The Lake Talkov Kamien (“Talc Stone”)

One of the sights in the environs of the town of Sysert is the lake Talkov Kamien. It is located a westerly direction 4 – 5 km from the centre of the town near Mt. Chernovskoi Uval.

The lake has an artificial origin. It is an old abandoned talc mine, which was flooded by subterranean waters. Talc schist which was mined here by hand in the last decades of the 19^th century was used as a fire retardant material in the metallurgical factories of the former Sysert mountain district. By 1905 a deep quarry was formed and then from the bottom of it subsoil waters began to filter stopping the extraction of talc. In the first years after the Great October Revolution however, working of the talc quarry was sometimes renewed. In 1927, a new large talc deposit – Shabrovskoe (near the settlement Shabry) was discovered and finally the working of the talc quarry near Sysert stopped. Gradually the quarry filled with water and became the beautiful lake it is today.
The lake Talkov Kamien has the outlines of an irregular shaped polygon, whose greatest length diagonally reaches 60-70 m. The lake’s steep banks are of a greenish-white colour reaching 20-30 m above the level of the water.

A rare pine forest covers the upper parts of the banks and hollows on the slopes. On a clear sunny day, the walls formed by the greenish talc schist sparkle, reflecting in the greenish-grey water of the lake. In the evening when the sun disappears behind the horizon, or on cloudy day, all grows gloomy. Light green talc schist becomes dark green in colour, almost black and the reflections in the water become indistinct.

Typical types of flora around the lake include pondweed and sometimes on hot windless days "flowering" water is observed.

From the banks of the lake, especially on the northeast side, it is possible to pick up different types of rocks and minerals - “noble” talc of a whitish green colour, greenish talc schist with small crystals of dark dolomite and green chlorite schist with crystals of quartz.

Before the October revolution the environs of the lake Talkov Kamien were places where the Bolsheviks of Ekaterinburg made illegal speeches.

These days, the banks and their forests are a favourite place of relaxation for the inhabitants of Sysert and Ekaterinburg. The lake Talkov Kamien, which is classified as a natural monument, and its environs are often visited by tourists.