Since what year was black formed? Stories about the Black Sea. Do tsunamis happen in the Black Sea?

Alexander Green recalled in “Autobiographical Tale” that he learned to read by looking at a geographical map, and the first word he read was “sea.”

“The sea smelled like watermelon,” we read in the story of the great master of epithets and comparisons, Ivan Bunin. But Anton Chekhov liked the simple children’s definition most of all: “The sea was big.”

In fact, is it possible to say more precisely about this “model of the universe”? As a happy moment in life, we remember the day when we first saw the Black Sea, so we are drawn to it, so in the middle of winter we count the days until our vacation. But if not us, then our children and grandchildren need to know something about the sea, besides the fact that it is “big”!

Origin of the Black Sea

The origin of the Black Sea is closely connected with the history of the entire earth. At the dawn of its history, the earth was a red-hot ball of fire. Then the earth began to cool, moisture began to condense, and heavy rains began to fall over its surface, which began to fill all the depressions and dry land. Groundwater began to collect. This is how the world's seas and oceans were born.

Initially, sea water was not salty. But over the past millions of years, sea water has become salty. Water, evaporating from the sea surface, left all the salts and minerals, while at the same time being replenished with water from deep rivers, which eroded young rocks, enriching them with salts. Thus, the world's oceans filled with minerals and became salty.

Sea water contains all the elements of the periodic table known on earth. But the first place in content is occupied by sodium chloride, known as table salt, and magnesium sulfate - bitter salt. Thanks to them, sea water has a salty taste.

The Black Sea is the heir of the world ocean Tethys, whose waters stretched from the modern Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Millions of years passed before modern seas were formed and the mountains that divided it grew.

About twenty thousand years ago, the Black Sea basin was completely isolated from the World Ocean. Numerous fresh rivers served as a source of replenishment of water supplies. In fact, the Black Sea at that time was a lake. Only ten thousand years later did the overflowing freshwater Black Sea reservoir connect with the Sea of ​​Marmara through the Bosphorus Strait. Ocean water, enriched with salts, rushed like a stormy tsunami to actively fill it. This natural disaster is described in the Old Testament and is better known as the Great Flood.

In the depths of the sea, the water is colder and saltier than in the upper layers, and therefore cannot rise to the surface to become enriched with oxygen. Where there is a lack of oxygen, hydrogen sulfide accumulates. The Black Sea at a depth below two hundred and twenty meters is saturated with hydrogen sulfide, and at the bottom there is a thick layer of black silt. There is no life in the hydrogen sulfide layer, with the exception of hydrogen sulfide bacteria. Recent measurements of hydrogen sulfide levels in the Black Sea show that they have begun to rise.

During the entire period of formation of the modern appearance of the earth, the Black Sea has repeatedly merged with the Mediterranean Sea and the Caspian Sea. And only about six to seven thousand years ago the Black Sea became what we see it today.

History of the name of the Black Sea

The first known name of the Black Sea is “Temarinda”, which means “Dark Abyss”. That's what the Taurians, the oldest inhabitants of Crimea, called it.

The Greeks, who appeared off the coast of Crimea in the 8th century BC, called the Black Sea Pont Aksinsky - the Inhospitable Sea. For them it was a sea full of pirates, where the shores were swarming with tribes of wild aborigines. But centuries passed, enterprising Hellenes gradually settled on the Crimean shores, founded cities, developed trade, and centuries later the Black Sea was called Pont Euxine - the Hospitable Sea.

A thousand years ago the Black Sea was called the Surozh Sea. Then, through modern Sudak, and in the past Surozh, the Great Silk Road ran. It was also called the Russian Sea.

The modern name “Black Sea” was strengthened only in the Middle Ages, when tribes of nomadic Turkic peoples invaded Crimea. But it sounded different. Mare Negrum - the Genoese and Venetians called it. Karadenis - Arabs. Black sea - foreigners are now saying. But since then the name has always been the same - the Black Sea.

Currents of the Black Sea

While vacationing in Crimea, you often hear the phrase that “the tide has changed.” What kind of current is this in the Black Sea? You can conduct an experiment if somewhere in the Odessa area you set a boat freely floating, and the current will carry it to the Bosphorus Strait itself.

The currents of the Black Sea are closely connected with the large rivers flowing into it - the Dnieper, Danube, Southern Bug. There the water level rises significantly. Here it should be remembered that the globe rotates from east to west, and water flows into the Black Sea to the south, deflecting it to the west, directing it along the coasts of Turkey, the Caucasus, Crimea - and so on in a circle...

