Vitim River. Transbaikalia
The Vitim River is a large right tributary of the Lena River, one of the most unique and wild rivers Eastern Siberia. The Vitim River is much more willful, majestic and significant than the lazy Lena herself. The river has full length 1978 kilometers. It originates on the eastern slope of the Ikat ridge. Directly in the upper reaches it is called Vitimkan. Translated from the Evenki language “kan” means small, in other words Little Vitim. Vitim itself is formed at the confluence of Vitimkan with the China River, which flows from the slopes of Tsipikansky mountain range. The Vitim River, on the way to the Lena, bypassing the Vitim Plateau and flowing through the ridges of the Stanovoi Highlands, abruptly changes its direction line many times: the northeastern one changes directly at the source, the southern one changes when it flows into the China, the eastern one - when it merges with the Zaza River; The Karengi River joins a little lower and goes north. Before starting to describe the Vitim River, the future traveler needs to be warned - do not be deceived by the relatively small specific drops of water (approximately 0.7 m/km). Take a look.
Characteristics of the river
The main interest of the water tourist is the middle and upper reaches of the Vitim River. In order to become more familiar with the river, as well as to establish the boundaries where modification of its character takes place, it can be divided. It all depends on water conditions and navigation conditions, for a certain number of sections. For example, the Upper direction is: the village of Romanovka, the source of the Ingura. And the middle current: the source of Karenga, the source of Bambuika, the Paramsky threshold and the Delyun-Oronsky threshold. Regarding the area from upper reaches to the village of Romanovka, then the Vitim River in this place has the character of a mountain river, its order completely depends on summer and autumn rains.
Siberian rivers can be divided into two categories. This major arteries and the ducts flowing into them. One of the largest Siberian rivers is Vitim. This is the right tributary of the river. Lena, which, in turn, connects with
History of the river
The Buryat rivers China and Vitimkan merge together in the mountains of Western Transbaikalia. And as a result, a river is formed below. Vitim. The river was first developed by the Cossack ataman Maxim Perfilyev. In 1639 he sailed along the river. Vitim. And at the mouth of the river. Kugomary founded a winter hut.
Location
The Vitim River flows through the territory of Buryatia, Trans-Baikal Territory, Yakutia and Irkutsk region. The reservoir originates on the Irkutsk ridge. Then it surrounds the Vitim Plateau. Cuts through the North and South Muya ridges. Where does the Vitim River flow later? In the r. Lena, which is connected to the Laptev Sea.
First, the Vitim flows through the territory of Buryatia, then along its border with Trans-Baikal Territory and in downstream in the Irkutsk region. The last 50 kilometers of the river stretch along Sakha-Yakutia.
Description
The source of the river is considered the beginning of the river. Vitimkan. Taking this into account, the length of Vitim is 1978 km. The basin area is 225 thousand square kilometers. After Vilyuya, Vitim is the third longest tributary of the river. Lena.
The upper and middle reaches are located on the Vitim Plateau and the Lower reaches the Patomskoe on the western side. From the source to the village of Romanovka, Vitim is considered mountain river. Forms bends near the nearest islands. Many of the banks there are steep with oval-talus processes. Vitim is a river with a strong current in some places.
After crossing the South Muya ridge, the water enters the basin. And there the river has a branched wide floodplain channel with small riffles. Vitim is divided into two parts by the Paramsky threshold. Down the slope the riverbed has rapids and waterfalls. There are many rocky ledges underwater before the Delyun-Oronsky rapids.
Until the town of Bodaibo, the river flows in narrow valley. In these places there are underdeveloped floodplains and terraces. In its lower reaches, the Vitim River flows through the Baikal-Patom Highlands. Gradually the reservoir expands and becomes a flat type.
Rapid flooding occurs due to snow melting and the slope of the territory. Rain floods are not as severe. During them, the river consumes a lot of water, more spring flood. The autumn ice drift lasts from two to three weeks. During this period, congestion occurs on the riffles. The thickness of the ice reaches almost two meters.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation on the Vitim banks mainly consists of coniferous forests. On the plateau, larch trees delight the eye. In the area of some tributaries there are dense thickets mixed forest(fir, aspen, cedar, etc.). Dwarf tree species, reindeer moss and mosses grow on the mountain shores. Almost forty species of mammals live in the Vitim basin. There are many fur-bearing animals (sable, ermine, etc.), and fish in the water.
