Zyuratkul

Zyuratkul (Зюраткуль; Йөрәккүл) is a freshwater lake in Satkinsky District, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.

The name "Zyuratkul" comes from the Bashkir "yöräk/kul" (йөрәк/күл), meaning "heart/lake".

In 1993 the Zyuratkul National Park, a protected area, was established in the lake and its surroundings.

Geography
The lake lies at 724 m above mean sea level, being one of the highest lakes of the Southern Urals. It is located about 5 km to the south of the small mountain range named after it. Its southern shore stretches at the feet of the northern slopes of the larger Nurgush range. Previously, in its natural state, the lake was smaller and surrounded by swamps. After WWII a dam was built and the new reservoir doubled the surface area of the ancient lake.

The water of Zyuratkul is not as clear as is normal in high-altitude lakes. The reason is that the inflowing watercourses originate in swamps. The Bolshaya Satka, a left hand tributary of the Ay, is the outflow of the lake.