Military cemetery on new land. Island "new land"

According to many geologists: Vaygach Island and Novaya Zemlya are an ancient ridge -! Indeed, together they represent a curved, but solid line, which...
On ancient maps (for example, by Mercator, which will be indicated in the article), Novaya Zemlya was a single island, and even a peninsula, which was connected to the continent in the area of ​​the Yugra Peninsula, that is, the Ural Mountains in ancient times ran in a continuous chain far into the Arctic. The legends about Hyperborea also have their place here, because this ancient ridge continues along the bottom of the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya, that is, geologically - the Urals turn out to be at least another thousand kilometers longer!
What kind of lands were there before the onset of cooling and rising oceans is a question for modern scientists!

And for ordinary people, Novaya Zemlya is known, first of all, for testing the most destructive hydrogen bomb in the history of mankind, or as it is called - Tsar Bomba! The power of the bomb was more than 60 Megatons, which is approximately 30 thousand bombs dropped on Hiroshima! A terrible force, a well of the abyss, but life has shown that those countries that do not have nuclear weapons, in principle, cannot have an independent and independent policy! The nuclear shield is one of the few allies of Russia; once the last nuclear charge or delivery vehicle is cut down or disposed of, we will actually find out what Western democracy is worth!

The shock wave circled the globe several times! And the surface of the landfill was melted and swept clean. Details of the test will be below.

Novaya Zemlya from a satellite, Matochkin Shar Strait visible

GENERAL INFORMATION
Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean and; is included in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia in the rank of the municipal formation “Novaya Zemlya”.
The archipelago consists of two large islands - Northern and Southern, separated by a narrow strait (2-3 km) Matochkin Shar and many relatively small islands, the largest of which is Mezhdusharsky. The northeastern tip of the North Island - Cape Vlissingsky - is the easternmost point of Europe.

It stretches from southwest to northeast for 925 km. The northernmost point of Novaya Zemlya is the eastern island of the Great Orange Islands, the southernmost is the Pynin Islands of the Petukhovsky archipelago, the western is the nameless cape on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula of Yuzhny Island, the eastern is Cape Flissingsky of Severny Island. The area of ​​all islands is more than 83 thousand km²; the width of the North Island is up to 123 km,
South - up to 143 km.

In the south, a strait (50 km wide) separates it from Vaygach Island.

The climate is arctic and harsh. Winter is long and cold, with strong winds (the speed of katabatic (katabatic) winds reaches 40-50 m/s) and snowstorms, which is why Novaya Zemlya is sometimes called the “Land of the Winds” in literature. Frosts reach −40 °C.
The average temperature of the warmest month, August, ranges from 2.5 °C in the north to 6.5 °C in the south. In winter, the difference reaches 4.6°. The difference in temperature conditions exceeds 5°. This temperature asymmetry is due to the difference in the ice regime of these seas. The archipelago itself has many small lakes; under the rays of the sun, the water temperature in the southern regions can reach 18 °C.

About half the area of ​​the North Island is occupied by glaciers. On an area of ​​about 20,000 km² there is a continuous ice cover, extending almost 400 km in length and up to 70-75 km in width. The ice thickness is over 300 m. In a number of places, the ice descends into fjords or breaks off into the open sea, forming ice barriers and giving rise to icebergs. The total glaciated area of ​​Novaya Zemlya is 29,767 km², of which about 92% is cover glaciation and 7.9% is mountain glaciers. On the South Island there are areas of arctic tundra.

cruiser Peter the Great near Novaya Zemlya

Minerals
On the archipelago, primarily on the South Island, there are known mineral deposits, mainly ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores. The most significant is the Rogachev-Taininsky manganese ore region, according to forecast estimates - the largest in Russia.
Manganese ores are carbonate and oxide. Carbonate ores, with an average manganese content of 8-15%, are distributed over an area of ​​​​about 800 km², the predicted resources of category P2 are 260 million tons. Oxide ores, with a manganese content of 16-24 to 45%, are concentrated mainly in the north of the region — in the North Taininsky ore field, the predicted resources of category P2 are 5 million tons. According to the results of technological tests, the ores are suitable for producing metallurgical concentrate. All oxide ore deposits can be mined by open pit mining.

Several ore fields (Pavlovskoye, Severnoye, Perevalnoye) with deposits of polymetallic ores have been identified. The Pavlovskoye deposit, located within the ore field of the same name, is so far the only deposit on Novaya Zemlya for which balance reserves have been approved. The balance reserves of lead and zinc in categories C1 + C2 amount to more than 2.4 million tons, and the forecast resources of category P1 are 7 million tons (approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia as of 01/01/2003).
The lead content in ores varies from 1.0 to 2.9%, zinc - from 1.6 to 20.8%. The predicted resources of the Pavlovsk ore field of category P2 in total for lead and zinc amount to 12 million tons (approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia as of 01/01/2003). In addition, silver reserves are assessed as incidental. The development of the deposit is possible by open-pit mining.

The remaining ore fields have been studied much less. It is known that the Northern ore field, in addition to lead and zinc, contains silver (content 100-200 g/t), gallium (0.1-0.2%), indium, germanium, yttrium, ytterbium, niobium as associated components .

Occurrences of native copper and cuprous sandstones are known on the South Island.

All known ore fields require additional study, which is hampered by natural conditions, insufficient economic development and the special status of the archipelago.

In the waters of the seas washing the archipelago, a number of geological structures have been identified that are promising for the search for oil and gas fields. The Shtokman gas condensate field, the largest on the Russian shelf, is located 300 km from the coast of Novaya Zemlya.

Story
In ancient times, Novaya Zemlya was inhabited by an unknown tribe, possibly belonging to the Ust-Poluysk archaeological culture. It is possible that in the mythology of the Samoyeds (Nenets) it was known under the name Sirtya.

Presumably, Novaya Zemlya was discovered in the 12th-13th centuries by Novgorod merchants, but there is no convincing historical and documentary evidence of this. The ancient Scandinavians also failed to prove their primacy in the discovery of the archipelago.

Of the Western Europeans, the first to visit the archipelago in 1553 was the English navigator Hugh Willoughby, who, by order of King Edward VI (1547-1553), led the expedition of the London “Moscow Company” to “find the Northwest Passage” and establish relations with the Russian state.
On the map of the Flemish scientist Gerard Mercator in 1595, Novaya Zemlya still looks like a single island or even a peninsula.

The Dutch traveler Willem Barents in 1596 rounded the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya and spent the winter on the eastern coast of the North Island in the area of ​​​​Ice Harbor (1597). In 1871, the Norwegian polar expedition of Elling Carlsen discovered the preserved Barents hut in this place, in which dishes, coins, wall clocks, weapons, navigational instruments were found, as well as a written report about the winter, hidden in the chimney.

In 1671, the essay “Journey to the Nordic Countries” was published in Paris, the author of which, a nobleman from Lorraine Pierre-Martin de la Martiniere, visited Novaya Zemlya in 1653 on a ship of Danish merchants. Having gone down to the shore of the South Island in three boats, the Danish sailors and Martinier met Samoyed hunters armed with bows who worshiped wooden idols.

The famous Dutch natural scientist Nicolaas Witsen in his book “Northern and Eastern Tartary” (1692) - the first scientific work in Western Europe about Siberia and the Russian North - reports that Peter the Great intended to build a military fort on Novaya Zemlya.

The first Russian explorer of Novaya Zemlya is considered to be navigator Fyodor Rozmyslov (1768-1769).

Until the 19th century, Novaya Zemlya was a virtually uninhabited archipelago, near which Pomors and Norwegians fished and hunted. Neither one nor the other could settle or live on the islands, and Novaya Zemlya remained only a transit point. Minor diplomatic conflicts arose from time to time, in which the Russian Empire invariably declared that “the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago is in its entirety Russian territory.”

Since those who laid claim to it could not live on the archipelago, several Nenets families were transported to Novaya Zemlya. More active settlement of the islands began in 1869. In 1877, the settlement of Malye Karmakuly arose on the South Island. In the eighties of the 19th century, there was already a small colony on Novaya Zemlya.

Belushya Guba Novaya Zemlya

In 1901, the famous polar artist Alexander Borisov arrived in Novaya Zemlya, where he met and took as his guide the young Nenets Tyko Vylka. During a 400-kilometer trip across Novaya Zemlya on dogs, Borisov constantly made sketches. Noticing the talent of a young Nenets who was interested in painting, Borisov taught Tyko Vylok painting. When the artist and writer Stepan Pisakhov was exiled to Novaya Zemlya in 1903, he also noted Vylok’s talent by giving him paints and pencils.

In 1909, polar explorer Vladimir Rusanov came to Novaya Zemlya, who, together with Tyko Vylka and Grigory Pospelov, examined the entire archipelago and compiled an accurate cartographic description of it.

In 1910, the Olginsky settlement in Krestovaya Bay was organized on the Northern Island, which at that time became the northernmost (74°08′ N) populated area of ​​the Russian Empire.

The Novaya Zemlya expedition of 1911, exploring the South Island, came across an extinct settlement of Russian industrialists, the existence of which was unknown until that time. Located on the Black Nose in a bay without a name, not marked anywhere on maps, the village was a sad sight: human skulls, skeletons, and bones scattered in all directions. The crosses standing right there, apparently in the cemetery, are completely dilapidated and decayed, the crossbars have fallen off, and the inscriptions on them have been erased. In total, the expedition counted the remains of about 13 people here. Three more dilapidated crosses towered in the distance.

Novaya Zemlya polar plane - 30s of the last century

Cape Vlissingsky is the easternmost island point of Europe. Located in the northeast of the Northern Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Arkhangelsk region, Russia.

It is a rocky massif that juts out into the sea, up to 28 meters high. It divides the coastal waters into Emergency Bay (in the north) and Andromeda Bay (in the south).
A little south of the cape, the Andromeda River flows into the sea, behind which is Cape Burunny. To the north along the coast is the relatively large Ovrazhistaya River. Further along the coast is Cape Dever, which borders the Emergency Bay from the north.
The cape was discovered and mapped by the expedition of Willem Barents in 1596, the name is given in honor of the Dutch city of Vlissingen. South-west of the cape in September 1596, the ship of the expedition was frozen in the ice - its participants had to spend the winter on the shore, building a hut from the so-called. "driftwood" (wood thrown up by the sea). They obtained food for themselves, in particular, by hunting polar bears and seals. The next year, from fragments of the ship’s hull, which continued to remain captive in ice, they built two boats and set off on the return journey. During this return, Barents died of scurvy.
This story became the basis for the plot of the Dutch feature film “New Land”, the script of which is based on the memoirs of one of the Barents team members, a participant in the winter camp, Gerrit de Veer.

village Rogachevo Novaya Zemlya

Population
Administratively, the archipelago is a separate municipal entity of the Arkhangelsk region. It has the status of a ZATO (closed administrative-territorial entity). To enter Novaya Zemlya you need a special pass. Until the beginning of the 90s. the very existence of settlements on Novaya Zemlya was a state secret. The postal address of the village of Belushya Guba was “Arkhangelsk-55”, the village of Rogachevo and “points” located on the South Island and the south of the North Island - “Arkhangelsk-56”, “points” located in the north of the North Island and Franz Josef Land - “ Krasnoyarsk Territory, Dikson-2 Island" (communication with them through Dikson was maintained). The administrative center, the urban-type settlement of Belushya Guba, located on the South Island, has a population of 2,149 people (2013). The second settlement on Novaya Zemlya that currently exists is the village of Rogachevo (457 people), 12 km from Belushiya Guba. There is a military airfield here - Amderma-2. 350 km to the north on the southern shore of the Matochkin Shar Strait is the village of Severny (without permanent population), a base for underground testing, mining and construction work. There are currently no populated areas on the North Island.
The indigenous population, the Nenets, was completely evicted from the islands in the 1950s, when a military training ground was created. The population of the villages is mainly made up of military personnel and construction workers.
According to the results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, the population of Novaya Zemlya is 2,429 people and is concentrated in only two settlements - Belushya Guba and Rogachevo.

Kara Gate Novaya Zemlya

Flora and fauna
The ecosystems of Novaya Zemlya are usually classified as biomes of arctic deserts (North Island) and arctic tundra.
The main role in the formation of phytocenoses belongs to mosses and lichens. The latter are represented by types of cladonia, the height of which does not exceed 3-4 cm.

Arctic herbaceous annuals also play a significant role. Plants characteristic of the sparse flora of the islands are creeping species, such as creeping willow (Salix polaris), saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia), mountain lichen and others. The vegetation in the southern part is mostly dwarf birches, moss and low grass; in areas near rivers, lakes and bays, many mushrooms grow: milk mushrooms, honey mushrooms, etc.

The largest lake is Gusinoye. It is home to freshwater fish, in particular Arctic char. Common animals include arctic foxes, lemmings, partridges, and reindeer. Polar bears come to the southern regions with the onset of cold weather, posing a threat to local residents. Marine animals include harp seal, ringed seal, sea hare, walruses, and whales.
On the islands of the archipelago you can find the largest bird colonies in the Russian Arctic. Guillemots, puffins, and seagulls live here.

Nuclear test site
The first underwater nuclear explosion in the USSR and the first nuclear explosion on Novaya Zemlya on September 21, 1955. Test of a T-5 torpedo with a power of 3.5 kilotons at a depth of 12 m (Chernaya Bay).
On September 17, 1954, a Soviet nuclear test site was opened on Novaya Zemlya with its center in Belushaya Guba. The test site includes three sites:
Black Lip - used mainly in 1955-1962.
Matochkin Shar - underground tests in 1964-1990.
D-II SIPNZ on the Sukhoi Nos Peninsula - ground tests in 1957-1962.
In addition, explosions were carried out at other points (the official territory of the test site occupied more than half of the entire area of ​​the island). New Earth

From September 21, 1955 to October 24, 1990 (the official date of the announcement of the moratorium on nuclear testing), 135 nuclear explosions were carried out at the test site: 87 in the atmosphere (of which 84 were airborne, 1 ground-based, 2 surface-based), 3 underwater and 42 underground. Among the experiments were very powerful megaton nuclear tests carried out in the atmosphere above the archipelago.
On Novaya Zemlya in 1961, the most powerful hydrogen bomb in the history of mankind was exploded - the 58-megaton Tsar Bomba at the D-II site "Sukhoi Nos". The tangible seismic wave generated by the explosion circled the globe three times, and the sound wave generated by the explosion reached Dikson Island at a distance of about 800 kilometers. However, sources do not report any destruction or damage to structures even in the villages of Amderma and Belushya Guba located much closer (280 km) to the test site.

In August 1963, the USSR and the USA signed a treaty banning nuclear tests in three environments: the atmosphere, space and under water. Limitations were also adopted on the power of the charges. Underground explosions were carried out until 1990. In the 1990s, due to the end of the Cold War, testing abruptly came to a standstill, and currently only research in the field of nuclear weapons systems is carried out here (the Matochkin Shar facility).

The policy of glasnost led to the fact that in 1988-1989 the public learned about nuclear tests on Novaya Zemlya, and in October 1990, activists from the environmental organization Greenpeace appeared here to protest against the resumption of nuclear tests on the archipelago. On October 8, 1990, at night in the area of ​​the Matochkin Shar Strait, the Greenpeace ship entered the territorial waters of the USSR, and a group of anti-nuclear activists was secretly sent ashore. After a warning salvo from the patrol ship “XXVI Congress of the CPSU,” the ship stopped and Soviet border guards boarded it. Greenpeace was arrested and towed to Murmansk, then released.
However, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the test site on Novaya Zemlya, the head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, Alexander Rumyantsev, said that Russia intends to continue to develop the test site and maintain it in working condition. At the same time, Russia does not intend to conduct nuclear tests on the archipelago, but intends to carry out non-nuclear experiments to ensure the reliability, combat effectiveness and safety of storage of its nuclear weapons.

Amderma Novaya Zemlya

Disposal of radioactive waste
In addition to testing nuclear weapons, the territory of Novaya Zemlya (or rather, the water area immediately adjacent to its eastern coast) was used in 1957-1992 for the disposal of liquid and solid radioactive waste (RAW). Basically, these were containers with spent nuclear fuel (and in some cases entire reactor installations) from submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet of the USSR and Russian Navy, as well as icebreakers with nuclear power plants.

