Scientists estimate data on anomaly on Baikal due to prehistoric furnaces
The preliminary hypothesis of the ISZF SB RAS is that an anomaly on Lake Baikal is created by a buried prehistoric furnace. Director of the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that this anomaly poses no threat
During the ground and air geomagnetic survey of Lake Baikal, scientists revealed an anomaly of the magnetic field from sources in the earth's crust, said Director of the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anatoly Solovyov.
Yes, indeed, during the ground and air (unmanned) geomagnetic survey, we detected a rather strong anomaly of the magnetic field from sources in the Earth’s crust. And initially the goal was to study the geomagnetic situation of the region for its prospects for the deployment of a new geomagnetic observatory, he said.
At the same time, Solovyov noted that according to ground survey data, the magnitude of the horizontal gradient of the anomaly is “very large”, which is not typical for a geological object. According to him, the preliminary hypothesis of the ISZF SB RAS is that the anomaly is created by a buried prehistoric furnace. “This conclusion they make on the basis of an already excavated furnace, for which the calculations were close to the thousands of nT observed now,” he said.
At the same time, the expert said that this anomaly poses no threat.
At the same time, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Main Geomagnetic Field and Petromagnetism of the IFZ RAS, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Alexander Pasenko, in an interview with RBC, said that the magnitude of the magnetic induction of about 80 nanoteslas is not anomalous. These are normal values for a number of magnetic anomalies associated with iron deposits. Increased magnitudes of magnetic induction can effectively mark various manifestations and local deposits of iron ores, he said.
He noted that the Baikal ridge is composed of quite ancient metamorphized rocks, which were formed at the moment when subduction occurred under the southern outskirts of Siberia and subsequently closed the “huge ocean”. “During these grandiose processes, the rocks that make up the shore of Lake Baikal and Olkhon Island were transformed by pressure, temperature and fluids. As a result of these processes, rocks consisting of minerals with a high content of iron, which are more “magnetic,” Pasenko said.
As an example, the expert cites amphibolites, which consist of amphiboles and often contain magnetite as an impurity. Such layers of amphiboliths, according to him, in different regions of the world “huge number”, so probably on Lake Baikal was found just such a layer or a small manifestation of magnetite.
"In any case, the nature of this anomaly is quite simple to establish - it is necessary to conduct appropriate field studies and establish which rocks it is associated with," he said.
According to him, the assumption of ore deposits is “plausible”. At the same time, we can not talk about a full-fledged deposit, but about the ore manifestation or increased concentration of iron minerals.
“The version of ancient iron furnaces is also permissible. However, due to limited experience, I cannot estimate how brightly such objects appear in magnetic anomalies. It is known that ancient furnaces often search for anomalies of the magnetic field, but here the key factor is the resolution of measurements. The furnaces themselves are usually small - their diameter can be 2-3 meters. Without knowing the scale of the anomaly under discussion, it is difficult to draw unequivocal conclusions. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that the anomaly is associated with iron furnaces, but for a more accurate answer, it is necessary to study the problems more deeply, Pasenko concluded.
Earlier, the telegram channel Shot reported that in the north of the island of Olkhon found anomalous zone with a length of about 400 meters. At this site, scientists stopped working compasses, and at one point the devices showed almost 81 thousand nanotesla.
At the same time, underground, according to the channel, scientists found domed objects, artificial ravines and pickaxes.
As reported by the Irkutsk branch of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the anomaly became known after the completion of the field stage of complex geophysical studies at the Baikal Magnetotelliuric Observatory in the summer of 2026. Initially, it was explained by its location in the Baikal Rift Zone, which is considered a zone with high seismicity.
