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Protection of lake Ecological monitoring Components of the environment and natural resources Ubsoil Exogenous processesExogenous Geological Processes
The data were provided by the following organizations: Irkutskgeophizika FGUNPGP, TTs Buryatgeomonitoring GP RB, Zabaikalsky TTs GMSN GUP Zabaikalgeomonitoring, Rosgeolfond FGUNPP
The territory of the Central Economical Area of the Baikal Natural Area features a wide range of hazardous exogenous geological processes -- abrasion, erosion, karst, thermokarst, mudslides, sand slides, landslides, rockslides, avalanches, ice build-up, ice thrusts on the Baikal Lake shore, etc.
In 1927, the mudslide floods at the southern shores of the Baikal Lake resulted in disruption of railway operations for 14 days. In 1932, 1934, 1938, 1960, 1962, the mudslides resulted in destruction of several houses and other damage in Slyudyanka Settlement. In 1971, powerful and destructive mudslide flows took place across virtually all water flows of South Western Pribaikalsky Region. As a result, there was large-scale damage. Within 2 days, the natural disaster resulted in significant damage. For 7 days, the Trans-Siberian railway mainline did not operate, while 20 kilometers of the railway was flown into the Baikal Lake, mudslide flows resulted in damage to several bridges; in several areas the Federal Automobile Highway Irkutsk-Ulan-Ude was damaged; the cable communications line was damaged.
Landslides and cave-ins processes take place in the mountains and sub-mountains regions and pose a hazard for electric power lines and automobile highways of local and federal significance, for instance, R-258 (M55) "Baikal" "Irkutsk-Ulan-Ude-Chita", A-164 "Kulkut-Orlik".
The landslides are frequent within the Central Economical Area of the Baikal Natural Area. There are regular anti-mudslide measures implemented, for instance, at the section of the East Siberian Railways from Tankhoy Settlement up to Babushkin Settlement. The Western shore of Ol'khon island is in many places prone to mudslide processes. Avalanches are frequent in the mountainous regions of the Central Economical Area of the Baikal Natural Area. Tourists, skiers and extreme snowboardists die every year under the avalanches in the Khamar-Daban Mountains (Southern Baikal Region). The ravine erosion and ice build-up are frequent, while their occurrence in the majority of cases is activated due to the man-inflicted impact.
The illustration examples of hazardous impact of cave-ins, mudslides, karst are presented in the 2007 report (pages 136-138), landslides, avalanches and ravine erosion -- in the 2008 report (pages 131-133), erosion processes and ice build-up -- in the 2009 report (pages 106-110) and the 2010 report (pages 128-132).
The impact of the hazardous exogenous geological processes on the ecological conditions of the Baikal Natural Area is characterized below for the main types of processes.
Ravine Erosion The stationary observations of the ravine formation processes in 2012 in the Baikal Natural Area were performed at the two observation points -- Gusinoozersky Area (western shore of the Gusinoye Lake in the Republic of Buryatia), where the ravine erosion process was recorded in the direction to Automobile Highway of Federal Significance "Ulan-Ude -- Kyakhta" and at the "Bystrinsky" section (Irkutsk Region), which is located at a distance of 5 km from Kultuk Settlement and poses a threat for Automobile Highway A-164 "Kultuk-Orlik".
The "Gusinoozersky" Station is located on the eastern shore of the Gusinoye Shore at a distance of 7 km to the south-west from Gusinoozersk City. There has been identified an erosion process of ravine formation at the Gusinoozersky Area, which poses a threat to automobile road of federal significance A-165 "Ulan-Ude-Kyakhta (the border with the Republic of Mongolia). In 2012, there was registered an insignificant acceleration of the ravine erosion within this area. The average annual value of the growth in the ravine formation amounted to 0.05 m, which is higher versus the last year (2011) values by 1.7 times (0.03 m/year), but lower by 1.2 times (0.06 m/year) versus the average multi-year level.
The activity of the ravine formation process in 2012 at the "Bystinsky" area was at the average multi-year level. There were formed no new ravines; the existing ravines are being widened. The widening of the existing ravine, registered in 2012, amounted to 0.15-0.25 m, which is lower versus 2011 (the maximum widening of 0.45).
Sheet Erosion The catastrophic occurrence of sheet erosion was recorded on August 2 in the Kyakhtinsky District of the Republic of Buryatia. As a result of abundant rainfall, the mudslide and storm water flows destroyed the roadbed of Federal Automobile Road A-165 "Ulan-Ude - Kyakhta" (border with Mongolia) for the distance of 20 m, at the distance of 10 km there were recorded washaways of the earthwork and cave-ins of the road topping. The total area of washaways amounts to 6.5 thou m3. The damage from the automobile road destruction amounted to 3.16 million rubles. In Kyakhta City hail damaged social and cultural facilities, abundant storm water resulted in washaway of the road, private land plots of citizens were washed away. As per the Order of the Chief of Ministry of Defense "Kyakhta City" the status of emergency was imposed for one day on August 2.
