed down, the activity of the eruption diminished, but the eruption of the mud-stone stream continued for several more days, gradually dying out ... "It is convenient to start the journey to the Karabetka volcano from the monument" MIG-17 Airplane ", installed by the pilots who heroically defended the sky during the Second World War. At the entrance to the station Taman from the fighter plane, the volcano is visible in all its glory, the distance in a straight line is 4 km, but the approach is 5-6 km due to the fact that it is very difficult to walk in a straight line on rugged terrain. The ascent will take 2-4 hours, depending on the preparedness of the group, on the goals and time of stay. If we consider that travel across the Taman Peninsula is generally associated with difficulties, we must bear in mind some circumstances. Summer heat oppresses the traveler, from 11 to 19 hours. rare rain drops evaporate before reaching the surface of the earth. There are no springs or sources of fresh water; all estuaries have brackish or very salty water; so many salts are dissolved in the water of volcanic lakes that it is absolutely impossible to drink it. Therefore, drinking water must be carried with you, as well as fuel, if you mean building a fire. Summing up the story about terrestrial volcanoes, we note that by the decision of the Regional Electoral Commission of the Temryuk Council of n / deputies No. 354 dated July 1, 1978, Karabetova Gora was approved as a natural monument. This decision was supported by the Krasnodar KIK from 07/14/1980. The ancient Greeks revered the god of fire, metallurgy and blacksmithing Hephaestus. He, like his Roman colleague Vulcan, loved to organize their forges - workshops in grottoes, inside volcanoes - fire-breathing mountains. Therefore, volcanoes received their own, which has become a household name, name: by the name of the god of fire - Vulcan.

It is impossible to ignore the heavy breathing of the earth, I mean the mud volcanoes located under the sea water of the Taman, Temryuk bays and the waters of the Kerch Strait. Most often, the mud underwater volcano Golubitsky (between the station Golubitskaya and the city of Temryuk, 200 m from the coast) erupted with explosive phenomena documented in the literature. On September 5, 1799, an underground rumble, crackling, a column of fire and black smoke was heard. The breccia, which erupted for two hours, created an island 100 m in diameter and 2 m high out of mud.The eruption coincided with the Lower Kuban earthquake of 1799 May 10, 1814, July 4, 1862 and October 22, 1880, a mud volcanic island accompanied by a pillar couple. In 1906, the eruption of a sea volcano was accompanied by smoke, the ejection of large stones and the formation of an island. In 1924, for several days at the very beginning of July, the volcano again reminded of itself by the creation of an ever-increasing island. On July 15, the peak of the eruption - for an hour, a column of fire, smoke, and the ejection of stones was observed. The size of the island is 81 x 58 m. According to the observations of the Temryuk lighthouse keeper I.D. Polovoy in 1929, explosive emissions destroyed the coastal mud bath. Further, the volcano erupted with the appearance of the island and the release of mud and water to a height of up to 100 m in 1945, 1950 - 1953, 1963, 1966, 1981, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2002. etc. Mud volcano Temryukskiy (Peresyp, Kazbek bank) has been "working" since 1979 annually with explosive emissions, up to 100 m high, stones, smoke, water and the appearance of an island. Volcano Tizdar Marine (Peresypsky) is located five kilometers north of the coast. On March 26, 2002, he created an island 500 m seaward. Recently, it "works" annually, indicated by a buoy. The water area of \u200b\u200bthe Kerch Strait hides many secrets: sunken ships, ancient settlements and, of course, numerous unidentified geological mysteries. Among them, one of the most interesting is the mud volcanoes of the strait. The controversy among scientists has not subsided for a long time.

