Tunguska Nature Reserve () (also Tungussky) is a Russian '

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) located in the central part of the Central Siberian Plateau. As a result of a meteorite in 1908, more than 2,000 km² of boreal forest was felled and burned. The taiga affected in the disaster area has been restored in the past 100 years. The reserve is situated in the Evenkiysky District of

Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia located in Siberia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Krasnoyarsk, the second-largest city in Siberia after ...

Topography

The reserve sits on a low plateau, with deeply cut river valleys. The valley tops resemble elongated ridges, with hills of a typical height of 100–300 meters. The highest point in the territory is 602 meters above sea level. The Tunguska Event occurred on the northern edge of the reserve. The Stony Tunguska River (

Podkamennaya Tunguska River The Podkamennaya Tunguska (, literally ''Tunguska under the stones''; , Ket language, Ket: Ӄо’ль) also known as ''Middle Tunguska'' or ''Stony Tunguska'', is a river in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. History In 1908, an asteroid impacted near th ...

) runs across the southern border of the site. Two main rivers run south through the reserve, the Chamby River and the Hushmy River. The river valleys are generally waterlogged when not frozen.

Lake Cheko Lake Cheko () is a small Fresh water, freshwater lake in Siberia, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, in what is now the Evenkiysky District of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. It is primarily known for its proposed relationship with the Tunguska event, 1 ...

, a round, picturesque

thermokarst lake Alas () is a shallow depression which occurs primarily in Yakutia, which is formed by subsidence of the Arctic permafrost owing to repeated melting and refreezing. An alas first develops as a shallow lake as melt water fills the depression. The l ...

is on the northern border of the site; it has been suggested as a possible impact site of the 1908 meteorite fall.

Climate and ecoregion

Tunguska is located in the ''

East Siberian taiga The East Siberian taiga ecoregion, in the taiga and boreal forests biome, is a very large biogeographic region in eastern Russia. Setting This vast ecoregion is located in the heart of Siberia, stretching over 20° of latitude and 50° of longit ...

'' ecoregion, which sits between the

Yenisei River The Yenisey or Yenisei ( ; , ) is the list of rivers by length, fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal a ...

and

Lena River The Lena is a river in the Russian Far East and is the easternmost river of the three great rivers of Siberia which flow into the Arctic Ocean, the others being Ob (river), Ob and Yenisey. The Lena River is long and has a capacious drainage basi ...

. Its northern border reaches the Arctic Circle, and its southern border reaches 52°N latitude. The dominant vegetation is light coniferous taiga with Dahurian larch (''

Larix gmelinii ''Larix gmelinii'', the Dahurian larch or East Siberian larch, is a species of larch native to eastern Siberia and adjacent northeastern Mongolia, northeastern China (Heilongjiang), South Korea and North Korea. Description ''Larix gmelinii'' ...

'') forming the canopy in areas with low snow cover. This ecoregion is rich in minerals. The climate of Tunguska is '' Subarctic climate, without dry season'' (

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 ...

Subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ).

Flora and fauna

About 70% of the territory is forested, a further 15-20% is swamp. Aside from the dominant larch (''

Larix × czekanowskii ''Larix'' × ''czekanowskii'' is a larch species, a natural hybrid between Siberian larch (''Larix sibirica'') and Dahurian larch (''Larix gmelinii''). Description ''Larix'' × ''czekanowskii'' occurs where their ranges meet in central Siberia ...

'', ''

'') and 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 ...

'', ''

Pinus sibirica ''Pinus sibirica'', or Siberian pine, in the family Pinaceae is a species of pine tree that occurs in Siberia from 58°E in the Ural Mountains east to 126°E in the Stanovoy Range in southern Sakha Republic, and from Igarka at 68°N in the l ...

'') there are occasional spruce (''

Picea obovata ''Picea obovata'', the Siberian spruce, is a spruce native to Siberia, from the Ural Mountains east to Magadan Oblast, and from the Arctic tree line south to the Altay Mountains in northwestern Mongolia. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree grow ...

''). There is undergrowth of alder, dwarf birch, cranberries, blueberries, grasses, mosses and a covering of lichens. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 314 species of angiosperms. The animals of the reserve are characteristic of the central Siberian taiga. Mammals include elk, brown bear, sable, squirrel, wolf, caribou, and wolverine. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 41 species of mammals and 19 species of fish. Birds are mostly wetland species; 170 species have been recorded in the territory.

History

A number of archaeological sites from the Neolithic Period (3,000-4,000 BC) have been identified on the site, with stone tools, ceramics and bone fragments.

Ecoeducation and access

As a strict nature reserve, the Tunguska Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are four 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve that are open to the public but require permits to be obtained in advance. All four lead to the presumed site of the meteor explosion. The main office is in the city of Vanavara. There are several flights per week to Vanavara from Krasnoyarsk.

References

External links

Map of Tunguska Reserve, OpenStreetMap

Map of Tunguska Reserve, ProtectedPlanet
{{Russian Zapovedniks Nature reserves in Russia Protected areas established in 1995 1995 establishments in Russia Geography of Krasnoyarsk Krai Zapovednik