IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
204 THE TARIN RIVER.
a portion of the water of the Tarim has chosen a more easterly path, of which more subsequently.
After the river became frozen the Tarim (Jarkent-darja) had at Arghan (a) a breadth of 71 m., and on the 18th February 1900 a breadth of 59 m.; the Jätimtarim (6) measured 34.10 m. and 23.9 m. respectively; and the united river 92.2 and 76.8 m. respectively. At the spot where the ferry-boat which serves the caravan road crosses the Jarkent-darja (at Arghan) the corresponding measurements were 28.1 and 23.1 m. Holes were chopped in the ice at a, 6, and c.
Depth of River. Thickness of Ice. Breadth of River.
. . . . 2.59 m. 0.38 m. 59.o m.
. . . . 3.65 » 0.50 » 2 3.9 »
. . . . 6.49 » 0.56 » 76.8 »
The fact that both the Jemischek-kok-alasi and the Jätim-tarim had very transparent water, namely 0.60 and 1.09 m. transparency respectively, suggests yet another observation. Unfortunately I omitted to measure the transparency in the mouth of the Jarkent-darja at Arghan, although I remember that the water was perfectly bright, much brighter at any rate than it was above the point where the river becomes lost amongst the lakes. The obvious reason of this is that all the arms which converge upon Arghan have passed through the clearing-basins of the reedy lakes, leaving behind them on their floors all the sedimentary matter they carried in suspension. Whence we may conclude, that none of the sediment which the stream transports past, say Jangi-köl, travels so far down as the Kara-koschun, at all events at the relatively low level which the current exhibited at the time of our visit. The sand which the river filches from the skirts of the desert is deposited before it travels very far; and such finer particles as have not already gone to the bottom certainly do so upon reaching these lakes. Thus, whilst the newly-formed mud-banks raise the river-bed and force its current to change its position, the finer sedimentary matter helps to fill up the lakes and raise their bottoms au niveau with the adjacent country. In this way the Kara-koschun is robbed of a large quantity of the sediment which would otherwise assist to fill it up. This at any rate is the state of things hydrographically now, though the fact is only temporary and transitory. It can be proved, that several such basins have previously existed; those which now exist are of recent origin, and will in their turn also be filled up. As soon as this is accomplished, the entire body of sediment will travel on all the way to the Kara-koschun, as indeed has certainly been the case more than once already in the past. Then however the river will build up ramparts, and between them new lakes will be formed. Meanwhile it is interesting to observe, that the lake-basins, which have formed beside each of the three arms into which the lower Tarim here divides, are situated approximately upon the same degree of latitude. We have already noted the long string of lakes which accompany the arm down which we drifted in the ferry-boat. Beside the Kuntschekisch-tarim or Ara-tarim there are the large lakes of Tschivilik-köl, Ghodajlik-köl, and several others; and there is yet a third long series of lakes hanging upon the Ilek branch, through which
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