Altai springs and their use

Springs are the first link of the chain of major natural process - the formation of a river network of a land. This link as an independent nature site remains poorly studied, especially in Siberia. Altai contains deep river valleys and intermountain hollows, which enhances a different depth of a drainage of underground waters and provides a big diversity of morphology of springs and their thermal and chemical modes. In the Altai area there are registered over 2000 springs, which, however, are distributed unevenly. According to a modern classification of natural egress of underground waters springs are subdivided into two large groups - ground and underwater. According to the character of egress ground springs are subdivided into ascending (pressure) and descending (free-surface ground), which are also classified by the origin of water bringing channels. There are all the above mentioned types of springs in the area of Altai. Underground waters are a special kind of natural resources. Waters of springs are an important source of the economic-household supply. The research objective is studying the typology and characteristics of use of springs in Altai. The novelty of the research consists in the fact that for the first time on the basis of the published references and the field research of Tomsk and Gorno-Altaisk universities the description of typology of springs of Altai is given and principal kinds of use of sources are considered. References and materials of the field research of Tomsk and Gorno-Altaisk universities serve as the basis in this work. The results of research: 1. The description of types of the most studied springs of Altai is given. There are ascending (pressure) and descending (free-surface ground) springs which are also classified according to the origin of water bringing channels into fracture, fracture-karst, fracture-tectonic, poral. 2. The principal kinds of use of spring water are considered. Spring waters are an important source of the economic-household supply, they are used by the population for balneal and recreational purposes, and they also serve as places of holding cult ceremonies for the indigenous local population.

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