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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
296 THE LAKES BESIDE THE LOWER TARIM.
Gölme-käti 7.o m.
Karaunelik-köl 9.4 »
Ullugh-köl I o o »
Begelik-köl I I o »
And since the altitude of the sand decreases tari j5assu in the same direction, the inference forces itself upon one, that as its elevation increases so does the amount of protection it affords against the erosive energy of the wind. Further on we shall see what takes place in those parts of the Desert of Lop in which there is no sand, and where the clay substratum is consequently exposed to the unmitigated violence of the winds from every quarter of the compass. There deflation and corration combine together to accomplish a gigantic task, a task initiated by the wind, which is, so to speak, a carpenter's plane of colossal dimensions, and works it with a power that nothing can withstand.
On 25th May the dimensions of the Katik-arik were — breadth, 19.4 m.; mean depth, 1.02 m.; mean velocity, o.144 m.; and volume, 2.85 cub. m. in the second. The branch which leads off to the lake had the following dimensions, breadth, 21.3 m.; mean depth, 0.14 m.; mean velocity, 0.567 m.; and volume, 1.7 cub. m. in the second. The difference of 1.15 cub. m. finds its way therefore into the Toktaghono-mandscharlighi on the old Tarim, and thereafter falls into the Ojman-köl.
In round numbers the Begelik-köl has an area of 3o million square meters, and a mean depth of 3.67 m., this being the mean of 88 soundings; so that the amount of water in it was IIO million cubic meters. Although the maximum depth is greater than in the sister lakes, the mean depth is considerably less, though this result may be to no small degree only apparent, owing to my not being able to complete several series of soundings. At any rate, it is certain that this lake is greater than those we have lately been discussing. The feeding-canal was evidently falling and its volume diminishing. In consequence of the general subsidence in the river, the surface of the Jäkänlik-köl dropped 2 cm. between 9 p. m. on the 24th May and 7 a. m. on the 26th May. On the very shallow threshold where we measured the inflow canal of this lake the maximum depth was 22 cm. Thus a drop of only 22 cm. in the general water-level is sufficient to cut the lake off entirely from the river. The lake was, at the date mentioned, pretty full, and the evaporation and absorption kept tolerably even pace with the subsidence in the little lake of Uktusu, from which the canal last issued. Were this not the case, the big, shallow lake would, in consequence of its evaporation, set up a much stronger »attractional» flow through the canal, in fact the water would pour through it like a cataract.
This lake also differs from its compeers in respect of the structure of its canal; for whereas the canals of the latter seldom exceed '/2 km. in length, the canal of the Begelik-köl, reckoned from the old abandoned river-bed, runs to a length of 6.75 km. After we had passed the shallow threshold at the point where the Toktaghono branch is shed off, the depth increased suddenly to 3'/2 and 5 `/2 m. The southern portion of the canal, which is shut in by dunes, may almost be regarded as a narrow continuation of the lake, which is being gradually encroached upon and choked up by vegetation.
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