Kara-Kul

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Kara-Kul
Location	Pamir Mountains
Coordinates	39°1′N 73°27′ECoordinates: 39°1′N 73°27′E
Lake type	impact crater lake, endorheic
Primary outflows	none
Basin countries	Tajikistan
Max. width	25 km
Surface area	380 km²
Max. depth	230 m
Surface elevation	3,900 m

Kara-Kul or Qarokul (Tajik: Қарoкул) is a 25-kilometer (16-mile) diameter lake in the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, which lies at an altitude of 3,900 meters (13,000 feet) above mean sea level. A peninsula projecting from the south shore and an island off the north shore divide the lake into two basins, a smaller eastern one which is relatively shallow, between 13 to 19 meters, and a larger western one, with depths of 221 to 230 meters. It has no drainage outlet.

[edit] Impact crater

Kara-Kul lake lies within a circular depression interpreted as a meteorite impact crater with a rim diameter of 45 kilometers (28 miles). The impact event occurred less than 5 million years ago. The Kara-Kul impact structure remained unidentified until it was discovered though studies of imagery taken from space.

[edit] External links

• Kara-Kul. Earth Impact Database. Planetary and Space Science Centre, University of New Brunswick. Retrieved on 2006-05-25.
• Kara-Kul Structure, Tajikistan. NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved on 2006-05-25.
• Qarakul Lake. Informational Portal of Tourism in Tajikistan. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
• Kara-Kul Lake. Information Portal Tourism in Tajikistan. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. IE only (Russian).