A sor (; ) is a closed drainless depression characteristic of the

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

n deserts, found especially in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. The sor area is seasonally flooded, forming a lake, which becomes an inland salt marsh and then a salt flat as it dries.''Kazakh traditional system of ethnographic categories, concepts and names;'' in Kazakh National Encyclopedia. Volume 5. Page 226. "Asia Channel" publishing house. Almaty, 2014 The term forms part of some

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

s of Kazakhstan, such as Altybaysor,

Aralsor Aralsor (; ) is a bittern salt lake group in Bokey Orda District, West Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan. The lake lies about to the east of the Russian border, north of the R-97 Highway (Kazakhstan). The road connects Saykyn station of the Vo ...

Atansor Atansor () is a salt lake in Birzhan sal District, Akmola Region, Kazakhstan. Enbekshilder is located close to the northern lakeshore and now abolished Atansor village close to the southwestern one. The name "Atansor" was probably given because ...

, Azhibeksor, Bauzhansor,

Karasor Karasor (; ),
''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' in 30 vols. — Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-197 ...

Koksengirsor Koksengirsor (; ) is a salt lake in the Ualikhanov District, North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan. The lake lies to the WNW of Zolotaya Niva village. The border with Akmola Region runs close to the southern end of the lake. Koksengirsor has lo ...

, Mangisor, Maysor, Meshkeysor,

Shandaksor Shandaksor (; ) is a salt lake in the Ekibastuz City Administration, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan. Shandaksor is one of the main lakes in the area surrounding Ekibastuz and is part of the Irtysh Water Management Basin. It is located to the north ...

Sholaksor Sholaksor (; ) is a salt lake in the Yereymentau District, Akmola Region, and Aktogay District, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan. The lake lies to the southwest of district capital Aktogay. The border between the two regions runs from north to s ...

Shureksor Shureksor () is a salt lake in the Aksu City Administration, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan. The lake lies to the NNE of Ekibastuz city. The area surrounding Shureksor is used for grazing and for livestock watering in the spring. Geography Shu ...

, Sorasha, Sorkol, Sormoildy,

Tuzdysor Tuzdysor (; ) is a salt lake in the Ekibastuz City Administration, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan. Tuzdysor is one of the main lakes in the area surrounding Ekibastuz and is part of the Irtysh Water Management Basin. It is located to the NNE of th ...

, Zhaltyrsor, Zhyngyldysor and Sor Tuzbair.

Description

A sor forms in the flatland of

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

areas or deserts. Heavy seasonal rains taking place usually in the spring bring the water to accumulate at the bottom of the depression. The intermittent lake is characterized by a clear-cut coastline. As the summer approaches the lake dries quickly owing to hot temperatures, forming a salt pan with a layer of salt of varying thickness. In the dry flat expanse the

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

is located close to the surface. Although usually a sor is located away from the seashore, an

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...

in the southern coast of the Dead Kultuk had the characteristics of a sor and was known as " Sor Kaydak". However, in recent decades it lost its distinct shoreline owing to the rise of the level of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

and has become a

salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...

.Igor S. Zonn, Aleksey N Kosarev, Michael H. Glantz & Andrey G. Kostianoy, ''The Caspian Sea Encyclopedia'', p. 156

Flora

Located in areas of sparse vegetation, the typical sor landscape is quite barren. Tough

halophyte A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. ...

s such as '' Halocnemum'' are among the only species able to grow in such an environment.

References

External links

*
Salt Lake Colors, KazakhstanThat Pond Guy Professional Pond Cleaning Company
Geomorphology Lacustrine landforms Depressions (geology) Salt flats Turkic toponyms {{topography-stub

Description

Flora

See also

References

External links