Car tours in East Kazakhstan.

"The width of the Bukhtarma with all the branches into which it is divided is more than 70 fathoms. Because of the extremely fast current and strong pressure of the water, they ford the river like this: the horses go diagonally, with the strongest one in front, against the current, and the rest - joining it, tightly one after another, only slightly retreating back. Arriving in the territory of China, I sent a guide together with one of my people to the Chinese border outpost with a request to allow us to drive up to exchange some of my goods for Chinese ones. The messengers sent soon returned with the answer that the commander (a Chinese colonel, as they called him) would be very glad of it. Then I went there. The outpost is located on a plain that stretches as far as the eye can see."

K. F. Ledebour. "Journey through the Altai Mountains and the Foothills of Altai." 1826.

Trip East Kazakhstan.

Since ancient times, people have known about the mysterious mountain region in the depths of the continent, which received the sonorous name of Altai. This region, dotted with majestic mountains, is located to the south of the endless expanses of the Siberian taiga, famous for its impassability and many swamps and rivers.
On the southern side, Altai borders on the hot deserts of Central Asia and southern Kazakhstan, which are blown by the sultry wind of Central Asia. The Altai Mountains, spreading their spurs, become a bridge between Siberia and Central Asia, simultaneously connecting and dividing them.
The main mountain junction of the region is the source of many Altai ridges, and also serves as an important world watershed. Here are the boundaries of the basins of internal waters of Central Asia and the rivers carrying their waters to the Arctic Ocean.
The highest point of Altai, the two-headed peak of Muztau (Belukha), rises at the junction of Kazakhstan and Russia, striking with its beauty and grandeur. To appreciate the majestic beauty of Altai, its ridges, wrapped in eternal snow, glaciers and gray kurums (rock screes), you need to climb to the top.
Only from a height does a full panorama of the region open up: dark blue gorges, sparkling rivers rushing down, and turquoise lakes forming a mosaic pattern. The mountain slopes here are covered with dense cedar-fir taiga, alternating with valleys, light birch groves and larch copses.
On the northern slopes of the Kazakh Altai, dense vegetation, bushes and tall grasses dominate, capable of completely hiding even a horseman. Such a contrast of nature, from harsh mountains to picturesque valleys, makes Altai a unique and majestic land.
Water flowing down from the eternal snows of the mountains creates turbulent rivers that, over many millennia, have cut through granite gorges, leaving crystal-clear channels in them. Taimen and grayling splash in the transparent depths of the rivers, and rainbow tints often appear above the waterfalls, playing in the sun's rays. In the shadow of dense forests, icy springs sparkling with mica sparks are hidden.
On the flat tops of the mountains there are swamps overgrown with sedge, which in the forest zone give way to hummocky swamps with an unsteady surface. In the foothills there are golden fields of wheat and sunflowers, and tamed rivers in wide valleys form large reservoirs.
A flexible network of mountain paths, roads and highways connects settlements, farmsteads, apiaries, forest cordons and modern cities. This amazing mountainous country, known as Altai, is located between 48° and 53° north latitude, and its southwestern part, located within Kazakhstan, is called the Kazakhstan Altai. 
The Kazakhstan Altai covers about a tenth of the territory of Kazakhstan, representing a unique region with diverse natural landscapes. It combines rocky, almost desert mountains adjacent to the Zaysan Depression, and rocky ridges covered with eternal snow and surrounded by clouds.
The western part of the region, known as Rudny Altai, is rich in ore minerals, making it a natural treasure trove. The very name "Altai" in translation from the Turkic languages ​​means "Golden Mountains". The Kazakhstan part of the Altai has been the object of scientific research since the XVIIIth century, attracting attention of such outstanding travelers and naturalists as P. S. Pallas, P. Shanin and F. A. Gebler, K. F. Ledebour, G. E. Shchurovsky, G. N. Potanin, M. V. Pevtsov, V. V. Sapozhnikov, N. F. Kashchenko, V. A. Obruchev and N. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, N. M. Przhevalsky and others.
The German zoologist Alfred Brehm, the author of "The Life of Animals", also visited here, together with his companion Otto Finsch. This region is not only rich in natural resources, but also represents scientific and cultural interest, leaving a trace in the works of great explorers of the past.
In Soviet times, the Kazakh Altai was explored by the famous faunist P. P. Sushkin, who made a significant contribution to the study of the region. The ridges of the Kazakh Altai are characterized by a complex geological structure. The western part is dominated by hilly plains, which gradually turn into mid-mountains, which are an alternation of wide valleys and narrow gorges.
