Grave Lake

The grave lake lies on the Kola Peninsula, between Cape Mogill and the village of Eastern Kildin of the Murmansk region. This is a water, protected natural monument and a meromictic reservoir located on the shore of the Kilda Strait. The lake is small, only 560 meters long and 90 thousand square meters in area.

The lake is believed to be about a thousand years old. However, some scientists believe that it was formed here three and a half thousand years ago as a result of the movement of the coastline. The lake has one unique feature – it consists of several water layers, each of which has a different degree of salinity. The water on the surface is almost fresh, and at the very bottom is salty. In addition, every year the salinity of the lake increases.

The uniqueness of the lake has its reasons. Sea water (from the White Sea) seeps through the rampart in the south, filling the naturally fresh lake with salt water. As a result, both marine and freshwater organisms live in the lake.

Grave Lake is the only reservoir with mixed waters in Russia. No wonder it is called a relic of the Kola Peninsula and a miracle of nature. The 3 upper layers are inhabited by crustaceans and fish. Here there is a rare, listed in the Red Book Kilda cod. A little lower, in the 4th layer live sea stars, polar jellyfish, sponges, actinia and other marine organisms.

The lake was discovered in 1594 as a result of the Dutch Barents expedition. In 1985 it was given the status of a monument.