| Karasor | |
|---|---|
| Қарасор | |
 Sentinel-2 image of the lake in June 2021 | |
  Karasor | |
| Location | Kazakh Uplands |
| Coordinates | 49°53′N75°23′E / 49.883°N 75.383°E /49.883; 75.383 |
| Type | endorheic |
| Primary inflows | Taldy, Karasu, Yesenaman, Barak and Kemer |
| Primary outflows | none |
| Catchment area | 8,750 square kilometers (3,380 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Kazakhstan |
| Max. length | 43 kilometers (27 mi) |
| Max. width | 7.3 kilometers (4.5 mi) |
| Surface area | 154 square kilometers (59 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 2.5 meters (8 ft 2 in) |
| Max. depth | 5 meters (16 ft) |
| Water volume | 160,000,000 cubic meters (5.7×109 cu ft) |
| Residence time | UTC+6 |
| Shore length1 | 103 kilometers (64 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 622 meters (2,041 ft) |
| Islands | Zhumyrtkaly and Araltabe |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Karasor (Kazakh:Қарасор;Russian:Карасор),[1][2] is asalt lake inKarkaraly District,Karaganda Region,Kazakhstan.[3][4]
Karasor is the largest lake in Karaganda Region. It is located 45 kilometers (28 mi) to the north ofKarkaraly city. There are no settlements by the lakeshore. The nearest inhabited place isKoyandy village, close to the eastern end.[5] The mud at the bottom of the lake has medicinal properties.[6]
Karasor is anendorheic lake in the centralKazakh Uplands. It stretches from east to west to the north of theKarkaraly Range and to the south of theAyr Mountains. It is the largest of the lakes of theKarasor Basin, and is located at the bottom of the vast depression without drainage. Smaller lakeKatynkol lies to the SW of the southern end,Saumalkol to the west, andBalyktykol 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the east. The shape of Karasor is sinuous, narrower in its central section. The bottom of the lake is mostly silt, with a smell ofhydrogen sulfide. The lakeshores are complex, some stretches are clayey or pebbly, low and gently sloping, but in certain areas they are rocky, with cliffs reaching a height of 25 meters (82 ft). There are two little islands on the lake, Zhumyrtkaly and Araltabe.[1]
Fourteen small rivers flow into Karasor, including the 159 kilometers (99 mi) longTaldy, which flows into the eastern end of the lake. Other rivers are theKarkaralinka, Karsakpai,Karasu, Yesenaman, Barak and Kemer. Most of them dry up in the summer. On average, the highest water level of the lake is in April and the lowest in November. Karasor usually freezes over in November and thaws in late April or early May.[5]
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The land in the 8,750 square kilometers (3,380 sq mi) basin around Karasor includes plowed agricultural fields withclay andloam soils. The vegetation near the lakeshore zone is characteristic of the Kazakhsteppe, including thespear grass,wormwood,Siberian peashrub andfescue.[6][7]
Although the lake water is highly mineralized, with a concentration of 250 grams per liter (40 oz/imp gal) to 350 grams per liter (56 oz/imp gal), there are fish living in the lake.Every year at Karasor there is a large concentration of about 5,000common shelducks during theirmoulting season.[8]
Media related toKarasor at Wikimedia Commons
