Selenga River

Catchment area of ​​the Selenga

Selenga River with tributaries from an airplane; Looking around to the north

Selenga in the Chöwsgöl Aimag

Selenga about 100 to 200 km from the Russian border

View from Shaman Rock ( ⊙ 51.537638888889107.345; less than 40 km south-southwest of Ulan -Ude ) in the Selengatal; Looking north-north- east

Selenga delta

Satellite photo: Selenga delta

The Selenga (Russian Селенга ) or Selenge (Mongolian Сэлэнгэ ), which rises in Mongolia and flows to Russia, with about 1024 km length - with this flow path is the actual upper reaches of the Angara - by far the longest and with a mean discharge ( MQ ) of around 935 m³ / s of water-rich tributary of Lake Baikal in Central Asia.

With approximately 615 km flow path within Mongolia the Selenga is the fifth longest river in this State; the remaining 409 km are located in Russia. Together with the Ider, which is as right two source rivers 452 km long, the river is 1476 km long.

Geography

Course

The Selenga is created around 375 km southwest of the southwest end of Lake Baikal and 150 km ( respectively ) by air north from the center of the Khangai Mountains in Northern Mongolia in the southern part of the Chöwsgöl - aimags. Its origin is located at about 1176 m height confluence of the ultimately flowing from the south Ider, about 1.5 km to the influence of Chuluut Gol, and ultimately coming from the north Delgermörön, approximately 9.5 km to the junction Bugsein Gol.

The Selenga River flows in a north-easterly direction through the predominantly northern Mongolia, partly in a maximum of about 20 to 25 km wide valley, and forms in the context of some inland delta again uniting several creeks.

Initially, the Selenga River and then to the east flows ostnordostwärts after I - Uul, they happened at about 1058 meters above sea level, according to Chutag - Öndör. Below this village about Selenge (both in Bulgan aimag ) and Dsüünbüren, located on the Bayou Selengiin - Taturaga, and as far down as Sükhbaatar (both in Selenge aimag ) the mountains Buteliin rise up on both sides of the Selenga about the north and Burengiin about the south. Between the mountains flows a little west-southwest or above the village of Selenge the water-rich Egiin car, which comes from the north-west from Chöwsgöl Lake barely berührtem, a wooded area and still be stable Taimen deposits ( largest salmon fish type ) is known. Shortly after the village of Selenge River in the foothills of both mountains extends northeastward after Sükhbaatar.

Below and to the north of Sükhbaatar opens out the light coming from the south Orkhon, which is by far the longest tributary of the Selenga River and its tributary, the Tuul largest flow length (about 1580 km ) in the Selenga river system, especially with this, there is. The river to the north Henceforth accompanied sections of the coming of the Trans-Mongolian Railway Orchontal.

After 615 km flow path in Mongolia which runs from the Selenga located below Sükhbaatar state border for their remaining 409 km through the Buryat Republic in Russia:

Passing Nauschki the Selenga River flows north-north- eastward to Choronchoi, which before Ust- Kjachta performs the first bridge of the Trans-Mongolian railway over the river. Further north, after open out of Dschida and Temnik about from the west, leaving the railway line the river temporarily to flow along the several kilometers west of the Selenga located Gusinojesees. After open out of the coming of this lake Bayan and the current flowing from the south of the river Tschikoi Nowoselenginsk happens.

A little further north-northeast from the south and open a Khilok Orongoi from the west, after which the Trans-Mongolian Railway runs back along the river. Then the Selenga happens below Gansurino a " Shaman Rock ", and a little further north leads Kardon another bridge of the railway over the river.

Further to the northeast reaches the Selenga with the city of Ulan -Ude, the largest city on the river, where the Trans-Mongolian Railway leaves the river and port henceforth has accompanying Trans-Siberian Railway to the river. In the city opens from the east, the one Uda.

Then the Selenga Khamar - Daban mountains between the flows in the West and Ulan- Burgasy in the northeast, where the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses, first north, then kinking at Tataurowo to the west and leaving both mountains at Selenginsk to the northwest; this leaves the railway line the river to the west.

A few miles below Selenginsk shares the Selenga in several large and numerous small creeks, which form the Selenga delta ( p n ). After his flowing through the Selengawasser reached the West thirds of lying to about 456 m altitude Lake Baikal.

Selenga delta

The approximately 680 km ² Selenga delta, located on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, has advanced due to the rich sediment load of the river over the course of millions of years is approximately 15 km into the lake, where the Delta bed reaches a thickness of 870 meters.