The width of the Black Sea Current is only sixty meters, the speed is half a meter per second. It is counteracted by the southwest wind (called “sweep”), which lifts deep cold layers of water to the surface. It is this southwest wind that causes a short-term cooling of sea water off the southern coast of Crimea. This phenomenon was called “nizovka” by local residents of Crimea, when the temperature of sea water can drop sharply from 25 to 13 degrees. But just a couple of days is enough, and the Black Sea warms up again. You can devote your free time from the sea to excursions and mountain hikes.

In the Black Sea Bosphorus Strait, two currents operate simultaneously. On the surface, the water moves from the Black Sea to Marmara. But at depth, the water moves back to the Black Sea. If you throw a container of water on a cable from a boat that is being carried by the current into the Sea of ​​Marmara, then, having dropped to a depth of about thirty meters, it will begin to move the boat along with it against the current on the surface - towards the Black Sea.

Relief of the Black Sea

The Black Sea waters connect Crimea with Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Through the Kerch Strait it is connected to the shallow Azov Sea, and through the Bosphorus Strait to the Sea of ​​Marmara and then to the world ocean.

The Black Sea is one of the deepest inland seas on the globe. The maximum depth reaches 2245 meters, while the average depth of the Black Sea is 1280 meters. The area of ​​the Black Sea is 442 thousand square kilometers. In terms of volume of water, it is six times greater than the Caspian Sea, and sixteen times the Baltic Sea, although their areas are approximately equal in size.

The largest island in the Black Sea is Zmeiny. It occupies an area of ​​only 1.5 square meters. kilometer There are no other large islands in the Black Sea.

The Black Sea is inland. The ocean ebbs and flows under the influence of lunar gravity are almost imperceptible in it.

The relief of the Black Sea bottom is characterized by three forms. This is a continental shelf - a shelf, a continental slope and a deep-sea Black Sea basin.

The sandbank occupies about 24% of the entire area of ​​the Black Sea bottom, and from the shore it descends to a depth of 100 - 140 meters. The width of the Black Sea shelf in the north-west reaches 200 - 250 kilometers, off the eastern shores - no more than 6 - 10 kilometers. There are places where it does not exceed 500 meters from the shore.

About ten thousand years ago, the shelf was a plain along which rivers flowed. After the melting of the glaciers, these plains were flooded by sea waters.

The continental slope off the Crimean coast is steep, reaches 30° and is considered steep. It is characterized by deep depressions, wide underwater valleys, giant underwater rocks, hills and rocky faults. Sea water slides along the continental slope at high speeds of up to 90 km per hour and destroys the soil.

At a depth of 2000 meters, the bottom of the Black Sea basin begins, which occupies about 30% of the entire water area. The shape of the basin is perfectly flat, oval, slightly inclined to the south.

The Black Sea covers land - one centimeter per year. For example, at the very cliff of the Heraclean Peninsula there was an ancient temple, which at that time stood at a safe distance from the sea. Now it is hidden in the depths of the sea. According to scientists, by the end of the 21st century the level of the Black Sea will rise by 1-2 meters. This means that in the next 50 years all city beaches will go under water.

Fauna of the Black Sea

The fauna of the Black Sea is quite diverse. First of all, these are various types of commercial and non-commercial fish - sturgeon (the largest of them is beluga), Azov flounder, mullet, pelengas, Black Sea flounder, red mullet, red mullet, sea bass, horse mackerel, mackerel, herring (in the family herrings also include anchovy, sprat, sprat), goby, sea ruffe, green fish and others - about 180 species in total. From the Mediterranean Sea, through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, tuna, swordfish, bluefish, bonito, and garfish enter the Black Sea.

Also found here are the Black Sea shark - katran, three species of dolphins - the bottlenose dolphin (the largest of them, up to 3 m long and weighing up to 400 kg), the white sided dolphin and the azovka (the smallest), there are two types of stingrays, jellyfish, mussels, rapana, crabs and other inhabitants of the deep sea.

The Black Sea monk seal once lived on the Crimean shores. The last time it was seen in the Novy Svet bays was in 1927. But off the coast of Turkey and Bulgaria it has survived to this day.
There were once oysters in the Black Sea, but the Pacific brine, which accidentally entered the Black Sea from the Far East about fifty years ago, practically destroyed them. It's a pity. And the red mullet received its second name - sultana - because it was considered the favorite fish of the Turkish sultans due to its delicate, delicate taste. Today red mullet is served in the most sophisticated Crimean restaurants.