Hydrology
According to the nature of the flow, the Vitim River is intermediate between flat and mountainous. The reservoir is fed mainly by rain. Average water consumption per year 1530 square meters per second near Bodaibo. Another two thousand square meters per second are consumed at the mouth of the river. At the r. We are experiencing a prolonged flood. It starts in May and continues until October. The wettest month is June. A sharp decrease in water is observed from March to April. Vitim begins to freeze in early November. And the ice breaks up in the second half of May, when relatively warm weather sets in.
Fishing
Siberian rivers are famous for their fishing. And one of these reservoirs is Vitim. There is a lot of different fish in the river:
- red salmon;
- pike;
- nelma;
- roach;
- burbot;
- perch;
- taimen;
- tugun;
- grayling.
That’s why many people are drawn to the river by fishing. Vitim is famous for its large pike (you can catch a ten-kilogram specimen). Five-kilogram taimen are also often caught here. For fishing lovers, there are even special tours (up to ten days) along the river.
Vitim values
One of the largest gold mining centers is located on the Vitim River. This is the city of Bodaibo. Deposits of mica and jade were found in the basin. And in the Vitimsky Nature Reserve there is unique lake Oron. Vitim is the main transport waterway through which goods are delivered to mining areas. Navigation is possible only to the village of Luzhki. It is planned to build a cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the banks of the river.
Geography
River length
The length of the river is 1837 km (including the Vitimkan River - 1978 km).
The length of the Vitim River from its source to the village. Ust-Dzhilinda is 122 km from the village. Ust-Dzhilinda to the village of Romanovka – 216 km. From the village of Romanovka to the border of the Bauntovsky district (below the mouth of Tsipa) - 600 km.
The total length within the Bauntovsky district is 868 km, excluding 60 km. on the square of the Eravninsky district.
Alexander Maksimov, CC BY 3.0Pool
Begins as Vitimkan on the eastern slopes of the Ikat ridge; at the confluence of the Vitimkana with the Chinoy River, it takes the name Vitim; from west to east, a huge arc surrounds the Vitim Plateau in the southern part, further to the north it cuts through the South Muya and North Muya ridges, separates the North Baikal and Patom highlands and flows into the Lena.
This river may seem small in appearance, but it is formidable during floods and after rains!
More than one car has sunk on an ice crossing... more than once the ferry has been disrupted on a summer crossing!
Previously, the only means of crossing from the left to the right bank of the river in the village. Romanovka served as a ferry. And if it was raining, those waiting for the crossing watched in horror as the full-flowing Vitim arrived before their eyes!
I was always amazed by the color of the water, similar to tea or, as I call it, the color of Coca-Cola))
Today r. Vitim is used in tourism for rafting!Kulikova Svetlana, tour guide
It flows first through the territory of the Bauntovsky district of Buryatia (also about 150 km through the territory of the Eravninsky district), then flows along the border of the Bauntovsky and Muysky districts of Buryatia with the Trans-Baikal Territory, and in the lower reaches through the territory of the Irkutsk region (Bodaybinsky and Mamsko-Chuysky districts). The last 50 km and the mouth of Vitim are on the territory of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.
Safronov A.V. , CC BY-SA 3.0In this interval, it changes its direction from southwest to south (the mouth of the Zaza River), then to the northeast (to the mouth of the Butui River), then to the southeast to the village. Romanovka. From the village Romanovka Vitim flows northeast to the mouth of the river. Karenga. Then the river gradually turns to the northwest.
A.V. Rasputin, O.N. Morozov, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hydrology
By their nature, the currents are intermediate between a mountain and a lowland river.
If we look at the longitudinal profile of the river, we see that its slope gradually flattens out, regardless of whether it crosses a ridge or flows along flat ground.
The food is predominantly rain-fed. Average annual consumption water near the city of Bodaibo is 1530 m³/s, at the mouth - about 2000 m³/s.
A.V. Rasputin, O.N. Morozov, CC BY-SA 3.0
Vitim is characterized by extended floods (from May to October) with a water rise of up to 8-10 m. The most high-water month is June (up to 4900 m³/s). From March to April, the river's water content decreases sharply (up to 80 m³/s).
It freezes in early November and opens in the 2nd decade of May. In the area above the village. The Kalakan River often freezes for 100-120 days.