Lower Paleozoic and Carboniferous deposits are widespread here, rich in ancient volcanic formations. The geotectonic structure of the region is complex and is due to multiple phases of crustal movement and volcanic activity. A feature of the landscape are rocky peaks rising above the plains and serving as centers of modern glaciations.
The formation of the Altai Mountains is unique, which makes them an important object for geological research and scientific discoveries. According to geologists, the formation of the Altai mountain ranges began more than 200 million years ago. This occurred as a result of intense volcanic activity, accompanied by the outpouring of magma and its introduction into the layers of sedimentary rocks.
Gradually, in the process of cooling of the magmatic mass, crystalline rocks arose. Hydrothermal activity (hot jets of water and gases) contributed to the removal of polymetallic ores to the surface. Over the course of millions of years, climatic processes, including precipitation and winds, significantly destroyed the Altai mountain ranges.
However, subsequent tectonic processes associated with underground activity revived and rejuvenated the relief of the region, giving it its modern outlines. The rise of individual parts of Altai to different heights played a key role in the formation of its unique relief.
Geologists believe that it was this movement of the earth's crust that led to the formation of the richest deposits of polymetallic ores, regularly located along the ore belts of the region. The climate of Altai is characterized by sharp continentality due to its deep intracontinental position.
There are significant temperature differences here - both during the day and between seasons. Altai is a zone where different climatic influences meet: continental Mongolian, steppe and semi-desert climate of Central Asia, and continental climate of Western Siberia.
Altai has a clearly defined vertical zonality, which causes a complex mosaic distribution of vegetation zones. Winter temperatures vary greatly depending on the altitude and location. In January and February, average monthly temperatures in the northern part of Rudny Altai and high-mountain basins reach -17…-23.8°C, and in the southern mountains they vary from -14.1 to -16.6°C.
In July, which is considered the warmest month of the year, the average air temperature in Altai is +14…+16°C. At altitudes of 1000 – 1500 meters above sea level, the temperature can reach 0°C. In the foothills and flat parts of the region, temperatures are slightly higher.
Wind activity in Altai has its own characteristics. In winter, Mongolian-Siberian anticyclones dominate, bringing cold, dry weather. In summer, on the contrary, the weakening of anticyclones contributes to the arrival of moist air masses from the west. At this time, the main wind directions are westerly and northwesterly, bringing more moisture.
The distribution of precipitation in the region depends greatly on the relief. The Altai Mountains play a key role in retaining moisture from the western air currents, especially on the windward slopes. The annual amount of precipitation varies depending on the height and exposure of the slopes: it can reach 1000 - 1300 mm and more in high-mountain areas.
The greatest precipitation is recorded in the Rudny Altai, since these mountain ranges are the first to encounter moist air masses. The Ivanovsky Ridge stands out for its record amount of precipitation in the region, where up to 2200 mm per year is recorded (with a norm of 1500 - 1800 mm).
Large rivers such as Gromotukha, Belaya and Chernaya Uba, as well as Turgusun, originate here. The second maximum of precipitation is observed in the South Altai province, especially on the northern slopes of the Narym and Tarbagatai ridges, where more than 1300 mm of precipitation falls annually. In winter, the snow cover on the leeward slopes reaches a height of 3 - 4 meters, and on the highest ridges, a significant mass of snow is concentrated in cirques, circuses and avalanche faults.
After the melting of the seasonal snow cover, snowfields remain on the tops of the ridges, decorating them until the end summer. In particularly snowy years, they are compressed and form small glaciers and snow cornices. Kazakhstan's Altai has the richest subsoil, which contains a variety of minerals, especially polymetallic ores.
They contain lead, zinc, copper, as well as gold, silver and rare metals such as cadmium, molybdenum, bismuth, indium, thallium, cobalt and selenium. In addition, there are significant deposits of antimony, mercury, brown and hard coal, oil shale, limestone, marble and refractory clays.
Most of Kazakhstan's coal reserves are concentrated in the regions of Karaganda, Kostanay, Akmola (Tselinograd), Pavlodar and East Kazakhstan. In Altai, the Kendirlik deposit stands out, the products of which are used as fuel, chemical raw materials and the basis for gas production.
Copper ore deposits in Rudny Altai are especially widespread, where the main extractable elements are copper, lead and zinc, and associated sulfur and other useful components. In the Rudno-Altai polymetallic belt, which extends to the northeast, more than 900 endogenous manifestations of non-ferrous metals are known, including large, medium and small deposits and ore occurrences.
Ore bodies in such areas as South Altai, Kurchumsko-Karchiginsky, Zyryanovsky, Turgusun-Khamirsky, Riddersky (Leninogorsky, Priirtyshsky, Verkhuba-Shemonaikha and Zmeinogorsky) are found in various forms: layers, lenticular, columnar, vein, as well as more complex deposits.