Some say that there are no volcanoes (Academician N.I. Andrusov and others), others - assert their existence. So to the north of the strait there are several rounded shoals, the nature of which is not clear, but probably these are mud volcanoes. The author of one of the first essays on local lore about Kerch - Kh.Kh. Zenkovich, published in 1894, described in it the appearance of a small island in the Kerch Bay in 1880, which was washed out two weeks later. Its exact location is unknown, but its origin was then associated with "volcanic forces". Blevaka mud volcano is located on the Chushka spit, 7 km from its base. According to researchers V.V. Belousova, E.V. Felitsyna and L.A. Yarotsky - Blevaka - a cone of semi-liquid mud 3 m above sea level. When surveyed in 1986, the volcano consisted of two hills connected by bases, 2 m above the water with a base diameter of each about 20 m. Five griffins were located on gentle slopes, spewing liquid mud. In the summer of 1995, an island (25 x 30 m) was observed at the site of the volcano, only half a meter above the water, overgrown with reeds. Blevaka is considered to be a relatively inactive volcano. It lies approximately at the latitude of Mount Gorela. There is a smell of hydrogen sulfide near it. West of the cape Tuzla is a mud volcano, first described by S.A. Shepel. According to him, in 1914 a steamer ran aground in the strait. It turned out that in the zone of 9-meter depths a cone-shaped 4-meter shoal suddenly appeared, soil samples, which were represented by a hill breccia. Subsequent geological studies have shown the constant presence in the area of \u200b\u200bthe proposed location of this eroded sandbank of various anomalies (the appearance of spots, etc.). Not so long ago, geologists discovered a mud volcano on the Taman underwater slope southeast of the Kerch Strait. According to fishermen, another mud volcano is known in the Black Sea, southwest of Cape Skirda on the Kerch Peninsula. The Peklo Azovskoye mud volcano is very powerful and large.

Its main part is in the sea, and on the coastal beach profile, fragments of iron ore of the Cimmerian-Sarmatian age were found, i.e., there is an ore-bearing structure. Most of the Taman volcanoes have nicknames that were given to them by the sharp-tongued Black Sea Cossacks when they settled in the Kuban. Observing the "restless neighbors", they called them rotten mountains, burnt graves, hills, vomits. Most of these nicknames firmly stuck to the Taman volcanoes, since they all fell "not in the eyebrow, but in the eye." Miska volcano in Temryuk got its name from the shape of the crater. Slugs - for a sharp release of dirt, reminiscent of spitting. Blue Beam - for its location in a recessed location. It is also called the Azov volcano and Tizdar by the name of the mountain located about a kilometer from it, etc. Finishing the story of the volcanoes, let us briefly touch on the mud volcano of Mount Goreloy or Kuku-Oba, as it was called earlier. The mountain is located opposite the coast (beach) of the station Taman, across the bay and is a regular peaked hill, reminiscent of the tents of ancient nomads. The volcano is now asleep. Its explosive eruption in March 1794 was described in detail by academician P.S. Pallas. First, "a column of black smoke rose from the middle of the hill, and then a pillar of fire rose, which from a distance seemed 50 yards high in girth." The flame was visible for about three hours. For three days, mud flew out of the vent “two human heights”. The eruption was accompanied by thunderous rumbles. “... in March, a surveyor found a hole made by the eruption from 10 to 12 fathoms at the top of the Kuku-Oba hill and a gap inward about one arshin (an arshin is 71.26 cm - auth.) And a half in diameter, he saw still escaping steam and mud flowing out of the hole with oil. " P. Alekseev in his notes published in 1880 indicates that “the amazement of archaeologists was great when, according to the most precise instructions of Strabo, instead of the tomb of King Satyr, they find the mud volcano Kuku-Oba.

JULES VERNES - ABOUT THE MUD VOLCANOES OF TAMAN

During the eruption of this volcano in 1794, fragments of an antique statue were thrown out. "The volcano of Mount Goreloy, attracting the ancients by its location, was a kind of trap for them, leading to the destruction of settlements during catastrophic eruptions. In July 1794, Academician PS Pallas, who found shards of ancient vessels, amphorae, reeds and roots in the mud. He suggested that before the formation of the hill there was a burial mound in this place or was a place of sacrifices ... Which of the great science fiction writers wrote about the mud volcanoes of Taman? " or as they are also called mud hills, pouches, makalubs, saizy, pseudovolcanoes, rotten hills, burnt graves, pukes, etc. - wrote none other than Jules Verne himself in 1882 in the novel "The Stubborn Keraban." biography it follows that the writer traveled little and, of course, did not visit our area. So fiction is good because you can write about something that you have never seen. The author begins: "Taman is a rather miserable town." it reminds Lermontov very much: “Taman is the nastiest town of all the coastal cities of Russia.” However, the heroes of the novel crossed the town in a carriage, without stopping, and then set off along the southern coast of the Taman Bay - an area extremely rich for hunting. “At dinner hour,” the travelers stopped at one of the stations with a mediocre hotel, “but there was enough food in it.” On their further journey, they set off towards the Caucasus Mountains on a dark night. “It was about 11 pm when a strange sound brought them from half this state. It was a kind of whistle, comparable to that of seltzer water, escaping from a bottle, but ten times stronger. One might have thought that compressed steam was bursting through a pipe from some boiler.