Such radioactive waste disposal sites are the bays of the archipelago: Sedov Bay, Oga Bay, Tsivolki Bay, Stepovoy Bay, Abrosimov Bay, Blagopoluchiya Bay, Current Bay, as well as a number of points in the Novaya Zemlya Depression stretching along the entire archipelago. As a result of such activities and the bays of Novaya Zemlya, many underwater potentially hazardous objects (UPHO) were formed. Among them: the completely sunk nuclear submarine K-27 (1981, Stepovoy Bay), the reactor compartment of the nuclear icebreaker Lenin (1967, Tsivolki Bay), reactor compartments and assemblies of a number of other nuclear submarines.
Since 2002, the areas where the POOO is located have been subject to annual monitoring by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. In 1992-1994, international expeditions were carried out (with the participation of specialists from Norway) to assess the degree of environmental pollution; since 2012, the activities of such expeditions have been resumed.

Cape Sedova Novaya Zemlya

DISCOVERY AND RESEARCH OF A NEW EARTH
That Novaya Zemlya was known to Russians earlier than to foreigners is evidenced by the very name “Novaya Zemlya”, under which this island became known to Western peoples, and which remained with it in all foreign atlases. Also, Russian industrialists sometimes served as guides for English and Dutch discoverers on the first voyages to the east, along the northern coast of Russia, informing them that the coast seen in such and such a direction was “New Earth”.

The discoveries on its shores by the first foreign navigators of crosses and huts that had collapsed from dilapidation, also proving this, at the same time indicate that it had been visited by our compatriots for a long time. But the exact time when Novaya Zemlya was discovered by the Russians and in what way remains unknown, both of which can only be assumed with greater or lesser probability, based on certain historical data relating to the Russian North.

One of the Slavic tribes, which had long lived near Lake Ilmen and had Veliky Novgorod as its main city, already at the dawn of its history had a desire to the north, to the White Sea, the Arctic Ocean and further to the northeast, to Pechora and beyond the Ural ridge, to the Yugra region , gradually crowding out their indigenous inhabitants, who belonged to the Finnish tribe and were called by the Novgorodians under the common name “Zavolotskaya Chud”.

Initially, the entire country lying from Novgorod to the north and northeast to the Ural ridge, the Novgorodians gave one common name “Zavolochya”, since this territory was located from Novgorod beyond the “volok” - a vast watershed separating the basins of the Onega, Dvina, Mezen and Pechora from the Volga basin, and through this watershed, during campaigns, the Novgorodians dragged (“dragged”) their ships.

From the beginning of the 13th century, with the expansion of geographical information about the newly conquered country, only the lands lying between the Onega and Mezen rivers began to be called Zavolochye, while others to the northeast and east of the White Sea received separate names. So, for example, on the northern shore of the White Sea there was the volost “Tre” or “Tersky Coast”; the Vychegda River basin was called the “Perm volost”; Pechora River basin - “Pechora volost”. Further beyond Pechory and on the other side of the northern Ural ridge was the Yugra volost, which is believed to have included the Yamal Peninsula. The part of Zavolochye, between the Onega and Dvina rivers, was also called “Dvina Land”.

The primitive inhabitants of Zavolochye were generally separate, with a cult of idolatry, the Finnish tribes - Yam, Zavolotskaya Chud, Perm, Pechora and Ugra (or Ugra):
They lived scatteredly, in small villages, among forests and swamps, along the banks of rivers and lakes, engaged exclusively in hunting and fishing. Surrounded by seas to the north and dense forests to the south, they were completely independent until the enterprising Novgorodians penetrated into their region.

Cape Zhelaniya - northern tip of Novaya Zemlya

The occupation of the region by the Novgorodians was almost exclusively an act of private enterprise. Their movement here, first as conquerors - Ushkuiniks, and then as colonizers - trading guests, went mainly along the rivers, which represented the only and most convenient means of communication in this primitive region, and later the first settlements of the Novgorodians were founded on them.

There are indications in Russian chronicles that the inhabitants of Zavolochye were already tributaries of the Novgorod Slavs in the first half of the 9th century, and the Lapps (Lop) of the Kola Peninsula in the same century were their allies, who came for trade and crafts long before the Varangians were called to Rus'. But later, when the Novgorodians began to appear here as conquerors, Chud did not immediately submit to the new newcomers, sometimes repulsing them by force, sometimes paying off by paying tribute. Only after the conquest of Zavolochye by the Novgorodians did their first settlements appear along the lower reaches of the Dvina, on the shores of the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
At the end of the 9th century, there were no Slavs at the mouth of the Dvina, since the Norwegian Viking Otar or Okhter, sent by the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great to the north in order to find out how far the land extended in this direction, and reached the mouth in the second half of the mentioned century Dvina by sea, he found the Biorm tribe here, who, in his opinion, spoke the same language as the Finns. At the same time, Okhter does not mention anything about the Slavs. Unfriendly met by the Biorms and frightened by their large numbers, he did not dare to sail further up the river. The land of the Ter-Finns (Tersky coast), which he saw when sailing here by sea, was not inhabited - he saw only Finnish fishermen and trappers who were temporarily here.

Novgorod settlements are not visible here even at the beginning of the 11th century, since in 1024 another Norwegian Viking, Ture Gund, came by sea and not for the first time to the mouth of the Dvina, where there was a rich trading city of Chudi and where Scandinavian merchants came to trade in the summer. this time the temple of the Chud deity Yumala. Zavolochye was known to Europe at that time under the name of Biarmia or Permia, the main city of which was located near present-day Kholmogory.

But no more than 50 years after the destruction of the Yumala temple by the Norwegians, the first settlements of Novgorodians with their mayors appeared here, to whom the entire local population more or less calmly obeyed. From that time on, Chud partly merged with the new newcomers, became Russified, and partly went further to the northeast and east. At present, only the names of almost the majority of our northern rivers, lakes, tracts and localities of various kinds remind us of it, such as: Dvina, Pechora, Pinega, Kholmogory, Shenkursk, Chukhchenema, etc.

At the beginning of the 11th century, Novgorodians also appeared on the Murmansk coast of the Arctic Ocean. This is evidenced by one Scandinavian runic letter, from which it is clear that no later than 1030, the sea bay of Lygenfjord, not far from Tromso, was considered the border in the north between Russia and Norway. Since it is impossible to think that the aforementioned establishment of boundaries occurred immediately after the appearance of the first Novgorodians here, then we can more likely conclude that they appeared here earlier, namely in the 10th century. The establishment of the border was probably caused by the widespread activity of the aliens that had already begun. Their appearance here earlier than at the mouth of the Dvina can be explained by the fact that the Novgorodians encountered little resistance from the Lapps, since this semi-wild nomadic tribe did not have permanent settlements, but moved from place to place in accordance with the movement of their reindeer for food. Therefore, the squads of Novgorodians could meet resistance only from the sedentary Norwegians. The border was established by agreement between the Novgorod prince Yaroslav the Wise, later the Kyiv prince, with the Norwegian king Olaf the Tolstoy, whose daughter Yaroslav was married to.

Without a doubt, the beginning of Russian navigation in the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean must be attributed to the time of the appearance of the Novgorodians in the Dvina Land and on the Murmansk coast. But there is no information about how far these journeys were. One must think that they were not far away, since the Novgorodians, still little familiar with the sea, had to get used to it for some time in order to set out on a distant, unknown and dangerous journey. And indeed, there is reason to believe that the Novgorodians came to Murman not by sea from the direction of the Holy Nose, but from Kandalaksha, between which and Kola there is only one portage, about a mile long, and it is known that the Novgorodians made their trips mainly by boats along the rivers, dragging them across watersheds - portages.

sunrise in the Kara Sea Novaya Zemlya

The last assumption is confirmed by the fact that Kola was founded by them much earlier than the villages on the Terek coast of the White Sea - Ponoy, Umba and Varzuga. If the Novgorodians were going to Murman for the first time from the White Sea, then these rivers, which they could not help but notice, would also serve as the place of their first settlements. Based on the above, it is unlikely that Novaya Zemlya was discovered by the Russians from this side, that is, from the White Sea.

Most likely, this could have been done from the Pechora or Yugra region, where the Novgorodians also penetrated early, namely in the 11th century, as indicated by chroniclers. Like the inhabitants of Zavolochye, the Yugras also submitted to the Novgorodians, but not immediately - they made repeated attempts to overthrow the yoke of the aliens, as evidenced by the many campaigns of the conquerors here to pacify some of the natives:
Having communicated with the inhabitants - the nomads of the Pechora and Yugra regions - the Novgorodians could then learn and hear about the Novaya Zemlya, familiar to these nomads for a long time. After all, they could get there through the island of Vaygach, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait and not particularly wide from Novaya Zemlya. You can get to Vaygach in winter across the ice on reindeer, and from there Novaya Zemlya can be clearly visible in clear weather.

Whether the campaign of the Novgorodians to the “Iron Gates” means a campaign to the Kara Gates, also called the “Iron Gates”, cannot be said reliably, since in the north there are quite a few places with that name.

Herberstein, in his memoirs about Muscovy, twice mentions a certain country “Engroneland”, located in the Arctic Sea, beyond the Riphean and Hyperborean mountains and beyond the mouths of the Pechora and Ob, relations with which are difficult due to constantly floating ice. But is this Novaya Zemlya, mixed by Herberstein with Greenland, especially since such a mistake on his part is very possible in view of the fact that he compiled the geographical description of this part of Russia from the words of narrators, and his personal knowledge of geography may not have been particularly extensive and clear? In any case, one must think that the Russians, who gave him geographical information about their country, could not call Novaya Zemlya “Engroneland.” He gave the last name, forgetting its real name, reported by the Russians. And he could have heard about Greenland as an icy country and also in the ocean in Europe.

Did the Russian discoverers of Novaya Zemlya know that it was an island and not a mainland? It can be assumed that at first it was considered a continent, and only this can explain its name and, mainly, the presence of the word “earth” in it. In the language of the Northern Pomors it means “hardened coast” - the mainland. She could have made such an impression on the first newcomers there or on those who saw her for the first time since Vaygach. For the enterprising Novgorodians, who were uncontrollably striving in their progressive movement to the northeast and beyond, the large island that appeared before them, still unknown to them, could really seem like “land” - it was so large compared to other islands they had seen before.

But the Novgorodians and their successors, making their voyages to Novaya Zemlya, did not leave any written information about it or about their travels there. They were passed down to posterity through oral traditions, and acquaintance with her took place in the same way. The first printed information about Novaya Zemlya appeared only from the time of its visit by foreign navigators who sought to open the northeastern route to China and India.

Strait Matochkin Shar Novaya Zemlya

LIFE OF A POLAR MONK
Father Innocent, polar explorer monk. Life on Novaya Zemlya
There is a mysterious island in the Arctic Ocean - Novaya Zemlya. From Arkhangelsk it is 1200 kilometers towards the North Pole. And people live there, in relation to whom we are southerners spoiled by warmth and natural bounty. It is here, in the northernmost point of the Arkhangelsk region, that there is the northernmost Russian Orthodox church in the name of St. Nicholas, whose rector has been Abbot Innocent (Russian) for more than 5 years.
The average summer temperature there is +3, the snow melts by the end of June, exposing the moss-lichen gray-brown desert. Melt water accumulates in lakes; there are no trees at all. And in winter - endless snow, whiteness, from which, as science claims, the eyes “starve”. Not much is known about Novaya Zemlya: until recently it was covered in a veil of secrecy. Nuclear test site, closed military zone. Military personnel and their families live there. There is no indigenous population: the Nenets lived here before the creation of the landfill, and then, in the 50s of the last century, everyone was evicted. It is here, at the northernmost point of the Arkhangelsk region, that there is an Orthodox church in the name of St. Nicholas, whose rector has been Abbot Innokenty (Russian) for more than 5 years. “How could you voluntarily go to this northern distance?” - they ask the young clergyman. “But someone had to go!” - Father Innocent calmly answers.
Once upon a time, at the end of the 19th century, on Novaya Zemlya there was a temple, also St. Nicholas, in which missionaries - monks of the Orthodox St. Nicholas Monastery - labored. The old wooden church still exists on the shore of Belushaya Bay, a kilometer from the current village. The structure was assembled in Arkhangelsk and transported to this island in the Arctic Ocean. The parishioners were Nenets. More than seven years ago, the command and residents of the village of Belushya Guba asked Bishop Tikhon of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory to send a priest. And in February 1999, Father Innokenty appeared in the military town of Belushya Guba. Due to the constant unfavorable weather, it was decided to build a church in the village itself; for this purpose, a large room was allocated, the first floor of a residential building - a former cafe. And the life of the parish priest flowed on...

Father Innocent is rarely on the “mainland”, mostly on study leave (the priest receives an education in absentia at a religious educational institution). According to Father Innokenty, the permanent parish of the Novaya Zemlya church is about fifteen people, which is 1% of the entire population of the military town. Mostly women. The community gathered quite quickly, and those who exist can be called active and church-going parishioners. They often confess and receive communion, undergo unction, observe fasts, and read spiritual literature. On many issues they turn to the priest for advice, and problems are solved together. The priest himself visits military units - he is present at oaths of office, conducts conversations, and blesses the premises. Father Innocent has many good friends among the local population, mostly officers. The priest also communicates with residents on local television and regularly gives sermons. This is the best option for education, because Sunday school for children, as experience has shown, cannot exist here. During the school year, children are used to staying at home on weekends: usually the weather is very bad, and you can’t force anyone to go outside. In general, there is nowhere to go in the village; people get used to a sedentary lifestyle.
Father Innocent is a monk. It is more customary for a monk to live within the walls of a monastery, among the brethren, under the leadership of the abbot. Here is a completely different situation. Father Innocent came to the Solovetsky Monastery at a fairly young age, performed obedience in the choir, and was tonsured a monk. Then he served in the Arkhangelsk Church of All Saints until he volunteered to go to Novaya Zemlya. Now the priest lives alone, in an ordinary apartment. In order not to lose physical health at all, he goes in for sports: goes to the gym, swimming pool, because physical activity in this climate and with a sedentary lifestyle is simply necessary. In addition, Father Innocent is constantly studying and preparing for sessions at the theological seminary. He often conducts rehearsals with his choir (this priest loves to sing).

Father Innocent realizes that he is doing an important job. Of course, life and priestly service in the Arctic Circle is a sacrifice, but every person must sacrifice something. The main thing is that now an Orthodox parish has appeared in that remote point, services are held, prayers are offered. People here are already accustomed to the church, and without it it would be difficult for them. And the obedience of the monk Innocent is the work of an ordinary parish priest and missionary, which is superimposed by the hardships and peculiarities of the northern island of Novaya Zemlya.

TSING BOMB TEST
Tsar Bomba (Big Ivan) - tests of a 50 megaton thermonuclear bomb at the Novaya Zemlya test site.
Date of explosion: October 30, 1961

Explosion coordinates:
73 degrees 50"52.93" N (Time zone "November" UTC-1) 54 degrees 29"40.91 E.

The largest hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb is the Soviet 50-megaton “Tsar Bomba”, exploded on October 30, 1961 at a test site on the island of Novaya Zemlya.
Nikita Khrushchev joked that the original plan was to detonate a 100-megaton bomb, but the charge was reduced so as not to break all the glass in Moscow.
There is some truth in every joke: the bomb was actually designed for 100 megatons, and this power could be achieved by simply increasing the working fluid. They decided to reduce the energy release for safety reasons - otherwise the landfill would suffer too much damage. The product turned out to be so large that it did not fit into the bomb bay of the Tu-95 carrier aircraft and partially stuck out of it. Despite the successful test, the bomb did not enter service; however, the creation and testing of the superbomb had great political significance, demonstrating that the USSR had solved the problem of achieving almost any level of megatonnage of the nuclear arsenal.

"Ivan" is a thermonuclear device developed in the mid-50s by a group of physicists led by Academician I.V. Kurchatova. The group included Andrei Sakharov, Viktor Adamsky, Yuri Babaev, Yuri Trunov and Yuri Smirnov.

The initial version of a bomb weighing 40 tons was, for obvious reasons, rejected by the designers of OKB-156 (developers of the Tu-95). Then the nuclear scientists promised to reduce its weight to 20 tons, and the airplane pilots proposed a program for the corresponding modification of the Tu-16 and Tu-95. The new nuclear device, according to the tradition adopted in the USSR, received the code designation “Vanya” or “Ivan”, and the Tu-95 chosen as the carrier was named Tu-95V.

The first studies on this topic began immediately after negotiations between I.V. Kurchatov and A.N. Tupolev, who appointed his deputy for weapons systems, A.V. Nadashkevich, as the head of the topic. An analysis carried out by strength experts showed that the suspension of such a large concentrated load would require serious changes in the power circuit of the original aircraft, in the design of the cargo compartment and in the suspension and release devices. In the first half of 1955, the overall and weight drawing of the Ivan was agreed upon, as well as the layout drawing of its placement. As expected, the mass of the bomb was 15% of the carrier's take-off mass, but its overall dimensions required the removal of the fuselage fuel tanks. Developed for the Ivan suspension, the new beam holder BD7-95-242 (BD-242) was similar in design to the BD-206, but much more powerful. It had three bomber castles Der5-6 with a carrying capacity of 9 tons each. BD-242 was attached directly to the longitudinal power beams that edged the cargo compartment. The problem of bomb release control was also successfully solved. Electric automation ensured exclusively synchronous opening of all three locks, which was dictated by security conditions.

