Lake Kaindy (, ''Qaiyñdy kölı'', meaning the "birch tree lake" or ''landslide'') is a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

located in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. The lake reaches depths of nearly . It is located east-southeast of the city of

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

and is above sea level.

History

Lake Kaindy is located in the south of Kazakhstan, within

Kolsay Lakes National Park Kolsay Lakes National Park (, ''Kölsai kölderı ūlttyq parkı'') is located on the north slope of the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountains, southeast Kazakhstan (10 km from the border with Kyrgyzstan). Often referred to as "Pearls of Tien Shan" ...

. It is located above sea level, east of

. The lake was formed as the result of a major limestone landslide triggered by the

1911 Kebin earthquake The 1911 Kebin earthquake, or Chon-Kemin earthquake, struck Russian Turkestan on 3 January. Registering at a moment magnitude of 8.0, it killed 452 people, destroyed more than 770 buildings (which was almost all of the city) in Almaty, Kazakhs ...

forming a natural dam. It blocked the gorge and was filled by mountain river water. Lake Kaindy is about 400 meters long, reaching depths of nearly 30 meters at its deepest point. Altered by limestone deposits, the water maintains a bluish-green color. The lake contains trunks of submerged ''

Picea schrenkiana A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' is the sole genus ...

'' trees that rise above the surface of the lake. The area is often referred to as a "sunken forest". The cold water helps preserve the tree trunks, which are overgrown with algae and various other water plants. In recent years, Lake Kaindy has become a popular international tourist destination. The lake is also known for ice diving and trout fishing in the winter season. The Kaindy river flows into the lake, passing through a two-sided rock face about 20 meters high. The upper part of the trees protruding from the water lost their side branches and bark, and the wood turned white. It resembles a submerged squadron with the bare trunks of the trees being the masts of sunken ships. The lake surface changes color and often has blue color, caused by lime and other minerals in the clear water. Despite the low water temperature, Kaindy lake is popular with divers.

References

Lakes of Kazakhstan Landslide-dammed lakes {{AlmatyRegion-geo-stub