Saumalkol, Bayanaul District

Saumalkol (Kazakh: Саумалкөл; Russian: Саумалколь) is a permanent lake in Bayanaul District, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan.

The nearest inhabited place is Uzynbulak, located 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) to the NNW.

Geography

Saumalkol is an endorheic lake in the Shiderti basin, Kazakh Uplands. The lake is elongated and stretches in a roughly WNW/ESE direction for over 5 kilometers (3.1 mi). There is a 10 centimeters (3.9 in) to 15 centimeters (5.9 in) thick layer of silt at the bottom of the lake. Large swathes of the shoreline are covered with reeds. The western and southern sections of the lakeshore are rocky, while to the east and northeast there are swampy areas. The lake surface usually freezes in the first half of November and thaws by mid April.

Saumalkol has water all year round. It is fed mainly by groundwater, as well as by springs originating in the neighboring Zhylan and Sarymsak mountains. There are grasslands and livestock-grazing grounds surrounding the lake.