On March 17, 1956, a resolution of the Council of Ministers was issued, according to which OKB-156 was to begin converting the Tu-95 into a carrier of high-power nuclear bombs. This work was carried out in Zhukovsky from May to September, when the Tu-95V was accepted by the customer and transferred for flight testing. They were conducted under the leadership of S.M. Kulikov until 1959, included the release of a “superbomb” model and passed without any special comments.

The carrier of the “superbomb” was created, but its actual tests were postponed for political reasons: Khrushchev was going to the USA, and there was a pause in the Cold War. The Tu-95B was transported to the airfield in Uzin, where it was used as a training aircraft and was no longer listed as a combat vehicle. However, in 1961, with the beginning of a new round of the Cold War, testing of the “superbomb” again became relevant. On the Tu-95V, all connectors in the automatic reset system were urgently replaced, and the cargo compartment doors were removed, because The real bomb turned out to be slightly larger in size and weight than the mock-up and now exceeded the dimensions of the compartment (bomb weight - 24 tons, parachute system - 800 kg).

The prepared Tu-95B was transported to the northern airfield in Vaenga. Soon, with a special white thermal protective coating and a real bomb on board, piloted by a crew led by pilot Durnovtsov, it headed for Novaya Zemlya. The test of the world's most powerful thermonuclear device took place on October 30, 1961. The bomb exploded at an altitude of 4500 m. The plane shook, and the crew received a certain dose of radiation. The power of the explosion, according to various estimates, ranged from 75 to 120 megatons. Khrushchev was informed about the explosion of a bomb at 100 Mgt, and it was this figure that he mentioned in his speeches.

The results of the explosion of the charge, which received the name Tsar Bomba in the West, were impressive - the nuclear “mushroom” of the explosion rose to a height of 64 kilometers (according to American observation stations), the shock wave resulting from the explosion circled the globe three times, and the electromagnetic radiation of the explosion became cause radio interference for one hour.

The creation of the Soviet super-powerful hydrogen bomb and its explosion on October 30, 1961 over Novaya Zemlya became an important stage in the history of nuclear weapons. V.B. Adamsky and Yu.N. Smirnov, who repeatedly spoke on the pages of our magazine, together with A.D. Sakharov, Yu.N. Babaev and Yu.A. Trutnev were direct participants in the development of the design of this bomb. They also participated in her trial.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
http://yaranga.su/svedenia-novaya-zemla-1/
Pasetsky V.M. Discoverers of Novaya Zemlya. - M.: Nauka, 1980. - 192 p. — (History of science and technology). — 100,000 copies.
Saks V.N. Quaternary deposits of Novaya Zemlya. / Geology of the USSR. - T. XXVI, Islands of the Soviet Arctic. 1947.
Robush M. S. Along the Arctic Ocean. (From travel notes) // Historical Bulletin. - 1890. - T. 42. - No. 10. - P. 83-118, No. 12. - P. 671-709.
Yugarov I. S. Journal for Novaya Zemlya (climate) for 1881 and 1882 / Extract. and comment. M. S. Robusha // Historical Bulletin. - 1889. - T. 36. - No. 4. - P. 117-151. — Under the title: A year on Novaya Zemlya.
E. R. a Trautvetter. Conspectus Florae Insularum Nowaja-Semlja (lat.) // Tr. Imp. St. Petersburg bot. garden - 1871-1872. - V. I. - T. I. - P. 45-88. (~77 MB)
Martynov V. | Novaya Zemlya is a military land | Newspaper "Geography" No. 09/2009
Based on materials from “The First Russian Explorers of Novaya Zemlya”, 1922, compiled by P. I. Bashmakov
http://www.pravda.ru/districts/northwest/arhangelsk/31-12-2004/49072-monah-0/
http://www.nationalsecurity.ru/maps/nuclear/004.htm
http://www.photosight.ru/
http://www.belushka-info.ru/

The archipelago consists of two large islands - Northern and Southern, separated by a narrow strait (2-3 km) Matochkin Shar, and many relatively small ones, the largest of which is Mezhdusharsky Island. The northeastern tip of the North Island - Cape Vlissingsky - is the easternmost point of Europe. It stretches from southwest to northeast for 925 km. The northernmost point of Novaya Zemlya is the eastern island of the Bolshiye Oranskie Islands, the southernmost is the Pynin Islands of the Petukhovsky archipelago, the western is the nameless cape on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula of Yuzhny Island, the eastern is Cape Flissingsky of the Northern Islands. The area of ​​all islands is more than 83 thousand km?; The width of the North Island is up to 123 km, the South Island is up to 143 km. Kli...

The archipelago consists of two large islands - Northern and Southern, separated by a narrow strait (2-3 km) Matochkin Shar, and many relatively small ones, the largest of which is Mezhdusharsky Island. The northeastern tip of the North Island - Cape Vlissingsky - is the easternmost point of Europe. It stretches from southwest to northeast for 925 km. The northernmost point of Novaya Zemlya is the eastern island of the Bolshiye Oranskie Islands, the southernmost is the Pynin Islands of the Petukhovsky archipelago, the western is the nameless cape on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula of Yuzhny Island, the eastern is Cape Flissingsky of the Northern Islands. The area of ​​all islands is more than 83 thousand km?; The width of the North Island is up to 123 km, the South Island is up to 143 km. The climate is arctic and harsh. Winter is long and cold, with strong winds (the speed of katabatic (katabatic) winds reaches 40-50 m/s) and snowstorms, and therefore Novaya Zemlya is sometimes called the “Land of the Winds” in literature. Frosts reach?40°C. The average temperature of the warmest month - August - ranges from 2.5 °C in the north to 6.5 °C in the south. In winter, the difference reaches 4.6°. The difference in temperature conditions between the coasts of the Barents and Kara Seas exceeds 5°. This temperature asymmetry is due to the difference in the ice regime of these seas. The archipelago itself has many small lakes; under the rays of the sun, the water temperature in the southern regions can reach 18 °C. About half the area of ​​the North Island is occupied by glaciers. On an area of ​​about 20,000 km there is a continuous ice cover, extending almost 400 km in length and up to 70-75 km in width. The ice thickness is over 300 m. In a number of places, the ice descends into fjords or breaks off into the open sea, forming ice barriers and giving rise to icebergs. The total glaciated area of ​​Novaya Zemlya is 29,767 km2, of which about 92% is cover glaciation and 7.9% is mountain glaciers. On the South Island there are areas of arctic tundra. Plants characteristic of the sparse flora of the islands are creeping species, such as creeping willow (Salix polaris), saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia), mountain lichen and others. The vegetation in the southern part is mostly dwarf birches, moss and low grass; in areas near rivers, lakes and bays, many mushrooms grow: milk mushrooms, honey mushrooms, etc. The largest lake is Gusinoe. It is home to freshwater fish, in particular char. Common animals include arctic foxes, lemmings, partridges, and reindeer. Polar bears come to the southern regions with the onset of cold weather, posing a threat to local residents. Marine animals include harp seal, ringed seal, sea hare, walruses, and whales. On the islands of the archipelago you can find the largest bird colonies in the Russian Arctic. Guillemots, puffins, and seagulls live here. On September 17, 1954, a Soviet nuclear test site was opened on Novaya Zemlya with its center in Belushaya Guba. The training ground includes three sites: Black Lip - used mainly in 1955-1962. Matochkin Shar - underground tests in 1964-1990 D-II SIPNZ on the Sukhoi Nos Peninsula - ground tests 1957-1962. In addition, explosions were carried out at other points (the official territory of the test site occupied more than half of the entire area of ​​the island). From September 21, 1955 to October 24, 1990 (the official date of the announcement of the moratorium on nuclear testing), 135 nuclear explosions were carried out at the test site: 87 in the atmosphere (of which 84 were airborne, 1 ground-based, 2 surface-based), 3 underwater and 42 underground explosions. Among the experiments were very powerful megaton nuclear tests carried out in the atmosphere above the archipelago. On Novaya Zemlya in 1961, the most powerful hydrogen bomb in the history of mankind was detonated - the 58-megaton Tsar Bomba at the D-II “Sukhoi Nose” site. The shock wave resulting from the explosion circled the globe three times, and on Dikson Island (800 kilometers) the windows in houses were broken by the blast wave. Only the New Earth, with a demonstrative lesson, convinced me to live not in vain, but wisely and usefully. From a poem by V.G. Amazonov.

Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, consisting of two large islands - North and South, separated by the Matochkin Shar Strait. The length of the strait is 107 kilometers, width 1.5-2 kilometers. From January to May, the strait is covered with ice up to one and a half meters thick.

The Novaya Zemlya islands are located in the Arctic basin between the two seas, the Barents (warm) and Kara (cold); both seas belong to the Arctic climate zone.

The southern tip of Novaya Zemlya - Cape Menshikov is located at latitude 70°30" north, the northern part - Cape Zhelaniya at latitude 77° north.

Severny Island and part of Yuzhny Island are located in the Arctic desert zone. About half the surface of Severny Island is occupied by glaciers; their continuous cover extends 400 kilometers in length and up to 70-75 kilometers in width. The thickness of many glaciers exceeds 300 meters. Often glaciers slide into the open sea, giving rise to icebergs.

Due to their geographical location, the islands are a natural frontal divide between the seas, which have a significant impact on the climate.

The archipelago itself is covered with permafrost and ice and has the following characteristics:

The archipelago is composed mainly of Paleozoic rocks, which are covered with Quaternary sediments on top. The most ancient rocks in the Cambrian archipelago are black phyllites, sandstones, shales and conglomerates with a trilobite fauna. In the geological past, the coastal areas of the archipelago were covered with multi-meter thick layers of early Quaternary ice caps. When the glaciers retreated, a gradual rise of the seabed began, which continues today at a rate of about 5-6 mm per year. It is likely that these areas of land were freed from under the sea approximately seven to eight thousand years ago.

The mountains of Novaya Zemlya are mainly located along the coast of the Barents Sea, and the width of the mountain strip on the archipelago varies greatly. If in the area of ​​the Matochkin Shar Strait the mountains are located almost from sea to sea, then as you move away from it to the south or north, this strip narrows. The highest peaks are characterized by a cut, leveled character. The highest unnamed peak of the South Island has an elevation of 1342 meters, located abeam the middle reaches of the Chirakina River. The mountains along the banks of Matochkina Shar rarely exceed 1000 meters (Gefera - 1133 m, Sedova - 1115 m), while there are many such peaks along the width of the peninsula. Here is also the highest peak of the archipelago, 1547 meters high, which does not have a name on the maps, although, according to available information, F. Litke gave it the name Krusenstern. The mountains are deeply dissected by river and glacial valleys.

The rivers of Novaya Zemlya are mostly short (the length of the largest of them does not exceed 130 km), mountainous, with shallow depths, fast flowing, with rocky, rapids beds. The depth of the rivers does not exceed 3 m, the flow speed is 1.5-2 m/s. The most significant rivers on the island. Northern - Gusinaya and Promyslovaya, on the island. Southern - Bezymyannaya, Shumilikha and Chirakina. River flow is seasonal and summer. Rivers freeze to the bottom in winter. Lakes are numerous and vary in size, configuration, genesis, feeding conditions and chemical composition. The lakes on the plain are relict and thermokarst, along the sea coast - lagoonal, separated from the sea by spits and bay bars, in the mountains - glacial or dammed by moraines. The largest lakes have an area of ​​up to 60 km2, a depth of up to 20-30 m, in some cases up to 90 m.

Geography of the Belushi Peninsula

In the southern part of the mainland, the terrain decreases and turns into a slightly hilly plain. The territory of the peninsula is well divided into three natural areas with unequal relief and separated from each other by deep depressions, former straits between Belushya Bay and Rogachev Bay (lagoons). Nowadays they are separated from both bays from the west and east by sandy bridges, and in depressions with steep northern and southern shores there are salt-water lakes (1st Transverse Lagoon and 2nd Gavrilovskaya Lagoon). In the historical past, 200-300 years ago, when Arkhangelsk coast-dwellers went fishing to Novaya Zemlya, these transverse lagoons could be easily navigated by ships from Belushiya Bay to Rogachev Bay and back.

The southern tip of the peninsula is steep, the maximum height of the banks is 10-17 meters. The western part is swampy and contains several small lakes.

In the center of the peninsula, delimited from its northern territory by the 1st Transverse Lagoon, there is a vast depression with several large but shallow freshwater lakes - the Small and Bolshoi Sidorovsky lakes, and several unnamed ones.

The northern part of the peninsula, the most significant in area and the most elevated with a height of about 38 meters, is limited from the north by Gavrilov Bay, and from the south by the 1st Transverse Lagoon. It has a rugged terrain with several extensive swampy depressions, at the bottom of which are all the modern large lakes (Bolshoye and Maloe Gavrilovsky, Maloe and Bolshoye Ilya Vylki, Maloe and Bolshoye Rogachevsky, Bolshoye Shmidta). These reservoirs are wastewater and flowing, some of them are connected by streams, such as lakes Gavrilovskie and Ilya Vylki. Interesting natural objects are located on the western coast of this part of the peninsula - the Astronomicheskaya, Stvornaya and Sukhaya lagoons, which were recently separated from the sea.

The material was found and prepared for publication by Grigory Luchansky

Source:Novaya Zemlya excursion. Collection edited by R. L. Samoilovich and M. M. Ermolaev. Part one. General. International Geological Congress. XVII session of the USSR 1937 Leningrad, Glavsevmorput publishing house, 1937

Physico-geographical sketch of Novaya Zemlya

V. D. Alexandrova and A. I. Zubkov

I. Climate

The island position of Novaya Zemlya gives its climate a maritime character, which manifests itself in cold summers with frequent fogs and light rain and relatively light frosts in winter, as well as slightly higher amounts of precipitation than in more continental parts of the Arctic. In addition, the presence of the Barents Sea, warmed by the Gulf Stream, in the west, and the cold Kara Sea in the east, leads to great weather variability and causes some differences in the climate of the western and Kara coasts of Novaya Zemlya.

1. Wind mode

The most characteristic feature of the Novaya Zemlya climate is the frequent occurrence of strong winds.

Changes in wind strength by month are shown in the table at the end of the text. From its consideration it follows that the highest average annual wind speed is observed in Malye Karmakuly; Cape Zhelaniya is in second place. But with regard to the frequency of lulls, these two stations change places. An intermediate position is occupied by Matochkin Shar and Russkaya Gavan, which are characterized by lower wind speeds and a greater number of calm periods. In terms of wind strength, Novaya Zemlya ranks first in the Union; only in some mountainous areas the wind speed exceeds Novaya Zemlya (for example, Markhotsky Pass, where bora is rampant).

The winter months - from November to March - experience the strongest winds.

The most frequently recurring wind is the bora. The direction of the wind during bora is perpendicular to Novaya Zemlya, i.e. on its western shore, in various places on the coast it is respectively: EtN, ESE and SSE, and on the east - WtN, WNW, NNW (The first observations of bora were made in the Malye Karmakuly camp , on the western coast of the southern island, where its direction is from the east. Hence its local name - “drain”). The wind blowing from the mountains reaches the strength of a hurricane in the coastal strip. With distance from the coast, it noticeably weakens, and at a distance of 10-15 miles, in the open sea, it calms down completely. These features of the Novaya Zemlya bora forced us to consider it a local phenomenon, but studies by V. Yu. Wiese showed that the bora depends on the general movements of the atmosphere in the Barents and Kara Seas, deformed by the Novaya Zemlya mountain range. The wind crossing the Novaya Zemlya Upland changes its strength and direction: it turns perpendicular to Novaya Zemlya (passing along the shortest path) and intensifies on the leeward side. The origin of bora on the west coast is predominantly cyclonic and is usually caused by the appearance of a pressure depression west of Novaya Zemlya.

The course of meteorological elements during bora has now been sufficiently studied and allows, in most cases, to suggest its appearance 6 - 8 hours before the start of the storm (V. Yu. Wiese). The air pressure gradually drops 10 hours before the bora. When the wind is already blowing from the coast, characteristic motionless clouds appear over the mountains, similar to pieces of cotton wool, while the overall cloudiness noticeably decreases. At the same time, there is a sharp drop in relative air humidity. At the height of the storm, cloud cover, humidity, and pressure increase again. The air temperature during boron usually decreases. Much less often, weakly expressed hair dryers are observed, which are accompanied by a slight increase in temperature.

