Karagiye
Encyclopedia
Karagiye is a 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) long karst
trench
close to the Caspian Sea
. At approximately 132 metres (433.1 ft) below sea level
it is the lowest point both in Kazakhstan
and the former USSR. It is also known as the "Karagiye Depression" and "Karagiye Mountain Trench".
The trench was formed as soluble limestone
, dolomite
and gypsum
dissolved forming pothole
s, funnels and caves that eventually collapsed. Today the trench features many scarps and offsets and generates long rain clouds caused by the air rising above it. There is a vernal lake
in the southwest of the trench and a stream rising from a drilled well that disappears back into the ground within the trench.
The trench is inhabited by Mouflon
, Corsak
, snakes, hares and vulture
s. It is the only place within the Mangyshlak plateau that mushrooms grow and these are collected by locals.
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
trench
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
close to the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. At approximately 132 metres (433.1 ft) below sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
it is the lowest point both in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and the former USSR. It is also known as the "Karagiye Depression" and "Karagiye Mountain Trench".
The trench was formed as soluble limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
and gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
dissolved forming pothole
Pothole
A pothole is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.- Formation :...
s, funnels and caves that eventually collapsed. Today the trench features many scarps and offsets and generates long rain clouds caused by the air rising above it. There is a vernal lake
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
in the southwest of the trench and a stream rising from a drilled well that disappears back into the ground within the trench.
The trench is inhabited by Mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
, Corsak
Corsac Fox
The corsac fox , also known as the steppe fox, is a medium sized Asiatic fox species found throughout the central steppes of Asia. It is sometimes referred to as the "sand fox", but this terminology is confusing because two other species, the Tibetan sand fox and Rüppell's fox are also sometimes...
, snakes, hares and vulture
Vulture
Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
s. It is the only place within the Mangyshlak plateau that mushrooms grow and these are collected by locals.
See also
- Karakiya DistrictKarakiya DistrictKarakiya District is a district of Mangystau Province in south-western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Kuryk town.-References:...
- Caspian DepressionCaspian DepressionCaspian Depression or Pricaspian/Peri-Caspian Depression/Lowland is a low-lying flatland region encompassing the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed body of water on Earth. It is the larger northern part of the wider Aral-Caspian Depression around the Aral and Caspian seas.The...
- List of countries by lowest point
- List of places on land with elevations below sea level