When asked what was happening, the driver replied that mud volcanoes had awakened, and suggested that the passengers leave the carriage and walk 5-6 versts behind the carriage, as the horses might carry it. It was very dark, but if this happened during the day, “one could see: the steppe over an enormous extent seemed to swell with small cones of eruptions, similar to the huge anthills of Equatorial Africa. From these cones, correctly designated by the scientific name "mud volcanoes" (although volcanic activity in no way participates in this phenomenon), water, gas and bitumen escaped. Under the pressure of hydrogen mixed with carbon, a mixture of silt, gypsum, limestone, pyrite, even oil is forced outward. These bulges gradually increase, rupture and spew their contents, and then settle ... These erupting cones cover the surface of the Taman Peninsula in large numbers. They can be found in similar areas of the Kerch Peninsula, ”but there they were away from the road. Now someone has warned that you mustn't light a cigarette to avoid an explosion. “To smoke in this steppe is as dangerous as in a powder magazine,” they walked in the darkness and very carefully. The horses whinnied in front, reared up, and with a new blinding flash that illuminated a whole mile, the driver could not hold the team. “The frightened horses carried, the carriage rushed away with great speed. They all stopped. After this dark night, the steppe was a terrifying sight. The flame that arose on one cone spread to neighboring ones. They exploded one after the other as violently as batteries of fireworks with crisscrossing streams of fire. The plain was now brightly lit. In this light, hundreds of thick, fire-breathing mounds became visible, ablaze with gas and spewing liquid contents, some with the ominous sheen of oil, others with a variety of colors due to the presence of white sulfur, pyrite or iron carbonate.

To be continued in part 9

Pont Aksinsky, Scythian, Russian, Black Sea ... As soon as this dark water was not called! From time immemorial, a man has settled on its shores, drawing from the meager bowels of the gifts of Poseidon. The Black Sea washes the shores of Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Abkhazia and Georgia. Its transport and strategic importance for these countries is great, and their history is inextricably linked with the eternal struggle for ownership of the Black Sea region. The only large peninsula - Crimean, is like a prisoner, surrounded by salty embrace. Every year thousands of tourists come to the shores of the ancient sea, which now can rightfully be called the Russian one.

There is a sea in which I swam and drowned
And pulled ashore happily
There is air that I breathed in childhood
And I couldn't get enough breath
And I couldn't get enough breath
By the Black Sea ...

L. Utesov

During Ona

Being an inland sea of \u200b\u200bthe Atlantic Ocean basin, the Black Sea is connected by the Bosphorus Strait with the Marmara Strait, the Dardanelles Strait with the Aegean and Mediterranean and the Kerch Sea with the Azov Seas. The area of \u200b\u200bits water surface is 436 400 km².

One of the hypotheses for the origin of the Black Sea states that 7500 years ago the reservoir was the deepest freshwater lake on Earth. At the end of the Ice Age, the level of the World Ocean rose, and the Bosphorus Isthmus was broken. 100 thousand km² of fertile land was flooded. The emergence of the Black Sea was accompanied by the mass death of the entire freshwater world of the lake, as a result of the decomposition of the remains of which, hydrogen sulfide contamination of its depths occurred.

The origin of the name is associated with the properties and nature of the newly formed reservoir. The ancient Greeks called it - Pontus Aksinsky, which means "Inhospitable sea". The name "Scythian" is also found in ancient chronicles. In the "Geography" of Strabo, it is suggested that the inhospitable sea was nicknamed because of the difficulties with navigation, as well as the hostility of the tribes inhabiting its shores. However, the same Strabo has mentions that in antiquity the reservoir was called simply "the sea" (pontos). In the X-XIV centuries, in ancient Russian, Arab and Western sources, it is referred to as the "Russian Sea", which is associated with its active use by the Scandinavian navigators - the Varangians-Rus. In the "Tale of Bygone Years" there is a mention of this particular option: "And the Dnieper will flow into the Pont Sea with three zherela, the hedgehog sea to call Ruskoe" ...

Another version of the origin of the name "Black" is associated with the observation of sailors. It is based on the fact that anchors, lowered into the sea water deeper than 150 meters for a long time, were covered with a black bloom due to the action of hydrogen sulfide.