The wind speed during bora is very high. The highest speed measured by the anemometer was 38.5 m/sec. The average bora speed in Malye Karmakuly is 14.4 m/sec. However, these data poorly reflect the true nature of the wind during boris, the distinctive feature of which is extreme gustyness (as well as inconstancy of direction), and individual gusts, separated by intervals of relative calm, reach enormous strength. During such gusts, the wind rolls away heavy barrels, throws carbas into the sea, picks up and carries dust, sand and small stones. In winter, during strong storms, the air is filled with snow, and therefore visibility is reduced to several meters.

The bora lasts on average about a day, but there have been cases when the most severe storm lasted up to 6 days or more. So, for example, according to the Karmakul station, in 1935. The bora, which began on February 20, continued until March 3 at a speed of up to 40 m/sec.

2. Temperature

Despite its northern location, Novaya Zemlya has warm winters compared to other parts of the Soviet Arctic.

The average annual temperature at the northernmost point of Novaya Zemlya - at Cape Zhelaniya - is only - 9 °.3, while at the mouth of the Lena, i.e. at a point located 6 ° south of Cape Zhelaniya, the average annual temperature is - 17 °.

Average monthly air temperatures on Novaya Zemlya are presented in table. 12, from which it can be seen that at Cape Zhelaniya the average monthly air temperature remains below 0° for 10 months, and in Russian Harbor, Matochkin Shar and Malye Karmakuly - 8 months.

The coldest month on Novaya Zemlya is March, the average temperature of which is - 21°.4, and in Malye Karmakuly - 15°.5.

The warmest month is August with an average temperature for Malye Karmakul 7°.0, and for Cape Zhelaniya only 2°.1.

The minimum temperature on Nozoya Zemlya was observed during the wintering of G. Sedov in Foki Bay - 50°.2. In January 1913 in Malye Karmakuly during the entire observation period the temperature did not fall below - 39°.6. The maximum temperature observed in Malye Karmakuly was 23°.0.

The absolute minimums for all months of the four stations turn out to be negative, and the absolute maximums (except for 3 months of Cape Zhelaniya) are positive. Consequently, a thaw is possible in all months, but we do not have a single month without frost.

3. Weather severity

Thanks to extremely strong winds, the weather on Novaya Zemlya is very harsh, despite the relatively high temperatures.

Let us point out that Verkhoyansk, which lies near the cold pole, has half as severe weather as Novaya Zemlya, and therefore winter in Verkhoyansk is easier for people to endure than on Novaya Zemlya, despite the fact that the average January temperature in Verkhoyansk is - 50°, 1 , and the absolute minimum reaches - 69°.8.

This is explained by the calmer state of the atmosphere in Verkhoyansk, where the probability of calm in January reaches 69%. whereas for Small Karmakul it does not exceed 7% (V. Yu. Wiese, 1928). In general, in terms of weather severity, Novaya Zemlya ranks first in the Soviet Arctic.

4. Precipitation

The amount of precipitation falling on Novaya Zemlya is relatively small. Average annual precipitation amounts are expressed in numbers:

Cape Zhelaniya - 115 mm

Russian Harbor - 156 mm

Matochkin Ball - 224 mm

Malye Karmakuly - 238 mm

It follows that the amount of precipitation decreases noticeably from south to north. The highest precipitation amounts are June, August, and September, and the lowest are March, April, and May. It should be added that precipitation falling in winter is not fully taken into account, since the snow from the rain gauge is partially blown away by strong winds.

5. Relative humidity

Below are data regarding relative humidity and cloud cover.

Average annual humidity:

Cape Zhelaniya - 89%

Russian Harbor - 81%

Matochkin Shar - 82%

Small Karmakuly - 83%

6. Cloudiness

Cloud cover on Novaya Zemlya is high: cloudy skies with low clouds are most common. The maximum average cloudiness at Cape Zhelaniya occurs in June, the minimum in February. In Malye Karmakuly, the maximum cloudiness falls in July. In general, the period from December to May has less cloudiness, which coincides with a period of low temperatures. With the onset of spring, when melting begins, cloudiness increases; at this time on Novaya Zemlya there are clear days only occasionally, but usually the sky is covered with low clouds; Fogs are quite common.

Average annual cloudiness:

Cape Zhelaniya - 7.9%

Russian Harbor - 7.6%

Matochkin Shar - 7.8%

Malye Karmakuly - 7.6%

II. Vegetation of Novaya Zemlya

1. General notes

Short summers with low temperatures and high air humidity, long cold winters, and most importantly, strong winds that create extreme harshness of the weather and extremely uneven distribution of snow, determine, in general, the meager development of vegetation on Novaya Zemlya.

This is also facilitated by the mountainous nature of the country, since living conditions worsen with increasing altitude. On Novaya Zemlya, rocky placers, bare gravelly areas, polygonal soils with sparse vegetation predominate, and only in the flat parts of the southern island, on moraine deposits washed by the sea, we see swamps with a continuous moss-grass cover and spotted tundra with a variegated composition of vegetation.

Due to the harsh living conditions, mosses and lichens predominate over flowering plants. Flowering plants are stunted, their height in most cases is between 10 - 15 cm. Cushion-shaped (for example, Silene acaulis), turfy, creeping forms are extremely developed, best suited for protection from the wind and the use of the warm ground layer of air. Unfavorable climatic conditions are an obstacle to the propagation of plants by seeds, therefore all representatives of the Novaya Zemlya flora are perennials. Many species have a highly developed ability for vegetative reproduction.

Currently, 208 species of vascular plants are known on Novaya Zemlya (including 2 species of ferns, 3 species of horsetails, 1 clubmoss and 202 flowering plants) and about 400 species of mosses, lichens, and fungi. As you move north, the flora of the Novaya Zemlya Islands becomes poorer, and north of 75° N. w. There are already only 78 species of flowering plants.

2. Age of flora

The flora of Novaya Zemlya is relatively young. It was formed in geologically recent times, since the settlement of plants became possible only during the period when Novaya Zemlya began to free itself from the ice sheet that covered it during the era of maximum glaciation. This is also confirmed by the absence of pre-glacial relics on Novaya Zemlya and the very weak development of endemism. Only three species of dandelion and one race of polar poppy are purely Novaya Zemlya forms - plants generally prone to the very rapid formation and isolation of new forms.

The flora of Novaya Zemlya, represented mainly by circumpolar or species very common in the Arctic, is generally similar in composition to the flora of Vaygach and together with the flora of the parts of polar Siberia closest to Vaygach, i.e. it is predominantly Siberian. A small group of species common to Eastern Siberia is absent from Vaigach and nearby parts of the Arctic. At the same time, some plants are common to Novaya Zemlya with Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land and Greenland and are either absent or rarely found in the immediate parts of the European and Asian North. Some of these plants were found on Novaya Zemlya only on the northern island. Analyzing these features of the Novaya Zemlya flora, A. Tolmachev suggests that the settlement of Novaya Zemlya followed different paths: the largest number of species penetrated from the south, through Vaygach, in addition, there was an more ancient settlement route through Spitsbergen, and, finally, some plants migrated directly from Eastern Siberia at a time when there was land in the Kara Sea, now hidden by water.

3. Botanical-geographical zones

On Novaya Zemlya, as mentioned above, plants usually do not form a continuous cover. We find well-developed vegetation cover, consisting of a number of associations, only in the flat parts of the southern island, where there are favorable conditions for the existence of vegetation; On the north island and in the mountains, open factions play a major role in the landscape. Depending on the distribution of plant formations, we distinguish the following botanical-geographical zones on Novaya Zemlya: in the south, in the flat parts of the southern island, formations of the tundra zone are developed, in the form of its northern subzone of the Arctic tundra, characterized by the absence of shrub cenoses, the dominance of spotted tundras in flat conditions and the development of peat bogs.

Finally, on the northern island, at a latitude of about 75°, we observe a transition from the tundra zone to the zone of arctic deserts or Barren ground of American authors.

Due to the mountainous nature of the country, on Novaya Zemlya, in addition to latitudinal zoning, vertical zoning appears. In the arctic tundra subzone there is a belt of highland arctic tundra, in the zone of arctic deserts there is a belt of highland arctic desert. The mountain-arctic tundra is developed in the mountainous part of the southern island to the latitude of Pankova Zemlya, where, due to its more northern position, as well as due to an increase in altitudes above sea level, it moves towards the coast and is replaced, in the central part, by a belt of mountain-arctic deserts. The highland Arctic tundra advances along the coast of the northern island to a latitude of 75°. The belt of highland Arctic deserts begins at the highest points of the northern part of the southern island and extends north, occupying the southern part of the northern island to a latitude of 75° and spreading to all mountain areas free from ice cover.

Subzones of the Arctic tundra. In the arctic tundra subzone, spotted grass-shrub-moss tundras are found on heavy loams containing only a small admixture of small pebbles and boulders. Vegetation occupies 65 - 75% of the area, the rest of the surface is occupied by bare loamy spots.

On gravelly-loamy soils, moss-lichen spotted tundras are developed.

Spotted tundras are often found on polygonal soils. Polygonal soils are varied in nature, depending on the ratio of rocky and loamy parts, on the position in the relief, on moisture conditions, depth of snow cover, etc. Here we find so-called cellular soils, stone networks, stone rings, stone strips. In the arctic tundra subzone, spotted tundras develop on polygonal soils, and both the rocky part (stone strips) and the bulges of fine earth between them are usually devoid of vegetation (except for crustose lichens on stones). The vegetation forms a ridge around bare gravelly-loamy spots, and is located in hairs and clumps along the stone strips. Mainly moss-lichen associations develop here.

On elevated areas of the relief that remain free of snow in winter, on the tops of hills, on steep bends of slopes, along the edges of high river banks, plants do not form a continuous cover, but grow scattered in individual specimens or small fragments of phytocenoses on a gravelly surface. Cleared of snow early, these places already in mid-June delight the eye with the lovely purple flowers of saxifrage, blue flowers of forget-me-nots, yellow flowers of cinquefoil, poppy, etc.

Under conditions of good drainage and favorable exposure to solar radiation, small areas of meadow tundra with a variegated cover of grasses and herbs develop. Meadow grasses often develop in burrowing areas of lemmings and arctic foxes.

Hypno-sedge and hypno-cotton grass forests are developed in the depressions, occupying large areas on the western coast and the southern tip of the southern island. Sometimes the herbage is dominated by the grass Diipontia Fischerii; the grass Arctophyla fulva usually grows near the shores of lakes. In swamps, flat peat mounds with a mineral core of loam containing ice inclusions are often observed. Often there are relict peat bogs with peat more than a meter thick, which are in the stage of degradation, erosion and re-wetting. They are witnesses of the former climatic optimum here. In modern peatlands, the peat thickness usually does not exceed 25-30 cm.

On the Kara side, lichen tundras are widespread. On the western side, lichen tundra occurs in small areas.

Moving inland from the coast, we enter a mountainous country. The predominant landscape of the mountain belt of the Arctic tundra is rocky placers and stone fields with sparse vegetation. On mountain slopes, in hollows and saddles on loamy-stony polygonal soils, tundras develop with sparse and open vegetation cover of poor species composition. Scale lichens and mosses predominate. In some of the most favorable conditions, in well-protected areas on polygonal soil, a spotted moss-lichen tundra with moss, lichens, and moss develops. On loamy soils, polygonal tundras develop, the surface of which is divided into polygons; Willows and saxifrage grow in the depressions between the latter. Occasionally there are hypno-cotton grass and hypno-sedge swamps. Above 250 - 300 m above sea level they give way to hummocks on wet loam. In case of good water flow, grass settles on the bare loamy substrate.

The vegetation of river valleys in the lower and middle reaches of rivers is much richer. Here we observe well-developed swamps and spotted tundras on colluvial soils with a richer species composition, as well as tundra meadows. Along the river valleys and the most protected areas of the slopes, the types of vegetation characteristic of the flat parts of the coast penetrate quite far into the interior of the island and to the north.

The Arctic desert subzone is characterized by an almost complete absence of plant associations. Rare and sparse vegetation is scattered in single specimens, and fragments of phytocenoses are found only in small areas. Polygonal soils predominate; there are no waterlogging processes. In the distribution of vegetation, the main role is played by the nature of the snow cover, which is determined by its position in the relief in relation to the prevailing winds. On the tops of bottom moraines, along gentle slopes, wherever the snow cover is blown away by strong winds during the winter, single specimens of saxifrage and a few other species grow under the protection of the microrelief on the leeward side. On the slopes, in places where snow cover accumulates, the vegetation has the character of small fragments of phytocenoses. Here, mainly, we find lichens with a few species of flowering plants, such as single specimens of saxifrage, jaspers, grains, etc., and along the edges of polygons and on rocky rings Cetraria hiascens, crustose lichens and mosses from the genus Drepanocladus develop. In heavily moist areas of the relief, small fragments of the hummock grass of the pike Deschampsia arctica or grass-hypnum associations are found.

In the mountainous part of the northern island, devoid of ice cover, and at the highest altitudes of the northern part of the southern island, we enter a belt of highland Arctic desert, characterized by a complete absence of plant associations. Associations of crustose lichens on stones and exposed rocky spaces with single specimens of flowering vegetation are developed here, the number of species of which is insignificant: at an altitude of 400 - 500 m above sea level, at the latitude of Russian Harbor, only two or three species of flowering plants are found. The last two species are pioneers in settling new spaces, penetrating far into the interior of the island along the nunataks.

III. Animal world

1. General notes

The fauna of Novaya Zemlya is not distinguished by a wide variety of forms. The fauna of terrestrial mammals and birds of Novaya Zemlya is represented by the following biological groups: 1) terrestrial mammals and birds biologically associated with vegetation; 2) predators; 3) birds - inhabitants of coastal cliffs and islands, biologically connected by the sea.

Within the plant subzones and belts we have identified, the fauna of terrestrial mammals, as well as some representatives of the avifauna, are concentrated mainly in the subzone of the Arctic tundra and in the coastal parts of the highland Arctic tundra. The Arctic desert subzone is less populated; The highland Arctic desert belt is almost uninhabited. The arctic tundra subzone, having the richest vegetation, is also the most favorable habitat for representatives of these fauna groups. However, human influence forces some species to leave more favorable areas for existence and move north. Here we are referring to the reindeer, which is now found mainly in the Arctic desert subzone.

2. Land mammals

Of the representatives of terrestrial mammals, only five species are found on Novaya Zemlya: reindeer, arctic fox, two species of lemmings and polar bear.

In the past, reindeer lived on Novaya Zemlya in numerous herds, living mainly in the Arctic tundra subzone. Reindeer fishing occupied one of the prominent places, providing meat and skins for the local population, in addition, a significant amount of skins was exported to the mainland. Unsustainable fishing was the main reason for the decline in reindeer numbers. Currently, deer remain in small numbers, mainly on the northern tip in the area of ​​​​Cape Zhelaniya and on the Kara side of both islands. In the arctic tundra subzone, deer are quite rare; most deer live in the arctic desert subzone and in the highland arctic tundra belt. Deer make their migrations within the islands depending on the condition of the pastures. In winter, on the southern island, deer roam on the Kara side, moving south of the river. Savina, where in the interfluve spaces they find more favorable conditions for obtaining food than in the northern part of the island. In spring, deer migrate to the north, as well as to mountainous areas. On the northern island in winter, deer roam along the Kara Side and in the area of ​​​​Cape Zhelaniya. In spring and summer they stay in glacier-free areas of both coasts.

Currently, in order to protect deer from complete extermination, the Committee on Nature Reserves under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee has banned deer hunting for a period of five years.

The arctic fox is distributed throughout Novaya Zemlya, and most of it lives in the subzone of the Arctic tundra, where there are great opportunities for obtaining food both in winter and summer, since in winter the arctic fox finds more lemmings here, and in summer many birds nest here and, in addition, here conditions are more favorable for burrowing. The Novaya Zemlya Arctic fox belongs to the subspecies Alopex lagopus spitzbergensis Barr. The number of Arctic foxes on Novaya Zemlya is subject to large fluctuations from year to year, depending on the state of the food supply. In some years the arctic fox is found on the islands in large numbers, while in other years there are few arctic foxes. Years abundant in arctic foxes are repeated on Novaya Zemlya every two years.

The arctic fox makes burrows near the seashore on dry slopes of hills, as well as along coastal slopes. Puppies appear in May - June in the amount of 3 - 12 pieces.

During the spring, Arctic foxes molt. Molting ends in June, at which time the Arctic fox is brown in color. The change from summer to winter cover occurs in September. In December, the Arctic fox has winter colors; From this time on, the Arctic fox fishing season begins on Novaya Zemlya.