Figure: Occurrence of erosion process at Automobile Road A-165 "Ulan-Ude - Kyakhta"
Figure: Occurrence of erosion process in the private sector of Kyakhta City
Shore erosion at the rivers banks In 2012, the stationary observations on the shore (side) erosion of the rivers in the Baikal Natural Area were performed at the single observation area "Suzha" (Republic of Buryatia, left shore of the Selenga River, at a distance of 5.6 km to the north-east from Suzha Settlement). In 2012, there was identified an increase in activity of the process in this area. The size of the shore washaway amounted to 4.5 m/year. This value exceed both the average multi-year value by 3.63 times (1.24 m/year), as well as last year values by 5.36 times (0.84 m/year).
Ice Build-Up and Frost Boil As during the previous years of observations, in 2012 there was recorded the ice build-up in Kultuk Settlement of the Slyudyansky District, where the ice build-up was instigated by the man-inflicted disturbance of the flow of Tiganchikha and Medlyanka Rivers. In winter of 2012, this region demonstrated a significant decrease in ice build-up activity due to low placement of the groundwater levels. As in 2011, high activity of the process was recorded only at the single area -- in the estuary of the Tiganchikha River, where it was caused predominantly by the man-inflicted factors. Starting from the end of February the river ice build-up poses a threat to 9 private lots with residences. The ice build-up covered the area of 0.012 km2.
Mudslides The highest hazard to the houses and facilities in the Baikal Region pose the mudslides on the southern shore of the Baikal Lake at the area from Slyudyanka Settlement up to Vydrino Settlement. The destructive mudslides occurred in this area during the last century several times with a frequency of 11-40 years. There have been recorded no mudslides since 1971 in this area, which means an increasing risk of their hazardous impact.
In 2012, there was performed an examination of the basin of Kharlakhta River and the valley of the lower stream of the Solzan River in an effort to perform measures to identify mudslide preparation processes. Both these rivers in their lower stream flow across Baikalsk City into the Baikal Lake.
In the basin of the Kharlakhta River there were researched four areas of the probable accumulation of the mudslide generating sediments. Among those, the active process was identified only at the single one. It is associated with an area of predominance of Archean gneiss, featuring low filtration capacity and prone to intensive aeolation. Because of low permeability of gneiss, the aeolation products are moved to the valley bottoms of the tributaries of the Kharlakhta River and then accumulated in the bottoms of erosion forms.
At the right bank of the Solzan River there were recorded the mudslide-prone areas of various size. The mudslide formation process was recorded in the left tributary of the Solzan River. In the pre-contact area of the carbonate sediments with metamorphic and magmatic rocks there was recorded a series of smaller waterfalls, earthflows of eroded soil with the volume of 1,000-3,000 m3 and a drift of friable material along the valley bottom. The friable material was accumulated in the form of tongues and along the river's streambed. The newly accumulated material was traced across several hundreds of meters across the valley at a distance of 0.3-0.4 km from the streambed of the Solzan River.
In the conditions of abnormally high precipitation these factors may cause formation of large-scale mudslides across the valleys of such rivers, as Slyudyanka, Bezymyanka, Utulik and Solzan.
In accordance with the Federal Target Programme "Protection of Baikal Lake and Social and Economical Development of the Baikal Natural Area within 2012-2020", approved by Regulation of the RF Government No. 847 dated August 21, 2012, there shall be performed additional research and monitoring of hazardous exogenous geological processes within 2015-2020 in the Baikal Natural Area, including: establishment of 15 observation points to monitor hazardous exogenous geological processes, equipped with modern automated complexes; development of maps for the areas, prone to hazardous exogenous geological processes; development of the programme to monitor hazardous exogenous geological processes, preparation of databases, maps, graphs to visualize shifts of surface areas and correction sheets of hazardous exogenous geological processes activation with a forecast of possible activation through a particular period. The funds in the amount of 50 million rubles shall be disbursed for the above purposes.
Conclusions
1. In 2012, the catastrophic occurrences of the exogenous geological processes in the Baikal Natural Area were recorded in the Kyakhtinsk District of the Republic of Buryatia.
2. The in-place network of monitoring areas for hazardous exogenous geological processes in the Baikal Natural Area is not sufficient. The performed observation provide only fragmentary data on the status of hazardous exogenous geological processes at particular territories. In order to collect more detailed data, required for a correct forecast of development of hazardous exogenous geological processes across the Baikal Natural Area, there is a need to increase the number of observation areas by an order of magnitude.
3. It has been identified that in the majority of cases, the activation of exogenous geological processes is provoked by economic activities. In order to decrease a negative impact of exogenous geological processes, there is a need to advance any man-inflicted on the geological environment with engineering and geological and geological and economic researches, set out by regulatory documents.
4. In accordance with the Federal Target Programme "Protection of Baikal Lake and Social and Economical Development of Baikal Natural Area within 2012-2020", approved by Regulation of the RF Government No. 847 dated August 21, 2012, the funds shall be disbursed to perform the works on additional geological research and monitoring of hazardous exogenous geological processes within 2015-2020 in the Baikal Natural Area.
Source: the materials of the state report on the conditions of the Baikal Lake and measures for its protection in 2012 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.
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