Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2026 number 2

The article presents the results of the study of the formation patterns of the island chain separating Sor Cherkalovo Bay from Lake Baikal. The results of the study of the granulometric and chemical composition of the sands that compose the islands located in Sor Cherkalovo Bay and the Selenga River delta, as well as the coastal terraces, are reported. It is shown that during the high-water period of 1983-1994, intense abrasive destruction of the southeastern coast of Lake Baikal occurred. Based on the author’s calculation methodology, it is shown that abrasion in the area under consideration destroyed 27,6 m of coastal terraces over a 10-year period. Hundreds of thousands of tons of loose material were carried into the lake’s waters. It was revealed that abrasion-accumulation processes resulted in the separation of the sand material into fractions. Sands with a particle size greater than 0,25 mm remained on the beach at the site of coastal terrace destruction, while the finest fraction of sands, with a particle size less than 0,14 mm, was carried by waves into the lake, and particles with a particle size of 0,14-0,25 mm began to move along the shore with the current. In the area of Sor Cherkalovo Bay, under the influence of water flows from the Selenga River, the velocity of the longshore current slowed, and sand material began to accumulate as bottom deposits. During autumn storms, the resulting bottom deposits formed sand ridges and then bars due to bottom transport. Over time, fine dust and plant seeds carried by the wind from the coast of Lake Baikal transformed the sand bars into islands. The 0,14-0,25 mm sand fraction, which played a major role in the formation of the island chain under consideration, makes up a significant portion of the deposits on the coast of Lake Baikal. Its accumulation in coastal deposits is associated with aeolian winnowing of sands. The article presents satellite and UAV images of the islands. The photographs show the morphological forms of the islands associated with the movement of sands by waves and water flows from the bay into Lake Baikal. A diagram of the formation of the island chain in Sor Cherkalovo Bay is provided, indicating the direction of flows of water and suspended matter.