The Kyzylkum natural-geographic district

The Kyzylkum district lies mainly between the Amudarya and the Syrdarya and includes the part of the Kyzylkum desert in Uzbekistan. It borders the Lower Amudarya district in the north-west, the Zarafshan in the south-east and Mirzachol in the east; the state border with Turkmenistan lies in the south-west and with Kazakhstan in the north-east. The surface falls from south-east to north-west: on average 200–300 m, 350–400 m in the south-east and 100 m in the north-west. The lowest place is the Mingbulak depression (12 m below sea level) and the highest is Aqtau peak in the Tomditau (974 m). Most of it is sandy plain covered with sand ridges, dune sands, barchans and takyrs. Ridge and dune sands are held by plants; barchans are few and occur mostly along the Amudarya and around wells. In the centre are low mountains such as Kuljuktau (785 m), Tomditau (974 m) and Bukantau (764 m). The Kyzylkum lies on the Turan plate: its base is hard Paleozoic rock covered by sand, clay and sandstone; until the Neogene it was under the Tethys Sea. It has gold (Muruntau), uranium (Uchkuduk), gas (Gazli), sulphur, copper and turquoise.