- Karakum Desert
The Karakum Desert, also spelled "Kara-Kum" and "Gara Gum" (“Black Sand”) (Turkmen: "Garagum", Russian: "Каракумы") is a
desert inCentral Asia . It occupies about 70 percent, or 350,000 km², of the area ofTurkmenistan . [cite web
url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110529/Karakum-Desert
title=Karakum Desert -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
publisher=www.britannica.com
accessdate=2008-02-22
last=
first=]The population is sparse, with an average of one person per 6.5 km² (one person per 2.5 sq miles).
Location
It lies east of the
Caspian Sea , with theAral Sea to the north and theAmu Darya river and theKyzyl Kum desert to the northeast. In modern times, with the shrinking of theAral Sea , the extended "Aral Karakum " has appeared on the former seabed, with an estimated area of 15,440 sq mi/40,000 km²². Although the level of theAral Sea has fluctuated over its existence, the most recent level drop was caused by the formerSoviet Union building massive irrigation projects in the region. Although theNorth Aral Sea is currently rising, theSouth Aral Sea is still dropping, thus expanding the size of the desert. [ [http://enrin.grida.no/aral/aralsea/english/arsea/arsea.htm Aral Sea] ]The sands of the Aral Karakum are made up of a salt-marsh consisting of finely-dispersed
evaporite s and remnants of alkaline mineral deposits, washed into the basin from irrigated fields. The dusts blown on a powerful east-west airstream carry pesticide residues that have been found in the blood of penguins found inAntarctica . Aral dust has also been found in the glaciers ofGreenland , the forests ofNorway , and the fields ofRussia .Hydrography
To the south the Murghab and Tejen rivers flow out of the
Hindu Kush Mountains, flow west, and empty into the desert, providing water for irrigation.The desert is crossed by the largest irrigation
canal in the world, theQaraqum Canal . The canal was started in1954 , is 1,375 km in length, and carries 13-20 km³ of water annually. Unfortunately, leakages from the canal have created lakes and ponds along the canal and the rise ingroundwater has caused widespreadsoil salination .Archaeology
Within the Karakum are the Bolsoi (Big) Balkan, a mountain range in which archaeologists have found human remains dating back to the
Stone Age .Economy and resources
The oases of Mary and
Tejen are noted forcotton growing.Geology
The Karakum Desert is home to the
Darvaza Gas Crater s coord|40|15|17.68|N|58|26|22.06|EThe area has significant oil and
natural gas deposits.Transport
The desert is crossed by the
Trans-Caspian railway .Notes
See also
*
List of deserts by area External links
* [http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Turkmenistan/Dashoguz/blog-153046.html TravelBlog Darwasa Craters: Entrance to Hell]
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