Zerkalnoye (Altai Krai)

Zerkalnoye (Зеркальное) is a salt lake in Shipunovsky District, Altai Krai, Russian Federation.

The lake lies roughly in the middle of the Krai. The nearest town is Zerkaly by the southern lakeshore. Shipunovo, the district capital, lies 44 km to the southeast.

Geography
Zerkalnoye is at the sources of the Barnaulka river. It lies in one of the wide ravines of glacial origin that cut diagonally across the Ob Plateau slanting towards the Ob River. The lake has an elongated shape, stretching roughly from northeast to southwest for over 11 km. The bottom of the lake is composed of grey silt in 57% of the total area, and of sand and silt in the remaining part.

Lake Gorkoye is located in the same trench 17 km to the southwest. Gorkoye lies 21 km to the northwest and Bolshoye Ostrovnoye 22 km to the north.

Flora and fauna
The ribbon pine forest characteristic of the Ob Plateau grows in places close to the lake. Reeds and bulrushes are found in certain sections of the lakeshore and submerged aquatic plants grow further off the shore.

Regarding the fauna of the lake, the larvae of lake flies and mayflies, amphipods, water bugs, ramshorn snails and bivalves deserve mention.