Lake Chagan () or Lake Shagan (, Şağan), also known as Lake Balapan, is a lake in Kazakhstan created by the Chagan nuclear test on January 15, 1965, which was conducted as part of the Soviet Union Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy program. A 140 kiloton device was placed in a hole in the dry bed at the confluence of the Shagan and Ashchysu rivers. The blast created a crater across and deep with a lip height of ; it is often referred to as "Atomic Lake" (). The lake's water comes from the Shagan River, a tributary of the Irtysh River. The crater lake's volume is approximately . To the south, the rim of the crater holds back the waters of a second reservoir. Locals fish in the lake, despite warnings by authorities that it is hazardous. Media In Netflix's documentary series Dark Tourist (season 1 episode 4, "The Stans"), David Farrier visits and swims in Lake Chagan, as well as eats a fish from the lake, during his tour of Kazakhstan. See also Sedan (nuclear test) – an American cratering detonation Pechora–Kama Canal – a proposed canal project involving nuclear excavation Lake Karachay – a natural lake highly contaminated by the dumping of high-level nuclear waste Volcanic crater lake – a body of water normally formed by volcanic or meteoric events References External links Chagan Chagan Peaceful nuclear explosions Explosion craters