They have a variety of compositions, including lead-zinc, copper-lead and zinc. Gold was mined in Eastern Kazakhstan even before the revolution, from the richest areas of primary and placer deposits. Currently, the most important gold-bearing deposits, including quartz-vein, stockwork, gold and quartz, and metasomatic gold-quartz-sulfide, are concentrated in Kalba.
In the Southern Altai of Kazakhstan, numerous quartz-vein deposits are known, which are an important source of various metals. In the Altai Mountains, in such areas as Kokshil and Chindagatuy, there are industrial deposits of tungsten and molybdenum.
Among the trace elements, the main source of cadmium is the copper-zinc and lead-zinc ores of Rudny Altai, from which cadmium is extracted mainly from zinc concentrates. Significant reserves of gallium are found in the polymetallic ores of Rudny Altai, where it is extracted in the process of hydrometallurgical production of zinc.
The main concentrations of thallium are concentrated in galena polymetallic ores of the Leninogorsk, Zyryanovsky and Priirtyshsky districts, from which thallium is extracted during metallurgical processes. The main source of selenium and tellurium are pyrite-polymetallic deposits of Rudny Altai.
Altai has significant reserves of non-metallic minerals. Sulfur raw materials are found in the ores of polymetallic and iron ore deposits. More than 70 thousand tons of sulfuric acid are obtained annually from pyrites containing polymetallic ores of Eastern Kazakhstan.
Quartz sand, clay (molding material) and petrological raw materials, including materials and casting products from molten rocks and industrial waste, are also concentrated in Altai. The Ust-Kamenogorsk Mineral Products Plant manufactures products that are supplied to enterprises in Kazakhstan and partly to Russia.
The main industries of the East Kazakhstan region include non-ferrous metallurgy, electric power, mechanical engineering, logging and woodworking. These industries are closely linked to the local electric power industry. The region has large energy facilities such as the Bukhtarma, Ust-Kamenogorsk hydroelectric power stations and the Leninogorsk thermal power plant, as well as small energy enterprises united into the Altai energy system.
Kazakhstan's Altai is one of the largest producers of non-ferrous metals in the region.
Non-ferrous metallurgy, including ore mining, enrichment and metallurgical enterprises, accounts for 55% of the gross industrial output of the region. Ust-Kamenogorsk Lead and Zinc Plant, which produces 28 types of products, is one of the leading enterprises, some of whose products are exported abroad.
Also playing a significant role in the industry are the Leninogorsk and Irtysh polymetallic plants, the Zyryanovsk lead and East Kazakhstan copper-chemical (Ust-Talovka) plants, as well as the Irtysh chemical-metallurgical plant and titanium-magnesium plant, whose products are also in export demand.
The development of complex non-ferrous metallurgy has had a significant impact on the chemical industry of the region. At the metallurgical enterprises in Ust-Kamenogorsk and Leninogorsk Sulfuric acid and potash fertilizers are produced, which further stimulates the growth of the chemical industry.
The Irtysh Chemical and Metallurgical Plant became a pioneer in Kazakhstan in the production of colored glass from waste products of the main products, which was an important step towards sustainable production and recycling. This innovation opened a new branch of industry in the Kazakh Altai.
Mechanical engineering, which has just begun to develop in the region, is focused mainly on the production of mining, metallurgical and energy equipment, including drilling rigs, loading machines, scrapers, winches and instruments. There are also shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises, and the main center of mechanical engineering is Ust-Kamenogorsk.
In terms of forest resources, the Kazakh Altai ranks first in the republic, with large forest lands in the East Kazakhstan region. Particularly significant timber reserves are concentrated in the valleys of the Ulba, Bukhtarma, Naryn and Kurchum rivers, which supports the sustainable development of the region's forestry industry.
In addition, enterprises of the light and food industries are actively developing in the East Kazakhstan region, including knitwear, clothing, fur and shoe factories, as well as meat and fish processing. These industries make an important contribution to the region's economy.
Agriculture in Kazakhstan's Altai is focused on the development of livestock farming, including meat and dairy and meat and wool production, as well as grain farming and the cultivation of industrial crops. In the foothills of Altai, Saur, Tarbagatai and the Zaisan Basin, the main focus is on sheep breeding.
Marals are actively bred in the region, especially in the Katon-Karagay district, beekeeping and fish farming are developing, especially in the area of ​​the Bukhtarma reservoir and the Irtysh River. The Kazakh part of Altai is often called Blue Altai, which is associated with numerous rivers, mountain streams and lakes, which, thanks to glacier feeding, have an incredible blue color.