Polar bear. The polar bear appears off the coast of Novaya Zemlya mainly in winter, when the ice approaches. Previously, the bear was distributed along the coast of the entire island; now it is found at the northern tip and on the Kara side. In summer, bears are a rather rare sight on Novaya Zemlya. Sometimes in the summer you can find bears on the Kara coast and the northern tip of the remaining ice after the retreat, which stay close to the bays, sometimes going far into the island. Bears feed mainly on seals, lying in wait for them on the ice of bays near openings.

3. Marine mammals

Among the marine mammals found off the coast of Novaya Zemlya are the walrus, the seal, the bearded seal, the harp seal and the beluga whale.

Previously widespread in large numbers, the walrus in the Barents and Kara Seas suffered greatly from predatory fishing in the pre-October period, so currently walruses are found in small numbers off the coast of Novaya Zemlya. In autumn, at the southern tip, as well as in the north of Novaya Zemlya, small herds of walruses appear in rookeries.

Sea hare and seal are common off the coast of Novaya Zemlya in fairly significant numbers. These two species are the main objects of coastal hunting by the local population. In the spring, herds of harp seals appear off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, which also enter the bays during migration.

In autumn, large herds of beluga whales approach the shores of Novaya Zemlya.

4. Ornithofauna

With the onset of spring, the coast and tundra come alive with migratory birds. Guillemots and gulls appear at the markets, the tundra is filled with the cries of geese, swans and loons, and pairs of waders fly along the shores of lakes and bays.

The avifauna of Novaya Zemlya is represented by 40 species, of which only the snowy owl, guillemot and two species of gulls are permanent inhabitants. The rest of the bird population flies to Novaya Zemlya for the nesting period. In the spring in May, as soon as the first thawed patches appear, huge flocks of geese fly here, most of which nest in the subzone of the Arctic tundra (Goose Land, Mezhdusharsky Island, Kara Side), where there are the most favorable conditions for their life (abundance of lakes, rich vegetation ). Here we meet the white-fronted goose and greylag goose. In addition, the brant and barnacle goose nest in the mountains and on small islands.

At the end of July, during molting, in the area of ​​their mass habitat, on Goose Land, Rogacheva Land, geese gather along the shores of lakes in flocks of thousands. The swan also nests in the arctic tundra subzone, making its nests on the tops of hills near lakes.

The bird population of coastal cliffs, the so-called bird colonies, is especially rich in terms of quantity.

The main population of bird colonies is formed by guillemots; kittiwake gulls are found here in relatively small numbers. Bird markets on Novaya Zemlya are spread throughout the western coast, there are about 45 of them. The largest market is located in Bezymyannaya Bay, whose population reaches up to 1,500,000 birds. Guillemots arrive to Novaya Zemlya at the end of May. Egg laying begins in mid-June. Kaira places one egg on a small bare rock ledge. The chicks appear at the end of July and remain at the market until the end of August, when the guillemots leave the markets together with their offspring.

The eider nests on the small islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The eider arrives on the shores of Novaya Zemlya in May and stays until the end of October. This bird, very important commercially, is distributed along both coasts of Novaya Zemlya. The eider nests in colonies, sometimes together with the brant. Quite significant colonies of eiders are concentrated on the islands in the southern part of Novaya Zemlya. In addition to the sea eider, on Novaya Zemlya there is a common eider, which nests on the shores of lakes in the tundra.

Among other representatives of the avifauna of Novaya Zemlya, it is worth noting the long-tailed ducks, which live in huge numbers in bays and bays, and then the mergansers.

5. Ichthyofauna

The ichthyofauna of fresh water bodies of Novaya Zemlya is poor. Here we find one representative of the salmonids - the char, which is found in lakes, as well as in large rivers, where it spends the winter, and in the spring it goes to sea and returns to the lakes at the end of August. Char is also common in closed reservoirs without drainage, sometimes located high above sea level (for example, in the Rogachev Mountains).

Of the marine fish, cod comes to the west coast in large quantities. Cod appears at the end of June and stays in the coastal strip until mid-October. In autumn, a massive approach of polar cod is observed.

In 1936 An ichthyological expedition of the Arctic Institute discovered herring, mackerel, pollock and haddock off the western coast of Novaya Zemlya. The appearance of these heat-loving fish, belonging to the boreal element of the ichthyofauna, in the Barents Sea is an indicator of the warming of the waters of the Atlantic Current.

IV. Population and fishery

1. History of colonization on Novaya Zemlya

Novaya Zemlya has been visited by Russian industrialists since ancient times. When the Russians first appeared on Novaya Zemlya, it is impossible to say for sure, since no historical documents have been preserved about this, and based on the available historical material dating back to a later time, one can only speak speculatively. The movement of Russians north to the shores of the Arctic Ocean began in the 12th century.

Veliky Novgorod, in pursuit of expanding its colonies, gradually founded its settlements in Pomorie and the Pechora region, where in the 15th and 16th centuries. There were already significant centers of Novgorod colonization. Access to the sea, of course, was an impetus for the development of navigation, and rich hunting trades forced industrialists to undertake long voyages in the Arctic Sea. During these voyages, brave Russian industrialists discovered Novaya Zemlya.

In 1556 The English navigator Stefan Borro, following from the mouth of the Pechora to the east, reached an unknown island, where he met Russian industrialists, and one of them - the helmsman Loshak - told him that the shore of the “big islands” visible from the island was called Novaya Zemlya and that on Novaya There is a high mountain on earth.

In 1594, when the Barents expedition visited Novaya Zemlya, it discovered the Russian settlement of the Stroganovs in Stroganova Bay, who moved to Novaya Zemlya and soon died of scurvy. In addition, the expedition found traces of Russian presence at different points on the western coast of Novaya Zemlya. All this indicates that in the 16th century. Novaya Zemlya was quite well known to the Russians, who apparently penetrated there at the beginning of the 15th century, when navigation and hunting were significantly developed and the Novgorodians “traveled on kochas further than Novaya Zemlya and even to Kara Bay.”

Until the end of the last century, there was no permanent population on Novaya Zemlya. The industrialists who visited Novaya Zemlya worked mainly in the summer season, sometimes spent the winter and, in exceptional cases, stayed for a longer time. We indicated above that back in the 16th century. there was a settlement of the Stroganovs on Novaya Zemlya; there are other cases when a person moved to Novaya Zemlya and tried to settle there permanently, but all these attempts ended in the death of the settlers.

In 1763 From Kem, the Paikachev family moved to Novaya Zemlya in Black Bay, forced to leave their homeland “due to persecution from the priests.” Soon after the resettlement, the Paykachevs died of scurvy.

Shortly before government colonization began in 1896. From the Bolshezemelskaya tundra, the Nenets Foma Vylka moved in a boat to Novaya Zemlya.

In 1877 Seven Nenets families (35 people) were resettled to Malye Karmakuly, and in the same year a rescue station was founded here. Subsequently, two more camps were opened - in Pomorskaya Bay (1894) and in Belushiya Bay (1897), where eleven Nenets families settled. Finally, in 1910 On the northern island in Krestovaya Bay, the fourth camp was founded, where 11 Russians from Shenkursky district were resettled. Thus, in 1910 the population of Novaya Zemlya in four camps was 108 people. To supply the colonists, since 1880. Steamship routes were established to Novaya Zemlya. The undertaking of the tsarist government in the field of colonization of Novaya Zemlya was extremely frivolous. The hunting equipment and vehicles of the industrialists were primitive and did not sufficiently provide the possibility of using the island's fishing wealth. Arctic fox fishing, for example, was carried out mostly with the help of wooden traps - “kulem”; traps were rarely used. A predatory method of obtaining arctic fox was also practiced, by poisoning it with strychnine, which the Norwegians supplied industrialists with. Associated with the sea almost all seasons of the year, the industrialists had only small shooting boats as vehicles. During the fishing period, the dwellings were tents or tiny huts, built by the industrialists themselves from driftwood.

The fishery was carried out unevenly, its progress across the seasons was uneven. Both the primitiveness of mining methods and the absence or poor quality of processing reduced the quantity and value of the extracted products. The lack of proper transport led to the fact that industrialists often left their fishery products on the Kara side, unable to deliver them to populated areas. This situation led to the theft of natural productive resources, which was facilitated by the lack of protection of natural resources: birds were rapaciously exterminated at markets for dog food, eider down was collected from killed birds, etc. Private entrepreneurs, both Norwegian and Russian, visiting Novaya Zemlya , got the local population drunk, exchanging fish products for next to nothing. As a result of such colonialist activities, the industries fell, and the Novaya Zemlya population was in unpaid debt to the merchants and kulaks-industrialists.

2. Settlement of Novaya Zemlya and development of industriesafter the October Revolution

After the October Revolution, when intervention was eliminated in the Northern Territory, an era of economic and cultural prosperity began on Novaya Zemlya. Along with improving the living conditions of local industrialists, the Soviet government took measures to populate the Novaya Zemlya Islands. If before 1925 on Novaya Zemlya there were 4 camps, of which the northernmost was Krestovaya Bay, now there are 10 fishing camps, of which 9 are located on the western Coast from the southern tip of Novaya Zemlya to Cape Zhelaniya and one on the Kara side (Pakhtusov Islands).

The table below gives an idea of ​​housing and industrial construction on Novaya Zemlya.

Housing and industrial construction

1. Russian Harbor - the camp was founded in 1932. – 1 house, 5 rooms, 95 sq.m.

2. Arkhangelsk Guba - the camp was founded in 1932. – 1 house, 6 rooms, 95 sq.m.

3. Smidovich - the camp was founded in 1930. – 1 house, 7 rooms, 95 sq.m.

4. Krestovaya – the camp was founded in 1910. – 2 houses, 9 rooms, 188 sq.m.

5. Camp - camp founded in 1933. – 3 houses, 20 rooms, 344.3 sq.m.

6. Karmakuly – the camp was founded in 1877. – 4 houses, 17 rooms, 331.6 sq.m.

7. Selushya – the camp was founded in 1897. – 4 houses, 14 rooms, 234.81 sq.m.

8. Krasino – camp founded in 1925. – 1 house, 3 rooms, 39 sq.m.

9. Rusanovo – camp founded in 1927. – 3 houses, 11 rooms, 175 sq.m.

10. Pakhtusovo – camp founded in 1933. – 1 house, 3 rooms, 32 sq.m.

In addition, 56 fishing houses and huts were built on the fishing grounds for living during the fishing period, of which 13 are on the Kara side.

In 1937 The Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route allocated 434,000 rubles for construction on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. A large house-office will be built in the camp of Lagerny, 9 industrial houses (2 of them on the Kara side); in Lagernoye they will equip a mechanical workshop, on the island. A cultural center will be built in Kolguev. In addition, 54,000 rub. allocated for major repairs of existing industrial buildings.

Before the revolution, there was one meteorological station on Novaya Zemlya in Malye Karmakuly, where observations were carried out by a psalm-reader or priest of the local church.

Currently, eight meteorological stations operate on Novaya Zemlya (Cape Zhelaniya, Russian Harbor, 3 stations in Matochkin Shar, Malye Karmakuly, Iron Gates and Blagopoluchiya Bay), equipped with radiotelegraph. Over the past 3 years, the Main Northern Sea Route has organized four radio meteorological stations.

The population on Novaya Zemlya has grown significantly. If in 1910 on Novaya Zemlya there were only 108 people, and in 1927 - 187 people, then in 1935. the population increased to 398 people. The distribution of the population by camp and by nationality is shown in the table below.

Novaya Zemlya is governed by an island council, elected at a congress of delegates from all camps who gather in Belushya Bay on May 1 of each year. The indigenous resident of Novaya Zemlya, Nenets Ilya Konstantinovich Vylka, was unanimously elected chairman of the island council every year, holding this honorable post for eleven years without a break. The administrative center of Novaya Zemlya is Belushya Bay. In connection with the advancement of fishing far to the north of Novaya Zemlya, the need arose to move the administrative center to Matochkin Shar (to the camp of Lagernoye).

National composition of camps

Russian Harbor: Russians - 18

Arkhangelsk Bay: Russians - 20

Smidovich: Russians - 17

Krestovaya: Russians - 33

Matochkin Shar: Russians - 80

Pakhtusovo: Russians – 11, Nenets – 27

Malye Karmakuly: Russians - 38

Belushya: Russians – 48, Nenets – 49

Krasino: Russians – 36, Nenets – 6

Rusanovo – 26, Nenets – 9

There is a boarding school in Belushaya Bay. Every autumn, children of industrialists come from all camps to Belushya Bay to study. The policy of the Soviet government, aimed at steadily improving the culture of the small nationalities of the North, was reflected in Novaya Zemlya. Semi-savage and downtrodden, almost entirely illiterate in tsarist times, the inhabitants of our northern outskirts traveled a huge path to culture during the existence of Soviet power. Before the revolution, none of the 26 nationalities of the North had their own written language; Russian literacy was taught at churches in Russian; such schools were few in number and covered an insignificant percentage of the population. Now almost all the peoples of the North have their own written language, developed by the USSR Academy of Sciences; they have not only primers and textbooks in their native language, but also their own national literature, as well as translations of Russian classics (mainly Pushkin). In 1925/26 there were 35 schools in the North, in 1929/30 there were 132 schools covering 20% ​​of school-age children, in 1933/34 there were 338 schools covering 60.5% of school-age children, in 1936 . - 500 schools, in 1937 50 more schools will be built; literacy has risen from 6.7% in 1926. up to 24.9% in 1933/34. After graduating from local school, young people go to study at technical schools or at the specially organized Institute of the Peoples of the North in Leningrad, where only representatives of the small nations of the North study. On about. In Kolguev, Nenets children study at a seven-year school. On Novaya Zemlya, illiteracy of local residents has been completely eliminated; all children of industrialists study at the Novaya Zemlya school (in 1935 there were 43 students).

Culture affected not only education, but also everyday life. The tents and tiny home-made fishing huts were replaced by spacious, clean houses.

Each camp has a paramedic station, and in the camp Lagerny there is a hospital with 30 beds and a physical treatment room. Doctors and paramedics have great authority among the population.

All industrialists are united into collective farms, each of which is assigned a fishing area. The artels are equipped with appropriate fishing tools, motor boats, and carbass. Fishing fleet in 1935 consisted of 46 floating units with motors of various power and 70 units of carbass and kungas.

In 1937 Glavsevmorput will allocate 204,000 rubles for the construction of the industrial fleet. Will be built:

motor bots 25 HP each - 3 pcs.

motor boats 12 HP - 2 pcs.

motor boats 6 HP - 4 pcs.

unloading carbas 35 t - 7 pcs.

carbas of different sizes - 30 pcs.

An illustration of the growth of commercial and cultural construction of the island economy is the amount of capital investments:

1932 - 100,000 p.

1933 - 200,000 rub.

1934 - 300,000 rub.

1935 - 540,000 p.

1936 - 670,000 rub.

(Since 1935, the island economy has been under the jurisdiction of the Main Northern Sea Route).

3. Current state of the fisheries

Fishing, which is the basis of the economy of Novaya Zemlya, is carried out all year round; only the composition of fishing objects changes. Fishing objects include arctic fox, sea animals, fish, eider down, as well as polar bears, guillemot eggs and moulting birds.

The main role in the fishing industry of Novaya Zemlya is played by the arctic fox. Arctic fox is caught in all fishing points from December to March 15. The fishing gear is exclusively a trap, which replaced the wooden traps (mouths or culms) used in the old days. Seal carcasses, animal meat and lard, fish, guillemot carcasses and their eggs are used as bait. Arctic fox production has increased greatly compared to the pre-revolutionary period, both as a result of the development of new fishing grounds, and thanks to the rationalization of fishing and the Stakhanovist methods of work of industrialists.

Sea animals (seal, hare, beluga whale, walrus) are hunted with rifles or using net fishing gear. In winter they kill animals from the coastal fast ice, in spring - seals and bearded seals on the ice near the holes. Walruses are killed in fall in the fallow areas. The lard of the sea animals is transported to Arkhangelsk, the hare skins are cut into belts, and the carcasses are used for fox baits or as dog food. The production of sea animals has increased significantly in recent years, as follows: the production of the belt from 1927 to 1932. increased from 274 to 7055, lard - from 4781 to 48,706, hides - from 2257 to 3040 (in monetary terms).

