Monday, June 14, 2004

Karatau

Kazak �Qaratau� mountain range, a northwestern spur of the Tien Shan, in southern Kazakstan. The name is Turkic, meaning �black mountain.� The range extends for 260 miles (420 km) along the Syr Darya (river) and rises to 7,139 feet (2,176 m), with an average elevation of 3,300 - 5,000 feet (1,000 - 1,525 m). The summits are smooth, and small snow-fed streams flow down the steep slopes in spring. On the eastern slopes rich deposits of phosphorites