Very often the question arises about Black Sea jellyfish - what are they? We will answer. There are two types of jellyfish found in the Black Sea: Aurelia and Cornerot. Aurelia has a flat-shaped umbrella, 10-20 cm in diameter, along the edges of which there are numerous thread-like tentacles. Cornerot is a larger jellyfish with a dome diameter of up to 40-50 cm, from which 8 large processes extend. The tentacles of jellyfish are equipped with so-called stinging cells; from touching them, a person gets a burn, like from nettles, traces of which remain on the body for up to several hours.

Due to hydrogen sulfide contamination, the organic world of the Black Sea, although diverse, is not rich. Here you will not find corals, sea stars, urchins and lilies, cephalopods and other groups of animals that are typical for “ordinary”, and especially tropical seas.

But, like any sea, the Black Sea is shrouded in many secrets. What can you hear! Exciting stories about ancient Greek sailors and bloodthirsty Taurus pirates; romantic stories about lovers separated by sea and circumstance; legends about countless treasures stored at the bottom of the sea in sunken ships...

The Black Sea is one of the most beautiful and richest seas on our planet, and today we want to tell you about it - huge and unique.

In terms of geography, the Black Sea is a deep-sea basin with an area of ​​413,000 square meters. kilometers. Its greatest length reaches 580 kilometers, its smallest width is 265 kilometers, and its maximum depth is 2210 kilometers! Just think about these sizes!

The sea has several bays, the largest are Karkinitsky, Varna, Samsunsky, Yagorlytsky, Dzharylgachsky, Burgarsiysky, Tendrovsky, Feodosiysky and Sinopsky. The largest rivers flow into it: the Dnieper, Danube and Dniester, as well as Psou, Bzyb, Southern Bug, Sakarya, Kamchia, Inguri, Veleka, Chorokh, Kyzylirmaki Eshelyirmak. And as many as 7 countries are safely located on the shores - Abkhazia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and, of course, our Motherland.

“Castle by the Sea” offers a little glimpse into history and invites you to visit this piece of paradise.

Why was the sea called Black?

One of the main questions of guests of the coast is why such an amazing sparkling blue sea was suddenly called the Black Sea? Where did this name come from, who first came up with it? Of course, we can recommend flying over it and seeing that it is actually from above and looks black, unlike the Red or Mediterranean seas. But if we dig deeper into history and the fascinating science of toponymy, which studies the names of geographical objects, we will understand that everything is not so simple.

The sea did not receive its name right away; the name changed several times depending on the time and the people who inhabited or conquered it at that time.

According to one of the versions proposed by the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo (he lived in the 1st century BC), it was called Black by Greek colonists, whom the sea initially met unfriendly with strong winds and storms. Under the impression, they gave it the name “Pontos Akseinos”, that is, “black, inhospitable sea”. When they settled down and became related to the sea, they changed their anger to mercy and called it “Pontos Euxeinos” (“hospitable sea”).

One of the other assumptions sounds like this: back in the 1st millennium BC. Ancient Indian tribes lived on the eastern and northern shores of the Sea of ​​Azov, who gave the name to the neighboring sea “Temarun”, which literally means “black sea”. It is assumed that they simply visually compared the colors of the water surface of the two seas and came to this conclusion. The Indians were replaced by the Scythians, who also completely agreed with this description and began to call it “Akhshaene”, literally “dark, black”. And, for example, when the Russians came to the coast, they gave the name in their own way - “Russian” or “Japanese”, then it sounded like Surozh, Chimerian, Scythian and Taurian. There were other national accents that also sounded in his name: Amshyn (Abkhazian), Sshedshe (Ubykh), Shavi zgva (Georgian).

Third version: the name familiar to us appeared and stuck after fierce battles between the Turkish conquerors and the Circassian side - Shapsugs, Circassians and Ubykhs. The Turks were so amazed by the incredible bravery and bravery of the warriors that they even began to call the sea in their own way “Karaden-giz”, that is, “black, inhospitable”. Well, the sailors made their contribution; they nicknamed him black for strong storms that changed the color of sea water from turquoise to blue-black. And scientists tend to call it that because of its characteristic feature - the deep layers contain a huge amount of hydrogen sulfide, and at a depth of 150-200 meters there is absolutely no life, all this gives a dark tint.

There are so many versions of the event of naming the sea, if you know any other interesting fact, write to us and we will be happy to post it!

How did the Black Sea appear?

Many, many millions of years ago, on the territory of the modern seas: Azov, Aral, Mediterranean, Caspian, Marmara and Black, there was a gulf of the ancient Tethys Ocean. This very bay was divided into two halves - the Eastern, which was desalinated due to the large influx of rivers, and the Western, which was salty.

More than 13 million years ago, the ridge of the Alpine mountains rose above the surface of Tethys, as a result of which the bay separated from the ocean and turned into an independent fresh sea - the Sarmatian. Time passed, the sea did not stop in its evolution, and after 10 million years it changed in shape, decreased in size and was able to increase salinity.