From the mountain peaks, there is a picturesque view of Lake Markakol, surrounded by clear streams and majestic cliffs, as well as the turbulent flows of rivers such as Bukhtarma and Irtysh, which adds to the uniqueness of this place. If you put all of the streams, springs, lakes and reservoirs on a map of Kazakhstan Altai, the surface of the map will be cut up, as if with wrinkles - this is what Blue Altai looks like.
The main source that maintains this water wealth is glaciers, which in Altai descend to an altitude of 2600 meters. The harsh climate of the highlands also affects the adjacent territories. The area of ​​the permafrost zone in Altai is about 5670 km², with the lower boundary of its distribution at an altitude of 2000 meters.
The prospects for using the glaciers and eternal snows of the region are determined by the fact that they contain significant reserves of water in solid form. In the warm season, this ice melts and becomes the source of mountain rivers, which are of great importance for the economy, including for the irrigation of agricultural lands.
Altai, being a high-mountain and well-moistened region, has a dense river network. The main river of Kazakhstan is the Irtysh, 4,248 km long (of which 1,400 km pass through the territory of the republic). It begins on the western slopes of the Mongolian Altai at an altitude of 2,500 meters and is called Kara Ertys (Black Irtysh).
The catchment area is 1,592 thousand km². The Black Irtysh flows into Lake Zaysan, and after leaving it, the river is simply called the Irtysh. Currently, the lake is partially blocked by the waters of the Bukhtarma Reservoir. Further downstream are the Small Irtysh Lake (more than 70 km long) and the Ust-Kamenogorsk hydroelectric power station.
The width of the Irtysh varies from 120 to 150 meters. The tributaries of the river are shallow, and in spring they can overflow in some areas. Many small rivers of the Kazakh Altai either dry up completely in summer or break up into a chain of small stretches.
Some of them end blindly, and only during the melting of snow do their waters reach temporary lakes, which in summer turn into salt marshes. The Irtysh is a navigable river within Kazakhstan. All the rivers of the Altai are characterized by low mineralization: even in low water, its level does not exceed 300 mg / l, which makes the waters of mountain rivers suitable for any domestic, agricultural and technical needs.
In 1962, the construction of the Irtysh - Karaganda canal began, intended for water supply of Central Kazakhstan. This is the largest canal in Kazakhstan: its length to Karaganda is 500 km, the width of the upper part of the channel is 40 meters, and the depth is 5 - 7 meters.
The canal passes through 22 pumping stations that lift water to a height of up to 420 meters. The annual water flow from the canal is 2.5 billion cubic meters. More than 100 different hydraulic structures were built along the Irtysh-Karaganda canal. This canal provides water supply to the industrial centers of the Pavlodar, Tselinograd and Karaganda regions, and also irrigates and waters agricultural lands.
Construction of the canal continues in the direction Kazakhstan has also built many reservoirs that serve to meet the water needs of industrial areas. The largest of them is the Bukhtarma Reservoir, which is intended for both irrigation and energy purposes.
The height of the Bukhtarma hydroelectric power station dam is 90 m, and the length of the reservoir together with the river bed is 600 meters, its area is 5,500 square kilometers. Without taking into account Lake Zaysan, the total volume of water in the reservoir is 49.6 km³, its greatest width is 35 kilometers, and the average depth is 11 meters.
The Bukhtarma Reservoir, built in 1966, plays an important role in the national economy of the republic: its waters irrigate several hundred thousand hectares of hayfields, and fish farming is also carried out, including the breeding of carp, crucian carp, perch and other types of fish. Altai is known for its extensive reserves of groundwater.
Powerful springs with high water consumption can be found in the region, for example, Svetly Klyuch, where the water consumption reaches 100-300 liters per second. The total volume of natural resources of fractured-stratal groundwater in the mountains of Eastern Kazakhstan is approximately 10 billion cubic meters.
Water-abundant coarse-grained deposits of the foothill and intramountain troughs of the Kazakhstan Altai play an important role in water supply. The flow rates of individual wells drilled in these rocks can reach 50-70 liters per second, and in some cases - up to 100 - 120 liters per second.
In addition, the flow rates of wells that open up groundwater in Cretaceous deposits vary from 5-10 to 40 - 50 liters per second, which also makes the region's groundwater an important resource for water supply and other economic needs.
Geographic coordinates of Kazakhstan Altai: N49°36'08 E84°48'11

Authority: 
"Altai of Kazakhstan", compiled by A.L. Kobozev, Alma-Ata, Kaynar, 1986.

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.