The largest river in the Chelyabinsk region is considered to be the Miass River. It is the main water artery of the Southern Urals. Its source is considered to be a key located in Bashkortostan on the Bolshoi Nurali ridge. It flows through the city of Miass, Argayashsky, Sosnovsky and Krasnoarmeisky districts, Chelyabinsk.
Description
The Miass River has a total length of 658 km, and within the borders of the Chelyabinsk region - 384 km. The water stream has several relatively large tributaries, all of which occupy no more than 800 km. The largest of them are Zyuzelga, Bilgilda, Bishkil, Atlyan, Kushtumga, Upper Iremen, Big Kialim. There are more than 2,000 small lakes in the Miass catchment area. It occupies about 19 thousand km2. The source of the Miass River is located near the Chelyabinsk region, in Bashkiria.
The banks on different parts of the river are different from each other. First, vegetation. In the upper reaches of the river, you can only find pine, but on average - aspen and birch. Secondly, relief. Hilly banks are located in the middle reaches of the river,in the upper reaches, rocky ridges, rapids and waterfalls are most common. This factor also affects the characteristics of the river: depth, flow rate, ice and temperature regimes. On the reaches, the depth reaches 7 m, while on the rifts it does not exceed 30 cm. The current speed is also different. It can vary from 2 to 0.1 m/s. In the center of Chelyabinsk, the current is especially “lazy” due to the fact that the riverbed was artificially enlarged.
It has over 70 islands that are very different from each other. There are granite, sandy, overgrown with plants or, conversely, without them. The Miass River has a winding channel. It feeds on melting snow, so during the spring flood the water level in it rises to a record high. Reservoirs, ponds and lakes - the Miass River has all this. Where it flows can be traced on the map. The mouth of the water stream is the Iset, the left tributary of the Tobol River.
Toponymy
At the moment, it is not known from which word the modern name of the water stream was formed. There are three versions that are still impossible to refute or confirm. Vladimir Pozdeev, a successful local historian of Chelyabinsk, argues that the Miass River got its name from the word "mis", in the Pashto language meaning "copper", and "as" - "river". That is, the "copper river". Others believe that one should look for roots in the Turkic language. The word “Miya” means “swamp” and “su” means water. Still others argue that the name of the river is so old and related to the ancient Turkic time that it is impossible to find out the meaning of the word.
An interesting fact is that earlier the Miass River was called Miyas.
Mineral resources
Some sources say that the areas around the river are rich in gold. Indirect confirmation is the remaining traces of gold mining. Such minerals as sands, tripoli, chromites, and clays have also been found here. Rare deposits of gravel or pebbles can be found.
In the Lower Miass region, the existence of deposits from some natural materials was recorded. Their thickness reaches 200 m. This can be explained by the fact that, presumably, the entire eastern Urals was flooded by the Tertiary Sea, which existed for quite a long time, during which such large strata of fossils had time to form. Teeth of a large fish, presumably a shark, were also found in the clay. Their size and appearance vary. This suggests that different types of fish lived in the sea: from small to very large.
Nature
The upper reaches of the river are rich in pines and larches, and the wet slopes are rich in bird cherry, currant and other types of shrubs. Forbs can be found in clearings. But on the slopes of the mountains grow strawberries, wild strawberries, raspberries and cherries.
Pine forests, for which the Miass River (photo below) creates a favorable climate, do not resemble the Siberian taiga, on the contrary. The trees are dry, growing in a chaotic manner, which guarantees good traffic.
Near the Bayramgulov village, where the river flows, a birch grove grows, which has survived to this day. After some distanceit gives way to a thin strip of pine forest. Another forest can be found near the Iset. Due to the lack of a railway, it is mainly used for local needs.
Caves and canyon
For several million years, the stubborn Miass carved a huge canyon. In the area of the riverbed there are also rocks, the height of which reaches 20 m. In addition, there are arches, grottoes, funnels and caves. The first arch of the canyon was found in 1960, while the second was discovered much later. Scientists believe that, most likely, they were previously connected into one giant cave. Such a variety of relief gives the river its character, and the surrounding landscape enchants the eye.
At the top of the canyon there is a cave-well with two exits. The first is located under the shore, and the other is vertical. At the moment, this piece of land is considered the richest in rare plants, most of which are listed in the Red Book.
Due to the fact that the Miass River occupies a large area, various types of fish live in certain areas. For example, in the Sosnovsky area there is a high probability of catching pike, pike perch, burbot, chebak, bream, perch, carp, crucian carp. In other areas, these fish are also found, but less frequently. In the city you can successfully fish for pike.
