Karakul Lake
By admin on 2015-01-14

In a stunning location adjacent to the Karakorum Highway (kā lǎ kūn lún gōng lù 喀喇昆仑公路)and near the junction of the Pamir (pà mǐ ěr 帕米尔), Tian Shan (tiān shān 天山) and Kunlun mountain ranges (kūn lún shān mò 昆仑山脉) lies Karakul (meaning black) lake (kǎ lā kù lè hú 卡拉库勒湖). At 3,600m this high altitude lake is surrounded by much higher peaks including Muztagh Ata (mù shì tǎ gé fēng 慕士塔格峰)(7546m) and Kongur Tagh (gōng gé ěr shān 公格尔山)(7649m) This is Kirgiz country (kē ěr kè zī xiàn 柯尔克孜县) here and accommodation is rough and ready in local Yurts. Karakul Lake is a natural overnight stop on the way between Kashgar (kā shí 喀什) and Tashkurgan (tǎ shí kù ěr gàn 塔什库尔干).

Introduction
Karakul lake spread its waters in Markansu valley - one of the most driest place in Central Asia. Surrounded by high mountains which block humid air masses the valley has less than 30mm of precipitation a year which is 3 times less than in Karakoram desert (kā lā kūn lún shā mò 喀拉昆仑沙漠). Fluctuation of temperatures is a usual thing for desserts and in Karakul lake they are just incredible. The great Russian Explorer of Pamirs N. Korjenevskiy, describing lake Karakul wrote: "In Febrary, at 9am the temperature was -35 Centigrade, while at 1 pm the temperature raised up to -6,2 Centigrade and so fluctuation of temperature for 4 hours was 28.8 Centigrade".

The temperature measurement taken between 1933 and 1934 shows there were only 15 frost-free days and by latest observations it is known that 67 of 100 years had no frost free periods at all.

Karakul is kyrgyz for "black lake" and its indeed looks black when the sun is hidden by clouds.
Karakul has an area of 380 sq km and lies at the altitude of 3914 metres above sea level. It's the most highest lake in the world excluding those in Tibet and even Titicaca lake -the biggest alpine lake in the world is located on lower altitudes. The lake has 2 basins separated by a peninsula from the south and an island in the north.The island is 8 km long and 4 km wide. The strait between them is 1 km wide. East side is 22,5 metres deep, while west basin deepest point is 236 m. 

Karakul's water level is now much lower than before, but this fact also applies to many other closed lakes of Inner Asia. N. Korjenevskiy noted that before Karakul lake was at least 60 metres above the present level. But even 37 metres is enough to create an outflow on the south where the valley ends up with flat pass towards Kokuibel valley. This means the lake was much bigger in the past and had an outflow that feed Pyanj and finally Amudaria River known in the west as Oxus. Its not exactly known when the lake had an outflow, should be an ice age, when glaciers were on much lower altitudes and some of them flow down the lake. Later the lake's territory reduced, the depths diminished, the lake lost its outflow and finally became salty.

The recent geological research undertaken by Russian scientists along with pictures taken from space let some scientists to diagnose Karakul Lake depression as impact crater created some 230-190 mln years ago.