Tambukan

(or Bol’shoi Tambukan), a bitter lake in the Northern Caucasus, 12 km from the city of Piatigorsk. The lake has an area of 1.87 sq km and is 1.5–3.1 m deep. The bottom of the lake consists of a thick layer of silty mud. The brine contains sulfates and chlorides of sodium and magnesium, with a mineralization of 50–60 g per liter. The mud of Tambukan Lake is used mainly in pelotherapy offered by health resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region.