Murghab River (Tajikistan)

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For the other river of the same name, see Murgab River (Afghanistan).

The Murghab River, (from the Persian word مرغاب meaning "river of the birds") transliterated from Russian Мургаб variously as Murgab, Murghob, or Murgob and also known in its upper reaches as the Aksu or Oksu, rises in extreme northeastern Afghanistan before flowing north and west into Tajikistan, which contains the bulk of its length. The river flows north and west, passing first the village of Shaimak and then the city of Murghab, before flowing into the Bartang River.

On February 18, 1911, a great earthquake (estimated between 8 and 9 on the Richter scale) caused a large landslide which completely blocked the flow of the Murghab and buried a local village. The landslide, estimated at two cubic kilometers of rock, formed a natural dam called the Usoi Dam. Over the following months the Murghab filled the space behind the Usoi to form Sarez Lake, which now fills about 60 kilometers in length of the Murghab river valley and contains 17 cubic kilometers of water. Geologists believe that the dam may be unstable and could collapse during a future strong earthquake. Shortly beyond the Usoi, the Murghab joins the Bartang, the waters eventually flowing into the Panj and then the Amu Darya, one of the great rivers of Central Asia.

[edit] External links

• Index of maps and graphs related to Tajikistan water resources
• Map of Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan

[edit] References

• "Sarez and Yashikul Lakes". The Great Game Travel Company. Retrieved August 25, 2005.
• Google Maps satellite photographs of eastern Tajikistan and Afghanistan.