Abstrakt
Suzdalevo is a thermokarst pond situated in a region affected by the Tunguska Event (TE) in 1908 AD. Evenki people inhabited this region prior to the Tunguska impact/airburst and reported no lake present.
On the other hand, they claim that Suzdalevo Lake was created at the time of the TE. This small lake (150 m in diameter) of rounded shape is located close (20 m aside) to the Chamba River, a tributary of the Podkamennaya Tunguska, 20 km SW of the alleged epicenter of the TE, where a giant impact/airburstrelated explosion flattened over 2000 km2 of Siberian continental taiga.
Because there were rumors (Evenki's reports) that Suzdalevo was not existing before 1908 AD, we decided to collect sediments and detailed morpho-bathymetric data from this lake to gather information about its possible origin. Our data show that Suzdalevo Lake has disturbed sediment below 15.5 cm.
Above this depth the studied record demonstrates a regular sedimentation pattern corresponding to limnic conditions. This is a clear indication that the water body is a thaw lake in its origin and supports the Evenki's reports that it appeared just after the TE.
We assume that the Tunguska impact/airburst has likely melted the permafrost landscape near the TE epicenter.