Lake Elton
Lake Elton is a salt lake in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan. It has an area of and is normally about deep, and about in spring. Its surface is below sea level. The lake's name originates from the Mongol language: “Altyn-Nor”. Long ago local nomads used the lake's mineral-rich mud for skin and respiratory treatments. For centuries, Lake Elton was a favorite location for Russian rulers and nobles. One can still see remnants of Empress Yekaterina II's “bath” there.
It is the largest mineral lake in Europe and one of the most mineralized in the world. The lake is filled with a saturated salt solution. Mineralization is. Salt, extracted from the lake since the early 18th century, is used for the production of magnesium chloride. The water contains Dunaliella salina algae that give a reddish shade to the lake. At the bottom of the lake are salt deposits and beneath them, a layer of mineral hydrogen sulfide mud.
Transportation
A bus ride can be taken from Volgograd and also by train from Saratov and Astrakhan can lead travelers to the area.History
was excavated from Elton beginning in the early eighteenth century. Before 1865 the government was the excavator; from 1865 to 1882 the lake was heavily used by private businesses.A spa resort has been located near the lake since 1910 and a sanatorium since 1945. Sulfide silt mud and brine from Elton are claimed to have anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, analgesic, relaxing and revitalizing properties.