The table gives an idea of ​​the growth in sea animal production in recent years:

Extraction of sheleg fat on Novaya Zemlya (in centners)

1932-33 – 791.3

1933-34 – 1610.7

1934-35 – 2154.2

Fishing continues throughout the summer and autumn until October. They catch char in rivers and bays, and cod in the coastal strip of the sea. Until recent years, char fishing was carried out exclusively on the western coast (mainly in Nekhvatovaya, Gusinaya, Krestovaya and Pukhovaya), and in recent years also on the Kara side (pp. Abrosimova, Savina). Char is caught during its annual migration from rivers to sea and back; Thus, there are 2 fishing periods: spring, when they fish with draft and fixed seines, and autumn, when fixed seines and fences are used, with the main role played by autumn fishing (August - September). Local residents also practice ice fishing for char in the lakes in winter. Char, the production of which amounts to several tens of tons, serves mainly for local consumption, and the fishery has no prospects for significant expansion. But starting in 1934 Coastal fishing for cod, which approaches the shores of Novaya Zemlya in summer, promises great prospects. Cod production is expressed by the numbers presented in the table:

Production by Novaya Zemlya industrialists (in tons)

1934 – 7

1935 – 120

1936 – 255

Plan for 1937 - 310

Cod fishing was carried out along the western coast of the southern island of Novaya Zemlya, and in 1936. all 255 tons were caught by hooking. With the use of more advanced fishing gear (longlines, fixed nets, twin fishing), as well as with the expansion of the fishing area to Mount Krestovaya, cod production per season can be increased to 10,000 tons (according to G.N. Toporkov).

Industrialists collect eider down in the spring in June in all fishing areas on small islands. Most of the down is mined in the village of Rusanovo on the island. Pukhov, where there are more than 1000 nests. Data characterizing the growth of eider down production on Novaya Zemlya are given in the table:

Extraction of eider down (in rubles)

1927 – 2530

1928 – 803

1929 – 5797

1930 – 3677

1931 – 4740

1932 - 8771

Guillemot eggs were collected until 1932. in small sizes, for local consumption only. Since 1932 A specially equipped egg expedition annually collects eggs for export to Arkhangelsk, and currently the egg industry plays a prominent role in the island's commercial production. So (in value terms): in 1932 egg fishing accounted for 26% of all production (62,409 rubles), in 1934. - 34.7%. In 1936 350,000 eggs were collected in 1935. - 300,000 eggs. Guillemot eggs are much larger than chicken eggs, not inferior to the latter in taste and nutritional value.

Geese are caught in large quantities for local consumption, mainly during the molting period. The reserves of this bird in some areas (for example, on Goose Land, on Mezhdusharsky Island) are large.

The polar bear is also an object of hunting, although its number on Novaya Zemlya has greatly decreased and it has been completely forced out of some of the most populated fishing areas. Currently, bear is hunted on the Kara side and on the northern island.

In the past, there were wild deer in Novaya Zemlya in such quantities that the harvest for one industrialist often reached more than 100 heads per year, and the reindeer trade not only provided the local population with meat and skins, but also served as an export item.

The table shows the number of reindeer skins exported from Novaya Zemlya from 1891 to 1923.

1891-1895, 1898-1906 – 2580 skins

1907 – 384 skins

1908 – 115 skins

1909 – 90 skins

1910 – 210 skins

1911 – 480 skins

1917 – 200 skins

1919 – 475 skins

1920 – 295 skins

1921 – 3242 skins

1922 – 271 skins

1923 – 377 skins

Total 8620 skins

The following data also gives an idea of ​​the change in the number of wild deer on Novaya Zemlya: in the winter of 1881/82, on the Kara Side, 7 industrialists hunted 700 deer, in 1918, an industrialist on Gusinaya Zemlya harvested 170 deer, and in 1932/33, the harvest of deer throughout the island was expressed in 90 heads, with 70 deer killed on the northern island and only 20 on the southern island. A sharp reduction in the number of wild deer occurred in 1920/21, when, according to industrialists, there was black ice on Novaya Zemlya; Unsustainable fishing also played a big role. To preserve and increase wild deer reserves, at the request of the Arctic Institute, a special resolution of the Northern Regional Executive Committee of the Council of R.K. and K.D. has prohibited all hunting of wild deer since 1934. to 1939

4. Cost of commercial products

The total cost of marketable fishery products on all islands (Novaya Zemlya, Kolguev, Vaygach) was equal to 125,874 rubles in 1930/31. In 1933 goods worth 340,549 rubles were exported from Novaya Zemlya alone, and in 1936 - for 1,200,000 rub.

To supply the local population with food and fishing gear, as well as to export commercial products from Novaya Zemlya, three regular steamship trips have been established. During the navigation season, they service all fishing camps, delivering everything necessary to Novaya Zemlya, from food, cultural equipment to building materials and buildings. The rapid growth rate of output has a positive effect on the earnings and economic well-being of industrialists. Thus, in 1935/36, the earnings of individual Stakhanovite industrialists reached several tens of thousands of rubles. For example, the industrialist in Matochkin Shar Kosenkov earned 33,048 rubles within 3 1/2 months, the Nenets industrialist Pyrepko - 28,382 rubles.

Stakhanovite Pyrerko Akim Grigorievich (Nenets) from October 1, 1935 to October 1, 1936 delivered the following products:

Arctic fox - 174 pcs.

Seal skins - 66 pcs.

Hare's belt - 443 m

Shelegi lard - 700 kg

Eider down - 16 kg

Guillemot eggs - 980 pcs.

The total amount is 30,737 rubles.

The Pyrerko family consists of a wife and 6 people. children. He donated 30% of his earnings to the artel, 7537 rubles. He spent 12 kopecks on his own needs, therefore, his annual balance is + 13978 rubles. 79 k.

Among the items that Stakhanovite industrialists buy with the money they earn, in addition to the products necessary to satisfy the immediate needs of the family, there are such things as watches, binoculars, cologne, silk stockings, ladies' shoes, etc., etc.

5. Reindeer husbandry

In order to supply meat to the local population on Novaya Zemlya in 1928. An experimental reindeer herding farm was organized. With o. Kolguev brought a small herd of deer to Novaya Zemlya, which was then replenished with new herds of Kolguev deer over the course of three years. Despite the harsh climatic conditions, the experience of breeding domestic reindeer on Novaya Zemlya has yielded excellent results. In 1934 in the experimental herd there were 550 deer, and in 1935. the number of the herd reached up to 809 heads. Currently, there are about 1,000 reindeer in the experimental reindeer herding farm. The annual increase in the population is on average 25%; in this respect, the Novaya Zemlya reindeer farm does not differ from the reindeer farm in Alaska during the heyday of reindeer husbandry (before the crisis), where the herd doubles in 3-4 years. Further development of Novaya Zemlya reindeer husbandry will make it possible to supply the local population with its products; the latter will also be the subject of commodity export. The products of the Novaya Zemlya reindeer farm are of particularly high quality, since, thanks to the excellent conditions of summer grazing, the slaughter weight of deer is significantly above average (the average weight of a vazhenka carcass in the fall of 1934 was 65 kg), and due to the complete absence of gadflies, the skins are devoid of fistulas and can be used as raw hides (for the production, mainly, of haberdashery leather or for the production of first-class suede).

In the Arctic tundra subzone, especially on the Kara side south of the river. Savina, there are large areas of reindeer pastures that can serve as a basis for increasing the reindeer population to 4,000 heads.

In 1937 The All-Union Arctic Institute is organizing a fishery biological research station on Novaya Zemlya, which will be engaged in the study of hunting, fishing and hunting, as well as reindeer husbandry.

Thus, Novaya Zemlya has dramatically changed its appearance in recent years. Radio-meteorological stations and fishing camps with spacious, bright houses emerged, schools, a hospital, first-aid posts and other buildings were built, the output of marketable products from the crafts grew steadily, and the cultural and economic well-being of the local population increased significantly.

Essay on the geomorphology of Novaya Zemlya

R. L. Samoilovich

ChapterI

Shoreline and horizontal dismemberment

The western coast of Novaya Zemlya is much more rugged than the eastern coast, which is a characteristic feature of many other Arctic islands.

The southern part of Novaya Zemlya is also distinguished by the presence of fiords protruding deeply into the coast. Along with small bays, like the Kalesnika Bay, which extends only 2 miles in the NW, we have here a number of typical fiords cutting through the coast parallel to the strike of the rocks. These are Loginova Bay, which extends in a northwest direction for 15 miles, Reineke Bay, cutting into the coast for 10 - 15 miles, the vast Sakhanikha Bay, filled with a large number of islands, and, finally, Chernaya Bay, which is a large bay over 10 miles long. . Having a width of about 1200 m at the entrance, this lip expands at a distance of 4.5 miles from the entrance to 5.5 miles. On the eastern side there is a bay bordered by hills. In the northwestern side of Chernaya Bay there are two bays, extended to the northwest, separated by Cape Tizenhausen, of which the western bay, about 2 miles long, is called Pestsovaya. In addition, in the western part of the Black Bay there are strongly indented bays - Domashnyaya and Voronina. At the exit into the lip there are o. Rose and Fr. Black.

The most extensive islands off the western coast of Novaya Zemlya include Fr. Mezhdusharsky (with an area of ​​747.4 sq. km), which stretches from north to south, approximately 28 miles with a width of two to one mile. It is separated from Novaya Zemlya by a rather wide but shallow Kostin Shar Strait, impassable for large ships. There are numerous islands scattered throughout it. From the side of the strait, large bays jut into the depths of Novaya Zemlya, of which mention should be made of the Propaschaya, Unknown, and Pomorka lips on the eastern shore of the strait.

On the northern coast of the strait there is Belushya Bay, which protrudes into the land in the N-NW direction for 6.5 miles, and Rogacheva Bay.

The western coast of Novaya Zemlya itself starts from Cape South Goose Nose (the southwestern cape of Goose Land) and is a typical coastal plain stretching 43 miles.

One of the extensive bays on the western coast is Pukhovy, which extends in the latitudinal direction, cutting into the coast for 10 miles. From the sea, the entrance to the bay is closed. Pukhov.

To the north of it is Bezymyannaya Bay, completely open from the sea, into which the river flows. Nameless, which is the southern border of the modern Novaya Zemlya glaciation.

Even further north lies a vast coastal plain called Pankova Zemlya, adjacent directly to Samoilovich Bay, and further to the north to the Matochkin Shar Strait.

To the north of the latter are Serebryanka and Mityushikha bays, the width of the latter varies from 4.5 to 2.5 miles.

Other bays on the western coast of Novaya Zemlya include Melkiy Bay and the vast Krestovaya Bay, which cuts into Novaya Zemlya 13.5 miles to SO. Behind it comes the southern and northern Sulmeneva Bays, then Mashygina Bay, which extends 18 miles into the interior of the mainland.

Beyond the Admiralty Peninsula, the western coast of Novaya Zemlya acquires a northeastern direction. Here are located: Glazov Bay, Krivosheina Bay, Gorbovy Islands, consisting of about. Berha, o. Lichutin and the islands of Bolshoy and Maly Zayachy.

This archipelago covers the Arkhangelsk Bay from the sea.

To the north of the Gorbovy Islands are the Krestovye Islands, to the east of which the Pankratiev Peninsula juts out into the sea, with the Pankratiev Island adjacent to it from the north. To the northeast of the latter lies a group of Barents islands.

Unnoticeable on the northwestern coast of Novaya Zemlya is Cape Nassau, gently sloping down to the sea. A coast inaccessible for landing stretches from it all the way to the Russian Harbor.

Russian Harbor Bay is one of the most convenient anchorages on the northwestern coast of Novaya Zemlya. The entrance to Russian Harbor, 4 miles wide, lies between two capes - the high Cape Makarov in the west and the rather low Cape Utesheniya in the east.

The most noticeable point at the entrance to Russian Harbor is Mount Ermolaev, 275 m high and about. Rich with a sign, 41 m above sea level.

The Schmidt Peninsula separates Chaev Bay from Russian Harbor, in the depths of which Cape Conglomerate is located.

There are no convenient anchorages to the north of Russian Harbor, although there are several rather significant bays here - Legzdina, Maka and Inostrantseva.

Finally, in the extreme north-west, Beautiful Bay juts into the coast, the width of which reaches three miles.

As for the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, then, starting from Cape Menshikov and to the Matochkina Shar area, we have several rather significant lips here. These are the wide but shallow Abrosimov Bay, a bay at the mouth of the river. Galla, b. Savina, Litke Bay, etc. However, these bays, examined by R. Samoilovich, do not have convenient anchorages.

In this regard, of greater interest is the Stepovoy Bay and then the Schubert, Brandt and Klokova Bays, which, like the bays of the western coast, are of fiord character.

On the northern island, directly behind Cape Vykhodny, which lies at the exit from the Matochkin Shar Strait, there is Kankrina Bay, and to the north is Chekina Bay, stretching about 6 miles in a north-west direction, branching into two bays. Next is Unknown or Rozmyslova Bay, from which you can go through the Rusanov Valley to Krestovy Bay. Behind it comes Bear Bay, which protrudes 18 miles into the coast with a width of 2 to 3.5 miles. To the north of it there is a number of quite significant bays, not yet mapped, to which the archipelago of the Pakhtus Islands adjoins from the sea.

From Cape Vikulov to Cape Dalniy, the coast extends generally to NO and has three bays discovered by the expedition of R. Samoilovich in 1925 - Sedov, Neupokoev and Rusanov bays.

Further to the northeast stretches an inaccessible coastline, partly representing a cliff of the central ice sheet, and 17 miles from Cape Edward there is the vast Blagopoluchiya Bay, surrounded by mountains with heights from 240 to 300 m. This bay cuts in a direction from south to north 10 miles deep into the northern island of Novaya Zemlya.

North of Cape Opasny, at the entrance to Blagopoluchiya Bay, the elevations gradually decrease and have a height of 145 - 190 m. This coast is distinguished by the absence of any bays, with the exception of Witney Bay, which protrudes into the coast for only 0.3 miles.

To the east of it is Cape Sporyi Navolok, and to the north of it is Ice Harbor, where in 1596. Willam Barents spent the winter.

From here to Cape Zhelaniya, the coast of Novaya Zemlya is poorly indented, and there are no convenient anchorages. The northern coast of Novaya Zemlya from Cape Zhelaniya to Cape Karlsen is distinguished by the same calm coastline, which is a terraced surface that gradually rises towards the central part of the island. Off the northern coast lies a small group of the Orange Islands.

ChapterII

Relief, orography and hydrographic network

Novaya Zemlya, according to its orographic features, can be divided into three parts:

1) The area of ​​the southern part of the island, approximately up to the line between Mount Bezymyannaya and Savina Bay, which is a hilly plain that intensively rises from south to north to a height of 300 - 500 m.

2) The area located north of Bezymyannaya Bay, occupying the entire space of Novaya Zemlya from 73 to 76° N. w.

The southern plain gradually turns into a mountain plateau with heights of 500 - 800 m, extending to Matochkina Shar.

The Matochkin Shar area and the central part of Novaya Zemlya to the north of it are a plateau heavily indented by glacial and erosion processes with individual heights of sharp, but mostly smoothed nunataks, reaching 1100 m above sea level.

3) Finally, the extreme northern part of Novaya Zemlya is a hilly plain, heavily indented by river valleys, gradually decreasing to the north, with the high Lomonosov and TsAGI ridges in the western part.

1. Southern region. As we indicated above, the southern coast of Novaya Zemlya is skerry in nature with many large and small islands. Their heights, like the shores, in the extreme south of the island range from 9 - 12 m (Britvin island near B. Oleniy Island) to 40 m above sea level (M. Oleniy Island on the eastern outskirts of Petukhovsky Shar).

The area of ​​the southern island of Novaya Zemlya, adjacent to Petukhovsky Shar, is an abraded surface with several ancient marine erosion terraces.

Above the low-lying areas with numerous lakes of glacial origin, rocky hills up to 30 m in height rise in isolation. Between individual rocky capes of the coast, which are typical cliffs 10-30 m high, there are wide swampy valleys, plowed by glaciers, called “chevruevs”.

Alluvial bars and spits are widespread near the coast, which M. Ermolaev, classifying as hydrogen formations associated with the configuration of the coast, divides into two main types: a) coastal bars that do not violate the main direction of the coastline (having a direction parallel to the coastline , they separate relict lakes), and b) spits that violate the original direction of the coast. Like swells, spits can separate relict lakes or represent an isthmus connecting the islands with the original shore. Using the theory of bulk sediment formations, Ermolaev calculated the time of formation of some shafts and spits on Novaya Zemlya. So, for example, an examination of alluvial formations near the Barents Islands led this author to the conclusion that in the indicated area the horizontal growth of land is 80 times greater than the vertical one, due to which it can be expected that in about 100 years the western island will connect with Novaya Zemlya and that no more 400 years ago the Barents Islands were a group of three islands, two of which fused together to form one island.

But even now, the growth of braids occurs in short periods of time. As Alferov points out, just a few years ago small fishing vessels and boats could enter the bay that cuts into the western shore of Valkova Bay; Currently you can only get there by boat.

