zapovednik
A zapovednik is an established term on the Post-Soviet states, territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which is kept "forever wild". It is the highest degree of environmental protection for the assigned areas, which are strictly ...
' (strict nature reserve) that was created by decree of
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
, in 1920 as a mineralogical nature reserve. It is the site of deposits of many rare-earth minerals - 16 minerals were first discovered here, including
Ilmenite
Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printi ...
(named for the site),
Monazite
Monazite is a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral that contains rare-earth elements. Due to variability in composition, monazite is considered a group of minerals. The most common species of the group is monazite-(Ce), that is, the cerium ...
,
Cancrinite
Cancrinite is a complex carbonate and silicate of sodium, calcium and aluminium with the formula Na6Ca2 water">H2O. It is classed as a member of the feldspathoid group of minerals; the alkali feldspars that are poor in silica. Yellow, orange, pin ...
, and Samarskite-(Y). There have been over 400 mines in the area over the years. The Reserve's geological museum is one of the largest in Russia. The forest cover is pine and larch forest on low hills of the Ilmensky Mountains and foothill ridges on east side of the south
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
. The reserve is situated just north and east of the city of
Miass
Miass (, ) is a city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located west of Chelyabinsk, on the eastern slope of the Southern Ural Mountains, on the bank of the river Miass. Population:
Name
The name Miass is taken from the Bashkirs (), the indige ...
Chelyabinsk Oblast
Chelyabinsk Oblast; , is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chel ...
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk; , is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, seventh-largest city in Russia, with a population ...
.
Topography
The Ilmensky Reserve is located on the east slope of the southern Urals, where the terrain flattens from low mountains (400 meters altitude) to a district of lakes and rolling hills. The reserve is rectangular in shape, 70 km from north to south, and 10 km from west to east. The
Miass River
The Miass (, ''Meyäs'') is a river on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains in Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk Oblast and Kurgan Oblast, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Iset, part of the Irtysh basin.Kazakh forest steppe'' ecoregion. Steppe with long ""ribbon forests"" of pine; about 300–500 miles more northerly than the European Russian forest. This ecoregion has more wetlands and more continental climate than the European forest steppe.
The climate of Ilmen is '' Humid continental climate, warm summer'' (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
(Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters. Rainfall varies from 500 to 800 mm per year, peaking in the summer. Snow reaches a depth of 1 meter, with snow cover averaging 195 days. The frost-free period lasts 80–90 days.
Flora and fauna
The dark taiga is to the west, on the mountain ridges; Ilmen is more in a pine and birch forest subzone. Forests cover 85% of the Reserve - of which 55% is pine (
Pinus sylvestris
''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native plant, native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly s ...
), and about 40% birch. The remaining 5% is mostly meadow, and steppe. Because 9% of the reserve is lake and river, the surrounding floodplains and dead birch trees provide a good habitat for mushrooms which are an object of study at the site. Throughout the reserves history, the mammals and birds of the region have been the subject of frequent scientific publication.
Ecotourism
As a strict nature reserve, the Ilmen Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. Other members of the public seeking access must apply to the main office in the city of Miass.
Mineralogical Museum
The Reserve's Natural Science Museum in the city of Miass, created in 1925, is one of the five largest Russian geological-mineralogical museums. It is housed in a three-story building, with six rooms and a total area of 2,050 m2. The Museum Foundation has 30 thousand units of storage, with 9000 on exhibit. The museum is a major regional center of education in the natural sciences, receiving 50 thousand visitors per year.