8 million years ago, evolutionary processes raised the mountains of the Caucasus and Crimea even higher and led to the formation of the already slightly salty Pontic Sea, which consisted of the modern seas: the Caspian and the Black. Well, as the main Caucasian ridge grew above the water surface, these seas constantly moved away from each other. The Caspian Sea was fresh, but the Black Sea was constantly connected to the Mediterranean and its waters became increasingly saltier.

The last confluence of the Black and Mediterranean seas occurred 8 thousand years ago, it took place during a strong earthquake, forming the Bosphorus Strait. And currently, the process of raising the land above sea level is underway, and the waters are also gradually rising. In the region of the Krasnodar Territory, these processes are still equalized, but in other places, the rise of land prevails over the rise of water.

Inhabitants of the Black Sea

The turquoise water of the Black Sea gives many pleasant moments and sensations. The sea gives us only positive emotions, a boost of energy, vigor and good health, so we must respect it and take care of it, especially since it is the home of many living beings and various plants.

There are over 250 species of algae alone, the most common of which are: peridiney, coralline, cystoseira, ulva, lawrencia, zoster and phyllophora - all of them are useful and necessary for the sea.

And in the summer at night you can see a ray of light from the sea - this is the cornet, the largest jellyfish of all species living in the Black Sea, out for a walk. The Black Sea is rich in several types of mollusks, mussels, brine, oysters, scallops, and all of them can be eaten. There are also crabs - there are about 17 species of them, for example, spider, stone and red crab. The sea will also pamper you with fish: there are more than 180 species of fish here, including anchovy, mullet, sprat, red mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, flounder, sea ruffe, pipefish, and seahorse. There are also sharks - Katran and Scillium, but they are harmless to humans, and you can swim calmly.

In the sea you can also meet people’s favorites – dolphins; there are two species of them living here: the white sided dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin. They often swim very close to the shore, and you can watch them hunt and play. Among the birds you will find cormorants, gulls, and petrels.

But as they say, it’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times - come to the beautiful Black Sea coast, to our “Castle by the Sea”! We will organize a great vacation for you, and the sea will give you unforgettable impressions and the most vivid emotions!

The message about the Black Sea can be used by students in preparation for the lesson. The report on the Black Sea can be supplemented with interesting facts.

A story about the Black Sea

The Black Sea is limited on all sides by the mainland. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits connect it with the Sea of ​​Marmara, and then the Mediterranean Sea. The waters of the Black Sea are connected to the Sea of ​​Azov through the Kerch Strait. This sea belongs to the inland seas.

Square The territory of the Black Sea is 422,000 km2. The volume of water is 555 thousand km3.

Average depth of the Black Sea is about 1315 m, maximum depth is 2210 m.

Within Ukraine, the Danube, Dniester, Southern Bug, and Dnieper flow into the Black Sea, which have a great influence on the formation of its water balance.

Rivers bring fresh water, but some of it evaporates from the surface of the sea. The salinity of Black Sea water is 17 ‰ (ppm, grams of salt per liter), two times lower than ocean water (35 ‰).

Climate of the Black Sea

The climate of the Black Sea is mainly continental. Only the southern coast of Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus are protected by mountains from cold northern winds and, as a result, have a mild Mediterranean climate. Most of the sea area is characterized by warm, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

Plants of the Black Sea

The flora of the Black Sea includes 270 species of multicellular green, brown, and red bottom algae. The phytoplankton of the Black Sea includes at least 600 species.

Animals of the Black Sea

The fauna of the Black Sea is quite diverse. First of all, these are various types of industrial and non-industrial fish - sturgeon (the largest of them is beluga), Azov flounder, mullet, pelengas, Black Sea flounder, red mullet, red mullet, sea bass, horse mackerel, mackerel, herring (in the herring family also includes anchovy, sprat, sprat), goby, sea ruffe, green fish and others - about 180 species in total. From the Mediterranean Sea, through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, tuna, mechriba, bluefish, bonito, and garfish enter the Black Sea.

There are also the Black Sea shark - katran, three species of dolphins - the bottlenose dolphin (the largest of them, up to 3 m long and weighing up to 400 kg), the white sided and azovka (the smallest), there are two types of stingrays, jellyfish, mussels, rapana, crabs and other inhabitants of the deep sea.

Due to hydrogen sulfide pollution, the organic world of the Black Sea, although diverse, is not rich. Here you will not find corals, sea stars, urchins and lilies, cephalopods and other groups of animals that are typical for “ordinary”, and especially tropical seas.