The presence of spits and swells is undoubted evidence of epeirogenetic processes in the Novaya Zemlya region, expressed in the negative movement of its shores.

The southwestern coast of Novaya Zemlya is distinguished by the consistency of the orientation of both individual sections of the coast, and especially by the strike of bays, bays, the location of islands and peninsulas, which coincide with the general strike of the rocks from southeast to northwest. Positive relief forms - ridges and ridges - also correspond to the dominant strike of rocks to the northwest (B. Alferov, V. Chernyshev and R. Getsova, V. Lazurkin, R. Samoilovich, V. Kuznetsov).

The orography of the central part of the southern island of Novaya Zemlya can be drawn from data obtained as a result of intersections of its acad. F. Chernyshev, V. Lazurkin and E. Freyberg, V. Kuznetsov.

Between Lost Bay and pp. Savina and Butakova region of the southern island is a hilly peneplain plain, which according to orographic characteristics can be divided into three sections: 1) the western part, 2) the central part and 3) the eastern part (V. Lazurkin).

The western part is a gentle rise with a wavy, slightly hilly surface. As you approach the central watershed, the terrain becomes more dissected, with prominent smooth hills covered with colluvial screes and isolated sharp rocks. The round isolated hills (“breads” in local language), reminiscent of sheep’s foreheads, are typically glacial. The highest point of the area is Mount Propaschaya, located 8 km southeast of Yunco Bay. Made up of igneous rocks, it has an absolute height of 120. Individual smoothed peaks have an absolute height of up to 80 m.

According to V. Kuznetsov, the western slopes of the central Novaya Zemlya watershed represent a gradual gentle rise, complicated by undulations, giving a series of ridges (increase and decrease). Depressions occur in the valleys of small rivers and streams and in marshy, grassy areas. The elevations present in places a smooth, as if rolled surface, on which ridges of denser rocks stretch out. In places there are prominent surrounding hills and isolated sharp rocks. The latter are usually composed of limestone. As you approach the central watershed, the relief becomes more dissected, especially near the river. Nekhvatova. Sharp, bare ridges and small ridges with steep and sometimes steep slopes create a picture of a mountain landscape. The destruction of rocks is very intense, the entire surface is covered with huge boulders, chaotically piled on top of each other. The blocks often reach several meters in diameter and have a slab-like shape with an uneven surface. Such a stone sea, starting when approaching the central Novaya Zemlya ridge from the west, occupies a wide strip of the ridge and descends about 5 - 6 km to the eastern slope.

The central part is a flat, slightly undulating plain, 8 - 10 km wide (V. Kuznetsov), which gradually rises from south to north. According to the observations of V. Lazurkin and E. Freiberg, it is represented by several ridges, each about 600 m wide, composed of sandstone, elongated in accordance with the general strike of the rocks in the northwest direction. The absolute mark reaches 110 m. The bedrock outcrops have been preserved only in places; a significant part of the surface is covered, thanks to arctic weathering, with huge boulders chaotically piled on top of each other and colluvial scree.

The highest parts of the relief are confined to outcrops of solid massive limestone or to outcrops of igneous rocks, near which the area takes on the appearance of a mountain landscape. These are the Rogachev Mountains, stretching in narrow, pointed ridges along the shore of the Kostin Shar. The slopes of the ridges are quite steep, sometimes vertical, and their bases are usually covered with a trail of sharp-angled debris.

The highest points of the area are the tops of the diabase ridges: Mount Nekhvatova (133 m), Pornei massif (209 m), Mount Purig (176 m) (B. Alferov).

According to the observations of academician F. Chernyshev, to the south of Mount Bezymyannaya lies an area of ​​flat upland whose orography is simple: both inland from the sea shores and from river valleys, the area rises in terraces on which short ridges protrude, elongated along the strike of the rocks. In this area, the absolute heights are already significantly higher than in the more southern parts of the island, reaching a height of 600 m.

The Novaya Zemlya region, adjacent to the eastern shore, is a flat plateau, descending in four terraces to the Kara Sea and turning into swampy tundra. There are no individual hills on it. To the east of the central ridge, craters of karst origin are strongly developed, almost completely covering vast areas, apparently formed due to the peculiarities of the thermal regime of the soil.

The entire space of the southern island of Novaya Zemlya up to the river. Nameless is devoid of glaciers, only vast firn fields were encountered by Acad. F. Chernyshev during his crossing of Novaya Zemlya from Malye Karmakul and the river. Abrosimova, and the firn ice, which descends in steep walls to rivers and streams, is apparently completely motionless.

The southern part of Novaya Zemlya is occupied by the coastal plain (Strandflat), which extends over the vast space between the western and eastern coasts from the southern cape to approximately 71º20" N. Starting from here, the coastal plain is divided by the central upland of the island, the absolute height of which is 200 meters or more, into two wide strips running along the western and eastern coasts towards the north. On the western coast, the plain includes Mezhdusharsky Island and the Gusinaya Zemlya Peninsula, to the north of it the Strandflat narrows to 5 - 10 km in width, then at Pankova The land will expand to 20 - 30 km. The coastal plain is located in a wider strip along the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, stretching out in a spherical triangle with a base having a length of 50 - 60 km at 79 ° 20 "N and with its apex located at Matochkina Shar. Although coastal plains are also observed to the north of Matochkina Shar, they do not reach such a strong development here as to the south of it. Only at 76° along the northeastern coast does the coastal plain widen again, is 15-20 km wide, is cut in places by glaciers and, narrowing, then turns along the coast to Cape Zhelaniya and further to the west of it. In the coastal plain of the southern part of Novaya Zemlya, two large steps can be distinguished. The first stage is up to 50 m in height. The contours of the relief are rounded, the surfaces of the hills are smoothed. The second stage is located at an altitude of 100 m, and, according to the observations of M. Klenova, the surface of the plain was apparently not so intensely eroded. The hydrographic network of the southern island, due to milder climatic conditions than in the northern part of the island, is much more developed. Originating on the central watershed, which appears to be located closer to the western shore, consequential rivers flow toward the western and eastern coasts, with their general direction being latitudinal. However, some of them, which are among the largest in extent, such as Nekhvatova or the river. Savina, are tortuous in nature. The last of them in its upper reaches flows in a latitudinal direction, changes it to the southeast, and then, turning east, pours its waters into the Kara Sea. The largest rivers on Novaya Zemlya include: r. Savina and R. Nameless on the western bank and river. Nekhvatova on the eastern, length from the source to the lake. About 35 km have been refreshed (according to Kuznetsov). Along its length, the river has a significant number of tributaries flowing into it from the right and left banks, cutting through deep ravines with hanging valleys.

The Savina River in its upper reaches has a tributary. Malaya Savina, after its confluence with which it flows as a high-water river with significant depths (Kuznetsov). Mouth of the river Savina lies in a large basin with gentle slopes. 18 km from Malaya Savina river. Bolshaya Savina merges with the river flowing from the left. Deep (Iore-yaga), high-water and rapids, flowing in a narrow gorge.

The total length of the river is 64.5 km.

Of the rivers on the western coast of Novaya Zemlya, the largest is the river. Unnamed. When it flows into the bay of the same name, it forms an extensive delta, turning into a sandbank and occupying the entire southeastern part of Bezymyannaya Bay over an area of ​​several kilometers right up to the island. The latter in the near future should turn into only a small hill above the plain formed by river sediments. The largest channels of the delta have a clear cross-section of 100 - 150 m. As you move away from the shore, the river's fall becomes steeper, and at the same time the river valley narrows, the bottom of which is filled with blocks of bedrock. In this part of the river flow, lateral erosion gives way to deep erosion. The mountain ranges bordering the valleys rise towards the central part of Novaya Zemlya and already 10 - 15 km from the seashore reach 200 - 250 m in height. The general direction of the river flow is from northeast to southwest, but in some areas the river flows in sharp bends. R length Bezymyannaya 76.5 km.

In terms of hydrogeographic characteristics, the rivers of Novaya Zemlya can be classified as mountain-plain (Ogievsky), with snow-glacier and partly rain-fed.

Based on morphological characteristics, Novaya Zemlya rivers should be divided into two groups. The first group includes rivers that flow directly into the sea (not into bays). These are on the western bank of the Pankova River, and on the eastern bank - pp. Kolodkina, Butakova, Kazakova and others. The second group consists of rivers flowing into bays, and only some of the rivers, like the river. Nameless, form wide delta branches with shallow waters. Others like R. Nekhvatov, form a lake-river system. Lake belongs to this system. Rassolnoye, located to the north at 3 - 4 square meters. km from a small lake located northeast of Nekhvatovaya Bay. Lake Rassolnoye is about 15 km long and 3 - 5 km wide and extends in a northeast direction. The water in the lake is salty, partially desalinated by the rivers flowing into it. A wide strip of sediment from the river. This steep lake is connected to the lake. Fresh, with fresh water. This lake is 15 km long and 2-3 km wide. It is curved in an arc with a convexity facing the east (Kuznetsov).

2. Central region, located between Bezymyannaya Bay to the Admiralty Peninsula, approximately to 76° N. w. The coastal strip of the western coast, as already indicated above, is much more indented than the eastern one. Here We have the most extensive bays and bays of Novaya Zemlya. All of them are in the nature of transverse fiords located in the beds of ancient tectonic valleys, which were further affected by glacial and water erosion. In particular, Matochkin Shar, which is not the boundary of any landscape zone, was formed as a result of the connection of two fiords.

The coastal plain is not as developed in this area as in the more southern part of Novaya Zemlya, although it is observed almost along the entire western coast and near Sukhoi Nos, in Krestovaya Bay. In the east it is located along the coast of such bays as Chekina, Neznaney and Medvezhiy bays.

The eastern and western shores of the northern island are connected by several through valleys, of which the Rusanov Valley, which runs from Krestovaya Bay to the Unknown Bay on the eastern shore, is especially characteristic.

According to the observations of M. Lavrova, who passed through this valley in 1925, the western coastal part of it is expanded for 15.5 km and breaks off to sea level with cliffs 10-20 m high, representing a typical coastal plain, well preserved here. Further to the east it rises to a height of 250 - 300 m, and as you move deeper into the island, the total height of the mountains increases, reaching 1 km above sea level.

As M. Lavrova points out, here we have three valleys connecting the western shore of Novaya Zemlya with the eastern one over a distance of 39.5 km.

The observations of this researcher showed that the modern glaciation of the valleys is only an insignificant remnant of the ancient one, which spread over the entire island. Even the highest elevations of the island, such as Mount Velikaya, which reaches 943 m above sea level, bear traces of glacial influence. According to M. Lavrova, the thick ice cover in this area reached at least 1000 m, and the entire Rusanova valley was filled with ice.

A decrease in relief is observed in the direction of both the Barents and Kara Seas. Between the individual ridges there is a small lake, up to 100 m in length. Vodorazdelnoye, whose height above sea level does not exceed 80 m; towards the west - lake. Dolgoe and to the east of the watershed - lake. Average.

3. Northern region. The northernmost part of Novaya Zemlya is occupied by a hilly plain, which is 14.5 km wide in the area of ​​Cape Zhelaniya, widening off the northeastern coast of Novaya Zemlya and reaching 76°20" N to a width of 35 km. This plain is heavily indented by rivers and streams originating from the ice cover and flowing to the northern and northeastern shores.

Significant mountain heights are concentrated mainly along the western and northwestern coasts of this part of Novaya Zemlya. Along the northwestern coast we have a group of the Lomonosov Ridge with heights of 1000 - 1100 m, with spurs running in a southwestern direction, called the TsAGI Ridge by M. Ermolaev.

In the central part of Novaya Zemlya, only isolated nunataks with a height of up to 1100 m are observed, which were clearly observed during a Zeppelin flight in 1931.

According to the observations of I. Pustovalov, the Lomonosov Ridge, separated from the coastal plain by a sharp ledge, is a strongly dissected weedy upland, which differs sharply in its orographic features from the surrounding plain. It stretches from Inostrantseva Bay to Legzdin Bay

The highest peaks of the Lomonosov Ridge are located, according to the observations of this geologist, in the central part of the region in the vicinity of Maka Harbor. Here the ridge comes closest to the sea, and its highest peak is Mount Blednaya, 1052 m above sea level. It stands out sharply above the surrounding area with its flat top with a residual ice sheet located on it.

In the Inostrantsev Bay area, the highest peaks - Mount Astronomicheskaya and Mount Iskanii - have a height of 753 and 616 m, respectively.

To the southwest of Maka Harbour, isolated nunataks that jut out from the ice sheet reach heights of 650 - 700 m.

The Lomonosov Ridge is connected by a number of nunataks with the aforementioned TsAGI Ridge.

As one moves away to the north, there is a decrease in the elevations of this ridge, and on the northern coast of Novaya Zemlya it turns into a low area, which is an abrasive coastal plain, without any sharp relief elements, descending in large steps towards the sea and completely free during the summer period from snow, which accumulates mainly in river gorges and ravines.

As B. Miloradovich points out, in the northeastern region of Novaya Zemlya the valleys are diagonal, with alternating longitudinal and transverse sections. In limestones, the slopes of valleys are often steep and form canyons, and in the lower reaches of rivers, according to the observations of this researcher, the valleys are often asymmetrical and do not have deltas when flowing into the sea, but in some cases they form negative relief forms, forming small alluvial plains.

Also on the eastern coast, north of Cape Middendorf, the mountains are high and prevent the continental ice from moving towards the shore (Grenley).

The hydrographic network of the northern island of Novaya Zemlya is much less developed than on the southern island. The rivers are fed mainly by glacier ablation. They are especially full of water in spring and early summer. Flowing first along an icy channel, the river then flows on the surface of the soil, making a shallow path among colluvial deposits. Permafrost, which on Novaya Zemlya in different places thaws to a depth of 50 to 70 cm, prevents rivers from significantly deepening their channels.

The further north you go, the more the number and size of river flows decrease. However, even at the northernmost tip of Novaya Zemlya, at Cape Mauritius and Cape Zhelaniya, significant grooves are observed, along the bottom of which minor streams flow, increasing in size only on days of more significant ablation of the central glaciers.

ChapterIII

Glaciation

Modern glaciation of Novaya Zemlya is developed mainly on its northern island. Based on their type, glaciers can be divided into induced, valley, cirque and reticulated glaciers. Island glaciation occurs mainly on the northern island.

1. Induced glaciers, which also persist during the summer period, can be observed in different regions of Novaya Zemlya, including the southernmost ones.

This type of glacier is widespread throughout the coastal plain. They are found in relief depressions, as well as along ledges of coastal plains, often steeply plunging towards the sea.

In the area of ​​Matochkin Shar, glaciation becomes more intense. Appearing first in separate spots along this strait, spreading in eastern and western directions, as well as south from Matochkina Shar, it gives rise to individual valley glaciers, which even in the strait itself do not descend to sea level.

As you move north, the number of glaciers and their sizes increase. Even in the area of ​​Mount Mityusheva, glaciers descend to a height of 180 m, and the largest of them are up to 70 - 75 m above sea level. But further to the north, both to the western and eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya, glaciers reach the sea itself, forming productive barriers from which individual icebergs break off. However, the latter never reach the same size as the icebergs of the Franz Josef Land region.

The dominant place among the forms of glaciation in this part of Novaya Zemlya is occupied by valley-type glaciers, widespread and most thoroughly studied by M. Lavrova in the Krestovaya Bay area. Most of these valley glaciers descend to the main valley and have clearly defined lateral and terminal moraines, which are often located in the form of separate parallel ridges, corresponding to individual stages of gradual reduction of glaciers.

In the central region of this part of the northern island, glacial carts descending to the bottoms of the slopes are widespread. M. Lavrova points out that there is no continuous network of valley glaciers passing between the nunataks, as Grenley pointed out, but there are more or less isolated separate snow fields that serve as feeding basins for independent glaciers of various types.

If we can say that the area of ​​Matochkin Shar and north of it to the Admiralty Peninsula is subject to alpine-type glaciation, then further to the north, in the central part of Novaya Zemlya, we have a reticulated ice cover, from which glaciers are separated, flowing in the east and west directions and reaching sea level. This kind of glaciers are especially widespread in the area of ​​Arkhangelskaya Bay, in Russian Harbor and to the north of it, and on the eastern shore of the Nordenskiöld glaciers, in Rusanova Bay and in Medvezhye Bay. The longitudinal profile of such glaciers, according to the observations of I. Pustovalov, is a weakly wavy line, gradually rising from the edge of the glacier to the feeding area, where the glaciers, losing their network character, form a continuous ice field, also gently rising to the center of the island. The transverse profile of such glaciers has a convex shape with a gradual decrease towards the lateral moraines.

