- Desert location
- Geological features of the Kyzyl Kum desert
- Desert climatic conditions
- Natural world
- Video
Every Soviet schoolchild in geography lessons studied various objects, including mountains, rivers and deserts. The task was not only to tell about them, but also to show them on the map. Therefore, today any middle-aged Russian who has studied well will be able to show the boundaries of the Kyzylkum desert.
Desert location
The name Kyzylkum sounds somewhat exotic for the Slavic ear, and the translation - "red sands" (from the Turkic language) tells about the color, chemical composition of soils, possible minerals and ways of using territories by humans in their economic activities.
Geographically, the Kyzyl Kum desert occupies a gorgeous position - in the interfluve of the great Syr Darya and Amu Darya. The political position of the desert is no less interesting, it spreads its lands widely, "capturing" large territories of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, "taking" in addition a small area of Turkmenistan.
Kyzylkum also has "wonderful" neighbors: Syrdarya - from the north-east; The Aral Sea - from the northwest; Amu Darya - from the west; spurs of the Tien Shan, Pamir and Altai - from the east. The total area of this desert is approximately 300 thousand square kilometers.
Geological features of the Kyzyl Kum desert
The desert territories are relatively flat, there is a slight general slope, in the southeast the height is about 300 meters above sea level, in the northwest it drops to 53 meters. But in the Kyzylkum desert there are both closed depressions and remnant mountains, the height of which ranges from 764 meters (Bukantau) to 922 meters (Tamdytau).
Bukantau, a mountain range located on the territory of Uzbekistan, in the north of the country. Its highest point is Mount Irlir. From a geological point of view, the massif consists of crystalline shale, limestone, granite. The top of Irlir is flat, in the lower part there are outlets of springs, fresh water is used by local residents for irrigation of agricultural lands.
Another mountain range that occupies the central territories of the Kyzyl Kum Desert is Kuldzhuktau. Its length (calculated by scientists) is 100 kilometers, and its width is about 15 kilometers. The maximum height reaches 785 meters above sea level. The southern and northern slopes are different, the first are gentle, there are many dry canyons. The slopes on the north side, on the contrary, are rocky, steep and steep.
The geological composition is the same as that of the Bukantau ridge - limestones and crystalline shales. The difference is that on the margins on the surface you can find blown sands, beneath them there are strata of Cretaceous, Jurassic, Paleogene sedimentary rocks.
The third mountain range, which occupies its territory in the southwest of the Kyzylkum desert, is Tamdytau. It consists of separate ridges and hills with a total length of 60 kilometers. The highest point is Mount Aktau, which rises 922 meters above sea level. It contains all the same shale, limestone, sandstone and granite.
The geological composition of the plain areas of the desert is completely different, there are river deposits in the form of loams and sandstones. In the north-western part there are many takyrs, translated from the Turkic as “smooth smooth”. Takyr is called a relief form, which is formed after complete drying of takyr (saline) soils.
The soil cracks, resulting in a characteristic pattern consisting of a clay crust. The salt content in it is much lower than in the layers of the soil, which lie deeper. Takyrs are quite dense, and therefore it is convenient to travel on them by car, even at high speeds. After the cages fall out, in a wet state, such soils become plastic, so it is impossible to use even all-terrain vehicles.
Desert climatic conditions
The Kyzyl Kum territories are characterized by a sharply continental climate. In summer, the temperature reaches + 30 ° С (average July temperature), in winter it drops to + 9 ° С (in January, you can observe 0 ° С). Precipitation is extremely small, the time of precipitation is winter-spring, only 100-200 mm during the year.
There are no surface watercourses on the territory, the Zhanadarya river dries up in summer. A characteristic feature of this desert is the presence of rich reserves of fresh water, which is naturally underground.
Natural world
The vegetation cover is quite rich; wild tulips of extraordinary color, as well as saxauls, deserve special attention, and you can see both white and black representatives of this tree species. Where there are sandy soils, you can find sedge, Cherkez, and Kandym. Wormwood and shrubs survive on clay hills.
The fauna of Kyzyl Kum is adapted to life in the desert, most of it is adapted to a nocturnal lifestyle, water is obtained from food. The most popular are the handsome gazelles, you can find a sand cat, a corsac fox, a wolf and bats.