The Black Sea washes the shores of several European states: Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia, and the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia. The Black Sea is navigable: there are important sea transport routes, large cargo and passenger ports of Odessa, Varna, Ilyichevsk, Kerch, Poti and Batumi, Novorossiysk, Sevastopol, Constanta, Istanbul, Trabzon, Burgas and others.

The Black Sea is also a popular resort area. Famous resorts on the Black Sea are Varna, Kuyalnik and Koblevo, as well as Sukhumi, Batumi, Anapa, Sochi, Gagra on the Georgian and Russian coasts. Particularly worth mentioning are the Crimean resorts of Sudak, Feodosia, Yalta, Gurzuf, Koktebel, Yevpatoria and other small resort settlements.

We hope you learned everything about the Black Sea. And you can add to the story about the Black Sea through the comment form.

The archives contain documents confirming that the first information about the Black Sea dates back to the 5th century. BC. It was along this route that the fearless Argonauts, led by Jason, set off to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece, overcoming numerous obstacles. How has it not changed its name since then! The Black Sea ranks first in the world in this indicator. Since its first mention in documents, the name has changed about 20 times.

Where did the modern name come from?

There are various versions about its origin. The ancient Greeks called this sea Pont Aksinsky, which means “Inhospitable”. This name appeared due to problems with navigation among ancient sailors, despite the small size of the Black Sea in comparison with others. As soon as the colonists mastered the coast, it changed to Pont Euxine, which translates as “Hospitable”. In the 10th-16th centuries, the Russians called it the “Russian Sea” or “Scythian Sea”. The current name of this reservoir is Black.

Where does this name come from? The first sources of this name date back to the 13th century, although it is possible that it appeared much earlier. One hypothesis suggests that the name arose from a revolt of indigenous peoples against their conquerors. "Kara Denise" - "black, inhospitable." According to another version, it was named so by migrants from southern countries who observed the dark sky merging with sea water during a storm. The reservoir actually looks black during thunderstorms.

Another theory of the modern name arose due to the specific property of the reservoir to “blacken” anchors and other objects at depth. This occurs due to the influence of hydrogen sulfide. According to other theories, the sea acquired its name because of the black silt that periodically washes up on the shore during a storm.

width Length

Herodotus tried to calculate the size of Pontus, measuring it in stages, which were calculated by the orgies (distance) traveled by the ship during the day. Its length, according to Herodotus, was 11,100 stadia, and its width at its most spacious was 3,300 stadia. Modern scientists are able to calculate the size of the Black Sea with an accuracy of up to a kilometer. Its greatest extent from east to west is a distance of over 1150 km, from the coast of Bulgaria to the coast of Georgia.

From the Ukrainian village of Koblevo to the coast of Turkey, the Black Sea measures (km) -616, from north to south. The shortest length is about 265 km. Geographers still cannot decide on the area, despite the known size of the Black Sea. According to some calculations, it occupies 422,000 km², and according to others - 436,400 km². The total length of the coastline is about 4100 km. The volume of water it can hold is about 555,000 cubic kilometers.

Since the dimensions of the Black Sea (width, length, depth) are relatively small, insignificant ebbs and flows are formed compared to other open water bodies. This is due to low water exchange with the Atlantic Ocean. The sea occupies a huge tectonic pit, the maximum depth of which is about 2245 m. In the west and north-west there are low coasts, but there are also steep areas. In Crimea they are predominantly low-lying, not counting the southern mountain coasts. On the eastern and southern sides, the Caucasus and Pontic mountains approach the sea.

At the confluence of rivers, shallow bays are formed - estuaries: Dniester, Khadzhibey, Kuyalnitsky, Tiligulsky, and Dnieper. The largest peninsula of the Black Sea is the Crimean peninsula, connected to the mainland thanks to the Perekop Isthmus. There are few islands in the Black Sea. The largest among them are Berezan and Zmeiny, each with an area of ​​less than 1 km². The Kerch Strait, with a depth of 4 to 18 meters, connects the Black Sea with the Azov Sea. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles through the Marmara and Aegean Seas connect it with the Mediterranean.

Scientists have more than once considered theories that the Black Sea arose approximately 6000-8000 years ago, when the level of the world's oceans rose due to the melting of glaciers. With its rise in the Mediterranean Sea, it overcame a natural dam, which was today's Bosporus. After the breakthrough, a gigantic flow of water equal to the power of 200 Niagara Falls filled the current sea basin. This natural disaster is similar to the common version of the Flood, which is depicted in the Old Testament. It is important that the timing of this major natural disaster completely coincides with scientific and religious sources.