Incredible pictures capture stark beauty of the underwater trees of Lake Kaindy in Kazakhstan
The trees have survived because the water of the lake is incredibly cold
By Sam Webb
7th March 2017,12:12 pm
Updated: 7th March 2017,12:26 pm
THE unique and stunningly beautiful forest that lies BENEATH a lake in the wilds of Kazakhstan is laid bare in these incredible photos.
The sunken forest of 400m-long Lake Kaindy was created when an earthquake in 1911 triggered a landslide that formed a natural dam. The valley was then flooded by rainwater.
Trees usually rot when they are submerged for such a long time but the spruce trees have been preserved because the water is incredibly cold – the lake is around 2,000 metres above sea level in the Tian Shan mountains.
As well as the trees, the lake is famous for it’s unusually bright blue colour caused by limestone deposits in the region. When the lake is frozen over in winter it attracts ice fishermen and divers.
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The trees poke through the surface of Lake Kaindy in Kazakhstan
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The vibrant blue colour of the water is caused by limestone deposits in the region surrounding the lake
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A bird’s eye view of the forest, which was created as a result of a devastating earthquake in 1911
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The trees are remarkably well-preserved by the extreme cold of the lake
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The colour of the lake and the submerged trees create an almost alien scene
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The lake is popular with ice divers because the water is so clear and the environment is so unusual
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Rainwater filled the valley after the 1911 earthquake dammed a gorge
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The surface of the lake becomes frozen in winter and draws ice fishing parties
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Visitors are able to walk among the trees when the lake freezes over
The water rarely exceeds six degrees, even at the height of summer
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The branches of the trees are now wrapped in weeds after more than a century submerged
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The lake is famed for its astonishing natural beauty and fascinating ecosystem
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The 1911 Kebin earthquake that created Lake Kaindy was 7.7 magnitude and killed 452 people. It almost levelled the city of Almaty, which is 80 miles from the lake
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In some parts the 400ft-long lake is nearly 30m deep
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The landscape becomes even more otherworldly when the valley is shrouded in mist or snow
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The surrounding valley that was key to the formation of the beauty spot can be clearly seen in this aerial photo
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Amazingly, the trees remain intact. Trees in other submerged forests usually rot or are broken down
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The trees poking through the water have been compared to the masts of sunken ships