Vitim river - right large influx The Lena River, with its middle course, serves as the border of the Transbaikal region with the Yakutsk region, in its lower reaches it separates the Irkutsk lips from the latter. V. flows from a small mountain lake lying in the Ikat ridge at an altitude of 5530 ft. (1686 m) at 64° N. w. and 128 ° 46 "E (Ferro), on the ridge separating the upper reaches of the V. from the sources of the Barguzin River, flowing into Lake Baikal. The peaks of the V. before the confluence of the Chiny River are called Vitimkan; at the junction with the Chinoy River V . flows to the south; taking the Zazu river on the right, it directs its flow to the east and northeast, and with the confluence of the right tributary, the Karengi river, it turns to the north, thus forming the first, larger arc in its flow. When crossing the Severno-Muisky ridge, it turns to the east, then turns again to the north, and after crossing the Delyun-Uransky ridge to the mouth of the left tributary of the Nerpi River, it flows to the west, forming a second, smaller arc beyond the confluence of the Nerpi to its mouth. maintains the NNW direction, flowing into the Lena River in three branches at an altitude of 600 feet above sea level. The length of the river V. is 1650 ver., i.e., 400 ver. longer than the current Lena before joining her with him; and the surface of the basin B is 202,148 square meters. V.; among deep gorges the river bed narrows to 40 fathoms or less, and fast current rivers move boulders of considerable size; from the source to the mouth of the Konda River over 450 centuries. V.'s fall is 6 feet. per mile, and from the source to the mouth the average drop of the river. - 3 ½ f. Passing from the S.W. on N.E. the massive Northern Muisky ridge, consisting of two branches - the northern, or Delyun-Uransky ridge, with heights up to 4190 ft. (1277 m) and to the south of the lying, or the North Muya ridge itself, reaching up to 4900 f. (1500 m), presents a wide stone barrier to the V. flow with a number of chars topped with rocks and peaks shrouded in fog. Breaking initially through the North Muisky ridge, in the depths of the gorge there are from 40 to 60 fathoms. width Vitim forms the Paramsky, or Big, rapids, followed by a number of small rapids, after which the river (Tek-Zenzinov valley), breaking into many branches, connects with vast lake Oron, located at an altitude of 1100 ft. (330 m) and surrounded. In the 60 (?) century. from the Paramsky threshold V., breaking through the Delyun-Uransky ridge, forms at the mouth of the right tributary of the Emalykta River at 59° 30" N and 134° 20" E. d. second threshold, having up to 3 ½ in. length. Beyond the confluence of the Nerpi River, the width of the V. valley reaches 1 verst; the left bank is higher than the right; between the mouths of the Angadimo and Temnika rivers, Vitim flows slowly in the valley of the Lena-Vitim ridge; Huge boulders of stone lie along its banks. Near the mouth of the river. B. Mamas approach B. high chars, then the river flows among the elevated banks, but, not reaching 100 versts from the Lena, it again crosses a chain of chars, reaching up to 4000 pounds. (1300 m), and then, before its confluence, it makes its way through the Patam Highlands. The rocks in the upper reaches of the V. consist of metamorphic rocks with a predominance of crystalline limestones and granites, turning into granite-syenites. Along the Zaze tributary, layers of sandstone with layers of limestone are broken through by lava outcrops along the river. Alyange, flowing among the marbles; and the Jalinda River, right up to its peak, flows among volcanic rocks that are also located along the Amalat River. Between Amalat and Tsipa there are limestones, shales, sandstones, cut by granites; this entire area is gold-bearing, and here, along the river. Sivache, there are the richest Upper Vitim gold placers. Further downstream of the V. in river outcrops one can find, interspersed, granites, limestones, various gneisses and schists, granite-syenites, and diorites in the lower reaches of the Vitim; among the mica and soapstone-mica schists there are large crystals of garnet and mica, the breakdown of which took place in the 30th century. from the mouth of the V. and in the 3rd century. from the coast, as well as along its left tributary, the B. Mama River, 40 versts. from its shore, but its mining has now ceased. Behind the confluence of the Upper Ezovaya, clayey shales and quartzites are covered by upper limestone, which continues to the mouth of the V. In its lower reaches, especially along the right tributaries, there are rich gold-bearing placers belonging to the Olekma-Vitim system. In the valley of the V. and its tributaries there are alluvial formations, part of the tertiary formation, with the remains of animals and petrified wood present in them. On the perpetually frozen soil of basin V. woody vegetation consists primarily of coniferous forests; on the Vitim Plateau, forests consisting exclusively of larch stretch for hundreds of miles. In the valley of the V. and some of its more significant tributaries, in places there are dense thickets of forest, consisting of a mixture of pine, cedar, larch, fir, alder, birch, aspen, etc. As you rise to the tops of the mountains, the high forest gives way to gnarled and dwarf breeds and the greenery of the meadows - reindeer moss and mosses. In the V. basin there are up to 40 species of mammals, of