Turgai Ravine

Turgai Ravine 

(also Turgai Valley), a flat-bottomed erosional tectonic depression, which crosses the Turgai Plateau from north to south and connects the Western Siberian Plain with the northern Turan Lowland. Located in the Kazakh SSR, the Turgai Ravine extends for 800 km, with widths of 20 to 75 km, and corresponds to the axial section of the Turgai Trough. It is composed of ancient alluvial and lacustro-alluvial loams. The Ubagan River flows northward through the ravine, and the Turgai River flows southward; there are many shallow lakes, including Lakes Sarymoiyn, Aksuat, and Sarykopa, many of which are salt lakes. The water from melted snow flows into the ravine, often inundating the region; groundwaters are mineralized. Steppe landforms predominate in the north and semidesert landforms in the south. Solonetz-solonchak, solonetz-meadow-steppe, and meadow soil complexes are developed. There are pastures and hayfields in the Turgai Ravine.