The Delta is resting and breeding place and location of foraging for many species of waterfowl. In spring and autumn you will find there is a 4-7 million migratory birds that catch fish here, crustaceans, insects and other animals. These include osprey, golden eagles, cranes nuns, Gluck ducks, lapwings, herons, gulls, swans, storks and sparrows ( including black storks ). In addition, living in and around the Delta the rare Baikal Seal, which Kleinkrebsart Epischura and the salmon- like cisco, which occurs only in the Baikal region and adjoining the lake waters. In addition, spawns in the Selenga the Baikal sturgeon.

Catchment area, the source and inflows

Catchment area

The catchment area of ​​the Selenga is 447,060 km ², of which 299,000 km ² are in Mongolia and 148,060 km ² in Russia; it contains about 80 % of the Baikal basin. Most of the water (54%), however it receives from the Russian part. The area is located, particularly in the context of the Orkhon river basin, in the economic heartland of Mongolia, where approximately 19% of the national territory home to around 67 % of the population.

Headwaters

The headwaters of the Selenga - with the length and average discharge ( MQ ): Mongolia:

• Delgermörön - left or north-westerly source river ( 445 km, 33 m³ / s)
• Ider - longest right or south-westerly source river (452 km, 57 m³ / s)

Inflows

Among the tributaries of the Selenga include - with ( when known) length and average discharge ( MQ ) - downriver considered: Mongolia:

• Dsulegtiin - left or north- western tributary
• Chanui - right or southern tributary
• Altatyn - right or southern tributary
• Egiin - left or north western tributary (535 km, about 100 m³ / s)
• Orkhon - right or southern tributary ( 1124 km, 96 m³ / s)

Russia:

• Dschida - left or western tributary ( 567 km, 74 m³ / s)
• Temnik - left or western tributary
• Bajan - left or north-westerly flow
• Tschikoi - right or southeasterly flow ( 769 km, 274 m³ / s)
• Khilok - right or southeasterly flow (840 km, 98 m³ / s)
• Orongoi - left or western tributary
• Uda - right or eastern tributary ( 467 km, 67 m³ / s)
• Itantscha - Right or northeasterly inflow

Towns

At or near the Selenga are, among others, these villages - downriver considered: Mongolia:

• I - Uul Aimag in the Chöwsgöl
• Chutag - Öndör in Bulgan aimag
• Selenge in the Bulgan aimag
• Dsüünbüren in Selenge Aimag
• Sükhbaatar in Selenge Aimag - mainly in the lower reaches of the Orkhon inflow

Russia (all in the Republic of Buryatia ):

• Nauschki
• Zagan - Ussun
• Choronchoi
• Ust- Kjachta
• Sarubino

• Selenium Duma
• Nowoselenginsk
• Staroselenginsk
• Gansurino

• Kardon
• Schaluty
• Nizhny Sajantui
• Saretschny

• Ulan -Ude
• Tataurowo
• Selenginsk
• Kabansk

Ice conditions, flow regime and navigability

From November to April or mid-May, the Selenga is covered by ice. If melt in the summer ice and snow drives the Selenga, also driven by their source and tributaries often flood in her estuary and thus into Lake Baikal. Due to the freezing the flow regime is characterized by strong fluctuations. Thus, in Ust- Kjachta is the average water supply in February 107 m³ / s and 2,203 m³ / s in August. The mean annual discharge ( MQ ) is 933.814 m³ / s From Sükhbaatar the Selenga River is navigable.

History and Research

In approximately 750,000 year old deposits was from E. I. Beliajewa in 1966 in Tologoi ( Buryatia, Russia), the genus Coelodonta tologoijensis detected at the Selenga as slim forerunner of wool rhino for the first time.

At the Selenga there with the Iwolginsker hillfort settlement an important archaeological site of the Xiongnu, a confederacy of tribes of nomadic horsemen who there v. between the 3rd century BC and the 4th century AD lived. Was located at its lower reaches once the settlement area of ​​Merkits (12th-13th century), a Mongolian tribe from the epoch of Genghis Khan. In addition, originally settled the early Oghuz Turkish tribal confederation at the Selenga.

The Polish- Russian geographer, geologist, paleontologist and explorer Ivan Tscherski (1845-1892), the baikal down, for example, also explored the catchment area of ​​the Angara, examined from 1881 to 1882 and those areas of the Selenga River and Lower Tunguska.