which greatest number distributed across the Vitim Plateau and smallest number species found in Olekminsko-Vitimskaya mountainous country. V. has long been famous fur-bearing animals, and especially sables, but their constant extermination greatly influenced their reduction; besides them there are: Brown bear, ermine, otter, lynx, fox, wolf, squirrel, wild boar, musk deer, goat (roe deer), real deer (wapiti), reindeer, moose and friend. Because most of the upper reaches of the V. are located in the monsoon region Pacific Ocean, then the resulting heavy summer precipitation causes severe river floods. V. is navigable from the mouth of 500 versts. The most important tributaries on its right side, starting from the upper reaches: Kydymat, Kholoy, Konda, Karenga (400 centuries), Kalakan (600 centuries), Kalar (700 centuries), Emalit, Kuanda, Bodaibo, B. Ezovaya and others; and on the left: Tsipa (800 versts), Bambuiko, Muya, Mamukan, M. and B. Mama and others. Of the many lakes, the most famous are: Baunt, Oron, Telemba, Kinon, two Nameless, etc. Vitim has become known since 1636 campaigns of the Cossack atamans Perfilyev and Bakhtiyarov to find a route from the banks of the Lena to Shilkar (Amur), which they did not reach. Perfilyev reached the river. Tsipa and presented a drawing of the space he had traversed along the East with its rapids and tributaries. In 1772, for scientific purposes, Georgi visited the upper reaches of the V., and in 1857 Schwartz climbed from the lower reaches up the V. 540 versts, to the Delyun-Uransky threshold. In 1866, an expedition led by Prince. P.A. Krapotkin, crossed the entire country lying between the mouths of the V. and its upper reaches; in addition, there were several less significant expeditions, such as Usoltseva, Lopatina and others; but our knowledge about V. and its basin is not yet complete enough. In the upper reaches, except for a small number of Buryats and Tungus, there is only a temporary population in the gold mines, and in the lower reaches there are no other populations except gold-mining ones. Wed. J. G. Georgi, "Reise" (1775); S. Ch. Stuckenberg, "Hydrographie des Russischen Reiches" (vol. II, 1844); Schwartz, in the “Report of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society” for 1857; "Bulletin of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society" (1856, part XVII, No. 4 and 1858, part XXIII, No. 5); "Map river area Vitim"; P. A. Krapotkin and I. Polyakov: "Report on the Olekma-Vitim Expedition" (in "Notes of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society" (vol. III, 1873); I. Lopatin, "Brief report on the actions of the Vitim Expedition in 1865" (in "Notes of the St. Petersburg Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society", 1867, books IX and X); "Siberian Bulletin" (1867, No. 10); Viskovaty, "Research of the flow of the Vitima River" (" Newspaper Sibir", 1882, Nos. 48 and 50; 1887, No. 8 and 24), etc.
encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - S.-Pb.: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .
See what “Vitim River” is in other dictionaries:
Vitim Characteristics Length 1978 km Basin area ... Wikipedia
The right large tributary of the Lena River, with its middle course serves as the border of the Transbaikal region with the Yakutsk region, in its lower reaches it separates the Irkutsk lips from the latter. V. flows from a small mountain lake lying in the Ikat ridge at an altitude of 5530 ft.... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron
It originates in the Republic of Buryatia, in the Agninsky district. Further, almost completely changing direction from south to north, it flows along the border of the district, then along the land of the Ust-Orda Autonomous Okrug. Near the city of Ust-Karenga it merges with the Karenga River and carries its waters further, flowing into great river Lena near the city of Vitim.
One of the versions of the origin of the name of the river is the root of the Thracian form of the verb “vit”. From it the word “vit” was formed, which translated from Buryat means “swamp grass”. There is also a grass with this name - perhaps it became the basis for the name of the river itself.
There is a version that the river got its name from the Indo-European word “veis”, which means “to overflow”. Carrying its waters mainly from south to north, the river often spring period It overflows very heavily, and since it does not have time to melt, the ice floes are piled on top of each other. Because of this, it often happens that ice floes reach the shores. The river overflows and floods the surrounding area, which is why it got its name.
But there is also a version that this name originates from the Indo-European “udo” - “water”. Looking at the river bed, we can say that its name is closely related to this concept. The river carries its waters first to the south, then turns almost 180 degrees. and then goes north, constantly changing direction slightly. The river winds among the Vitim Plateau, its bed circles, choosing the most easy way. Maybe it was the word “florid” that became the root of the name of the river.
Despite the presence of various versions, the hydronym has not been studied enough to date. The basis of the name causes particular difficulty for researchers. As for the ending - m, it, according to scientists, indicates the pre-Tungus origin of the word. Researcher Komarov considers it Yukaghir, but does not offer an etymology.