The first study of the Black Sea was undertaken by the ancient Greeks, who in ancient times founded settlements on the shores of the Crimea. Already in the IV century BC they made up the periplas - the ancient sailing directions of the sea. Greek and Roman authors, such as Pliny the Elder, very accurately described the size of the sea, its depth, analyzed and observed the local climate. Ancient geographers told about the seasonal migrations of fish, noted the influence of rivers flowing into it, in particular, paid attention to the desalination of sea waters.

In the 6th-7th centuries, the Slavs became frequent guests of the Black Sea. In the days of Kievan Rus, the waterways begin to plow through the nozzles (a deckless vessel with high sides). According to the chronicles, hundreds of ships participated in the campaign of the legendary Oleg against Constantinople in 907 and the Bulgarian campaign of Svyatoslav Igorevich in 968-971.

Hydrographic work in the Black Sea began during the reign of Peter the Great. Equipping the ship "Fortress" for sailing from Azov to Constantinople in 1696, Peter ordered to carry out cartographic work along the way of its movement. Thus, a "direct drawing of the Black Sea from Kerch to Tsar Grad" was drawn up, and depth measurements were also taken.

At the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, Russian scientists academicians Peter Pallas and Middendorf studied the properties of the waters and fauna of the Black Sea. At this time, scientific expeditions are regularly carried out.

In 1817, F. F. Bellingshausen published the first map of the Black Sea, and in 1842 - the first atlas.

The initiative to create permanent scientific stations on the Black Sea belongs to the outstanding Russian scientist and traveler NN Miklouho-Maclay. In 1871, the first biological station was put into operation in Sevastopol. Today it is the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, which is engaged in systematic research of the living world of the Black Sea.

Flora and fauna

The population of the Black Sea is noticeably poorer than, say, the Mediterranean. You will not find starfish, hedgehogs, octopuses or cuttlefish here. However, the world of the "inhospitable" sea is only at first glance meager. 2500 species of animals live here, of which 500 are unicellular, 160 are vertebrates and mammals, 500 species of crustaceans, 200 are molluscs ...

No less interesting is the flora of the sea, which includes 270 species of multicellular green, brown, red bottom algae. The low salinity of the water and the constant presence of hydrogen sulfide at depths of more than 200 meters complicate and sometimes even make life here impossible. However, the Black Sea has become home to shallow-water and coastal species. At the bottom of it, mussels, oysters, scallops, as well as a rapan predator brought to the Crimea by ships from the Far East, feel great. Crabs are hiding in the crevices of the coastal rocks and among the stones, by the way, shrimp lovers also have something to profit from!

The Black Sea was chosen by jellyfish, various types of gobies, mullet, red mullet, mackerel, horse mackerel, herring and garfish. Sturgeon and salmon are found here.

Mammals are represented by two types of dolphins: the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin, the Azov-Black Sea porpoise, and the white-bellied seal.

There is even a shark in the Black Sea, however, it is rare. The katrana is also called the "prickly shark" because of the dorsal fins, which are equipped with large spines. Fish use them to defend against attacks. For a person, the injection of katran is not fatal, although it is quite painful. The miniature shark is rather shy, it very rarely comes to the shore. But who is really worth fearing is the "sea dragon". This fish also has spines on the dorsal fin and gill covers. However, it is worth remembering that these thorns contain a strong and dangerous poison for humans.

Well, the most romantic creature that lives in the Black Sea is called a night light. This planktonic species of algae is endowed with phosphorus. It is the night light in August that makes the Black Sea shine with amazing shades of blue and green.

Black Sea in art

Without the Black Sea there was no Aivazovsky, or rather his masterpiece canvases depicting all his hypostases and states. Storms and calm, sunsets and sunrises, peaceful idylls and fiery sea battles, the artist created many works, inspired by the Crimean coast.

During the Soviet era, Crimea was a mecca for filmmakers. "Scarlet Sails", "Amphibian Man", "The Diamond Arm", "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession", "Assa" and many other legendary films were filmed against the backdrop of the Black Sea. Among them, Sergei Eisenstein's film "Battleship Potemkin", filmed in 1925, received worldwide fame.

The Black Sea theme is a red line in the works of many writers, poets and musicians. Mikhail Bulgakov, Konstantin Paustovsky and Valentin Kataev dedicated their works to the sea. The song "At the Black Sea" by Leonid Utyosov is probably known not only to people of the older generation, but also to young people, since its meaning, glorifying beauty, love and tenderness, is eternal.