Mochan (lake)
Mochan is a salt lake in Bagansky District, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russian Federation.
The lake is located at the southwestern end of the Oblast. The nearest inhabited places are Savkino to the southeast, Stretynka to the northwest and Voskresenka to the southwest. Bagan, the district capital, lies to the northwest of the northern lakeshore.
Geography
Mochan lies in the Baraba Lowland, West Siberian Plain. It is part of the Bagan river basin. The lake is very shallow and has an angelfish shape, stretching from north to south for over. At the northern end there is a long channel connecting the lake with the Bagan to the north. During spring floods Mochan fills with river water, but it is so shallow that it dries out before the summer, becoming a salt marsh.
By mid summer the surface of the lake bottom hardens and in the southern part there are islets where thickets of halophyte plants grow, some of which display a striking purple coloration.