The marginal parts of glaciers descending into the sea are characterized by strong fracturing, and the cracks are both longitudinal and transverse in nature, increasing in number and size depending on the topography underlying the bed.

All glaciers, descending to the sea, form steep cliffs rising above sea level from 5 to 20 m.

Often glaciers connect with each other, as for example in Inostrantsev Bay, forming a median moraine upon merging. The total width of the glacier in this area reaches 11 km (I. Pustovalov).

Other glaciers in this area, such as the Karbasnikov glacier, are 7.5 km wide, the Vize glacier - 4.5 km, and the Anuchin glacier - 3.75 km.

All these glaciers, as I have already indicated, receive their food from the central ice dome covering the northern island of Novaya Zemlya, and originate on its ice sheet.

According to the observations of M. Ermolaev, the central shield of Novaya Zemlya does not have snow supply. While crossing the island, they did not encounter any accumulation of firn snow anywhere. I. Pustovalov claims the same thing, pointing out that all glaciers in the Inostrantsev Bay area are devoid of snow cover.

The slight accumulation of snow in this area is apparently due to its removal from higher places by strong Novaya Zemlya winds.

According to Grenley's observations, the snow line in the area of ​​Matochkina Shar is apparently located at an altitude of 580 - 590 m, and in the area of ​​Mashigina Bay at an altitude of 450 m.

Observations by M. Ermolaev in Russian Harbor showed that the glaciers in this area exist at the expense of old accumulated reserves, and due to the absence of firn, these reserves are not renewed in the future, which contributes to the rapid retreat of glaciers.

Not only are individual glaciers decreasing in size, but also the island cover of Novaya Zemlya is being significantly reduced, currently occupying much less space than it was relatively recently.

Also, a number of facts observed by various researchers indicate intensive retreat of glaciers on Novaya Zemlya at the present time. Particularly characteristic in this regard is the presence of lateral moraines in Inostrantsev Bay, currently extending 1.5 km from the edge of the glacier towards the sea. Another moraine of the same type stretches 3 km along the southwestern coast of the bay from the edge of the glacier.

During the last ice age, Novaya Zemlya was covered with a continuous ice sheet, which is confirmed by the nature of the topography of both islands. Even the highest peaks of the Novaya Zemlya mountain elevations are smoothed, and erratic boulders are scattered on their surface. So, on Mount Vilcheka, which has a height of about 900 m, we find a small flat area. The ancient smoothing plain could be observed especially well from a Zeppelin airship during the author's flight over Novaya Zemlya in 1931.

Almost all the elevations of the central part of Novaya Zemlya, such as the Lomonosov Ridge, nunataks and ice cover, are at the same level.

The fact that the southern island of Novaya Zemlya is now almost completely free of ice indicates that the southern island was freed from ice cover much earlier than the northern one. Accordingly, Matochkin Shar was freed from ice cover earlier than the Rusanov Valley in Krestovaya Bay.

Modern glaciation of Novaya Zemlya not only occupies most of the surface of the northern island, but the soil itself contains a significant amount of ice, sometimes forming accumulations in the form of so-called fossil glaciers. The latter are widespread on Novaya Zemlya and were found both on its western and eastern shores.

According to the observations of G. Gorbatsky, the coastal plains of Krestovaya Bay are dotted with a very large number of fossil glaciers, which cannot be accurately counted, since in places they merge with each other. According to G. Gorbatsky, these glaciers formed part of the island ice sheet during the last glaciation and, spreading from the hills surrounding Krestovaya Bay, united at the foot of the mountains, for the most part, into one glacial tongue that descended directly to the sea.

ChapterIV

Ancient glaciation and transgressions

A general picture of the influence of the glacial and post-glacial cover on Novaya Zemlya was drawn by Granley in his famous work on the Quaternary geology of Novaya Zemlya.

According to this researcher, masses of ice probably crossed the boundaries of the land that existed at that time, partly following in their movement along existing valleys and fiords, and their movement should have been delayed by a less mobile ice barrier near the mouths of the fiords.

It is difficult to establish the number of glaciations that Novaya Zemlya underwent, but in all likelihood, as Granley thinks, some of its periods coincided with periods in Northern Europe. In his opinion, it is possible that during the great ice age in Europe, the glaciation of Novaya Zemlya was moderate. It increased here as it weakened in Europe, with the latter period being the most intense here. Apparently, glaciation on Novaya Zemlya corresponds to its last period in Northern Europe, namely the Mecklenburg period according to A. Penck.

Granley believes that the depression during the last glaciation of the islands was at least 370 m, but it is possible that it reached 400 m.

In reality, it was probably much more significant, since M. Ermolaev discovered a sea terrace in the Russian Harbor area at an altitude of 420 m. On this terrace he discovered a driftwood. Thus, it is possible that the depression was the same as that observed in Spitsbergen and Greenland.

According to Granley, the progress of ice melting can be traced along Matochkin Shar as follows: in the wide bay between Cape Stolbov and Sukhoi Nos, the leading part of the ice was probably preserved for quite a long time. The sea had no access to the northern end of Mount Matochki, where a protrusion indicates a depression on the left side of the ice cliff until the time when the land rose to a height of 215 m above sea level. Large masses of ice here probably appeared due to the position of the bay near the mouths of large tributaries - Matochkin Bay and Serebryanka Bay, located in the most mountainous area on Novaya Zemlya.

No traces of the 215-meter terrace were found on the eastern shore. Here the ice probably still descended into the sea in the form of a continuous barrier.

The edge of the ice, according to Granley, when the wave line was developed at an altitude of 215 m and at an altitude of 198 m, was located between Mount Litke and Mount Matochka.

The eastern part of Matochkina Shar was liberated somewhat earlier. Here the terrace is observed at an altitude of 204.8 m above sea level. At this time, the end of the glacier occupied the strait at Cape Poperechny, remaining for a long time in the same place.

This stage of the state of the glaciers is conventionally referred to by Granley as the “Ra Salpausselka” stage.

Northeast of Serebryanka Bay, on the eastern slope of the valley of the same name, Granley found two very distinct coastlines, one of which was located at an altitude of 180 m above sea level. The strait, apparently, was still filled with ice at that time, at least in part, probably because the Litke and Lozhkina mountains protected the glacier from the sea. He fed through the river valleys. Chirakin and R. Shumilikha, and from the east across the strait. These valleys were undoubtedly filled with ice during this period. Mother Valley at this time, according to Granley, and later was filled with ice south of the moraine ridges. In the period following this, the ice retreated on the western side of the strait beyond the mouth of the river valley. Shumilikha, and to the east the glacier in the strait has moved west of Belushya Bay and the river. Gubina, in a narrow part of the strait, west of the Bera valley, where he stopped for some time. This retreat was followed by a rise of land along the coastline by 146 m. The rise in the east was thus greater than in the west.

Granley points out that at the time when this coastline was defined, the edge of the glacier was along the moraine ridges that lay there.

Along the Bera valley, a large glacier descended into the strait in the form of a fan-shaped blade, almost blocking it, in the valley of the river. Chirakina and R. Shumilikha, undoubtedly, there were still large glaciers.

In the process of further melting, this ice disappeared, and the land rose to 121 m, since this level is the first that can be traced along the entire Matochkin Shar Strait.

As Granley points out, large glaciers still extended into the strait. These glaciers include, for example, the Great Tretyakov Glacier, the Baer Glacier and the glacier in the Shelonnik Valley, where it is noticeable that further ice retreat occurred intermittently. Three successive moraine scarps indicate not only a delay in retreat, but also give an idea of ​​the size of the glacier.

Granley attributes the time of intense ice melting to boreal time. As the ice cover was freed, Novaya Zemlya gradually rose, as evidenced by the presence of a number of ancient coastlines at different, gradually decreasing altitudes.

At a time when the land was only a few meters above the current sea level, changes in climatic conditions apparently occurred. The retreat of glaciers stopped, and a period of advancing ice cover began.

There is no need to talk about a new glaciation in this case, because the old ice has not yet completely disappeared. New glaciers began to move along old paths. In the north, glaciers extended onto the coastal plain, so that, for example, the Arkhangelsk glacier, as Granley points out, crossed the upper coastlines, and the Pankratiev glacier gave an impulse to the moraine lying in front of it and caused the formation of folds in it. Apparently the coastlines at this time were between 10 and 20 m.

The appearance of peat above fossil glaciers was discovered by Malyarevsky during the author’s expedition to Novaya Zemlya in 1921. It contains Hy p num with y re r aceae. According to the late prof. Dokhturovsky, peat apparently formed during the climatic optimum of the post-glacial period.

However, as proven by A. Zubkov, peat on Novaya Zemlya can still form at the present time.

M. Lavrova, pointing to the fact that the peat horizon was covered by marine sediments, believes that after the last ice age two subsidences of land occurred. Two transgressions - the first late-glacial, with the upper level of the coastlines, and the later - post-glacial, not exceeding a height of 54 m.

The New Earth is currently in the process of rising. Many circumstances indicate negative movement of the coastline. We have already had occasions to emphasize the importance of the formation of braids in this regard. At present the rise appears to be proceeding slowly, as the recent coastline is better developed than the former.

Station residential building at Cape Zhelaniya

Polygon soils in winter. Arctic desert zone; Russian harbor

Highland Arctic tundra.Polygon tundra in the foreground

Bird market in Malye Karmakuly. (Photo by L.A. Portenko)

An old fishing hut on the Kara side of the southern fort of Novaya Zemlya. (Photo by V.D. Alexandrova)

Part of the Camp camp: warehouses and workshops (Photo by G.N. Toporkov)

Group of pioneer schoolchildren

Packing guillemot eggs

Deer from an experimental herd. (Photo by M. Kuznetsov)

Family of the Novaya Zemlya Nenets. Photo by V.D. Alexandrova)

Belushye camp; spit. Taken from a zeppelin. (Photo by Dr. Basho)

Nunataks of the ice sheet on the northern island of Novaya Zemlya. Taken from a zeppelin. (Photo by Dr. Basho)

Terraced surface on the eastern shore south island. (Photo by Dr. Basho)

The southern boundary of the Novaya Zemlya glaciation, the upper reaches of the river. Nameless

Eastern part of Matochkina Shar.View from Cape Snezhny to Cape Zhuravleva

Schematic map of the vegetation of Novaya Zemlya. Compiled by A.I. Zubov.1 – glaciers; 2 – arctic tundra; 3 – highland Arctic tundra; 4 arctic desert; 5 – highland arctic desert

The Novaya Zemlya archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean between the Kara and. It consists of two islands - North and South - separated by the Matochkin Shar Strait. Severny Island is more than half covered by glaciers.

History of discovery

The Oran Islands - the northernmost in the archipelago - were discovered in 1594 by the Barents expedition, and received their name in honor of the Dutch prince Moritz of Orange. There is a large walrus rookery on the islands.

During the Great Geographical Discoveries, Novaya Zemlya was a wintering place for expeditions that were unable to break through the ice fields.
Back in the XII-XV centuries. On Novaya Zemlya there were temporary settlements of Pomors who moved to the archipelago for fishing and hunting. They took with them everything they needed for wintering on the islands - from firewood to building material for huts. Over time, a unique culture of Pomeranian hunters formed on the islands.
Discovery of Novaya Zemlya by Europeans in the 16th century. was associated with the search for a northeastern sea route to India as an alternative to the southern routes controlled by Spain and Portugal. The path was very difficult, beyond Novaya Zemlya it was blocked by ice, so many sailors had to spend the winter in the harsh conditions of the archipelago; There were also those who were never destined to return to their homeland.
One of the expeditions to the northeastern passage was led by the navigator Willem Barents, who set off in the summer of 1594. The first attempt to find a trade route was unsuccessful, and in 1596 a new expedition was equipped. During another grueling journey, the team was forced to spend the winter on Novaya Zemlya, as the Mercury ship was frozen in Ice Harbor Bay on the northeastern tip of Severny Island as part of the archipelago. Only on June 14, 1957, Barents’ team managed to continue their journey, but the navigator himself died at the northwestern tip of the archipelago.
Later, already in 1608, the English navigator Henry Hudson visited Novaya Zemlya, who also tried to find the northeastern passage. In the middle of the 17th century. The ships of the Danish expedition reached Novaya Zemlya with similar goals.
At the same time, Russian expeditions began to be sent to Novaya Zemlya, as the Russian Empire was interested in exploring new sources of silver and copper ores. However, at first they all ended with the death of most of their participants. One of the first successful trips to the archipelago was made by Savva Loshkin in 1760-1761: then he was able to travel along the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya.
The traveler who laid the foundation for the scientific exploration of Novaya Zemlya was Fyodor Rozmyslov (d. 1771). On July 10, 1768, he set off with his team from Arkhangelsk to Novaya Zemlya and reached his goal a month later. Here Rozmyslov was engaged in the search for mineral deposits, meteorological and geodetic research.
In addition, he compiled an inventory of the Matochkin Shar Strait.
Until the 19th century The archipelago remained uninhabited, it was used as a transit point and a place for fishing and hunting. However, in order to minimize the risks of the seizure of sparsely populated lands, by the end of the century the gradual settlement of the islands began, albeit mainly by Nenets families.
At the beginning of the 20th century. There were still many blank spots on the map of Novaya Zemlya, so research expeditions constantly worked on the islands of the archipelago. In particular, the Novaya Zemlya expedition of 1911 is known, as a result of which old abandoned settlements of Pomors were discovered.

Nuclear test site

A nuclear test site was opened on Novaya Zemlya during Soviet times, and since then access to the archipelago has been limited.
Currently, Novaya Zemlya is a closed administrative-territorial entity within the Arkhangelsk region. A special pass is required to visit the archipelago. This practice has been preserved since Soviet times, when settlements on Novaya Zemlya were closed for security reasons and their existence was unknown.
On September 17, 1954, a Soviet nuclear test site was opened on Novaya Zemlya, which included three sites: Black Lip, Sukhoi Nos and Matochkin Shar (underground tests were carried out at the latter). Almost the entire Nenets population was expelled from the archipelago, and military personnel and specialists who worked at the training ground were stationed in the villages.
After the USSR and the USA signed an agreement banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, under water and in space in August 1963, experiments at the Black Lip and Sukhoi Nos sites were stopped. However, underground explosions in the Matochkina Shar area were carried out until 1990.

Population

The main settlement of the archipelago, Belushya Guba, was founded in 1897. With the opening of the nuclear test site, a completely new page opened in its history, as it was appointed the administrative center of this experimental complex. Today, the village retains its status, as the landfill continues to operate. Experiments are carried out on it, including to ensure the safe storage of nuclear weapons. In addition, there is a military unit in the village.
However, the legacy of the Cold War is not limited to the nuclear test site. Nuclear waste disposal sites are located in some bays of Novaya Zemlya. To avoid the leakage of hazardous substances, they are constantly monitored by both Russian services and European specialists.
The second most important and populous point in Novaya Zemlya is the village of Rogachevo on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula. There are other villages on the archipelago, but they have no permanent population. Among them is the village of Matochkin Shar, which has seasonal commercial significance.

Nature

Novaya Zemlya is a land of harsh nature. More than half of the archipelago's territory is covered by glaciers, and this is predominantly cover glaciation rather than mountain glaciation.

On Novaya Zemlya there reigns a natural world that is natural for the Arctic lands with a variety of species of birds and fish. First of all, the archipelago is famous for its very large bird colonies: here you can see gulls, guillemots, and puffins. On the shore of Lake Gusinoye on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula, which is very rich in fish, many geese gather during the molting period.

The archipelago preserves relatively heat-loving plants, which are usually not found in such a harsh climate. Among them are cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, some types of sorrel, fireweed and other plants. In addition, alien plants are found on the islands, including several types of buttercups and clover. The seeds fell into the local soil with expeditions and merchant ships.

People on Novaya Zemlya are constantly in contact with wild nature. Polar bears pose a great threat to the local population; with the onset of cold weather, they go to the villages in search of food. There are frequent cases of attacks by these predators on people.

general information

Administrative affiliation: Russian Federation.
Administrative center of Novaya Zemlya: Belushya Guba - 2308 people. (2015).

Status: closed administrative-territorial entity.
Russian language.
Ethnic composition: Russians.
Religion: Orthodoxy

Numbers

Climate and weather

Economy

Attractions

Cult

It is believed that members of Barents' team were among the first Europeans to see a polar bear.

On October 30, 1961, at the Sukhoi Nos nuclear test site in the southwest of Severny Island, the most powerful explosive device in the history of mankind was tested - the thermonuclear aircraft Tsar Bomba.

Cape Zhelaniya got its name for a curious reason: on the Barents map it was marked as Zhelanny, but due to an inaccuracy in the translation, according to the Russian-language tradition, it began to be called Cape Zhelaniya.