THE HYDROGEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE TERRITORY SURROUNDING THE MOKHSOGOLLOKH SETTTEMENT IN THE KHANGALASSKY DISTRICT OF THE SAKHA REPUBLIC (YAKUTIA)

In July of 2023 a groundwater discharge site was discovered in the exposed limestone strata along the Lena river valley, near the settlement of Mokhsogollokh. In order to determine the origin of the spring, the natural conditions of the territory have been researched. This study is based on published materials describing the geological structure of the area and the chemical composition of surface and ground waters, the data taken from the Melnikov Permafrost Institute archive on the hydrogeological and hydrocryological conditions of the area, and on the chemical analysis of water samples taken from the discovered source and the Lena River. Based on a comparative analysis on the chemical composition of various waters in the area it has been determined that the origin of the spring is linked to the thawing of ice wedges. Due to the ongoing change in climate, there is an increasing likelihood that the amount and flow rate of similar springs will grow. Considering that the second flood wave on the Lena River is formed in early summer by the waters of the active layer, a more in-depth study of groundwater springs like the one discovered is required.