Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-07
The Sea of AraI


~ geographers called lake, although, 4
next to the Caspian, it is the largest
BODY OF water In the steppes of Asia. The his
tory OF this sea Is very remarkable, and has
been constant source of perplexity to geog-'
raphers.
From the northeast the ancient Jaxartes
River pours a volume OF water into this sea,
while the Oxus, also a broad and rapid stream,
feeds it from the southeast. The sea, how
ever, is very shallow, so much so that navi<i
CATION is very difficult. Yet the sea has MOI
visible outlet and is supposed to lose its waters
solely by evaporation.
There can hardly be an underground out
let, or the water would be fresh. On the.
contrary, it is brackish, but not sufficiently
so to make it undrinkable by hocks and
herds.
The most astonishing fact, however, in
connection with this sea is that it has twice
disappeared and reappeared within historical
times. This was the case during the Greco
Roman period, and again during the thir-
teenth and fourteenth centuries, A. d.. Dur-3
ing these periods, while the site of the seal
was dry, the Oxus and Jaxartes emptied
their waters into the Caspian. These rivers,
by-the-way, have been christened anew inS
modern times, and are now called ANU Rivers
and Sir or Syr River.
For many years previous to 1870 the mapsa
showed long, narrow gulf, called the Gulf J
of Aibur-Ghir, extending far southwest. as an
arm of the sea.
When the Russians made their advance on
Khiva, one column marched down the west/
coast of the Aral Sea, expecting they would
gulf before they reached the Oxus and the
capital they meant to capture.
Much to their surprise, they did not find
the gulf or any evidence that a gulf had exf
isted, except depression in the sand. No
one knew where or how it had disappeared5
Now new discovery has given rise to fresh
speculation.
A little while ago the Russians, in the
course of explorations around the sea, dis
covered new lake, the waters of which ardl
sweet, though it has no outlet. 1t occupies
a part of the depression which was foun
during the hass ,bn and %
question is now how it came there, and
moreover, why its waters are absolutely
sweet.
In answer to the. first question, the most
cent years, during some great food, such az
the enormous freshet of 1873, when a great
mass of water from the Oxus was Diverted
portion POI ~a Of this dood swept ' northwest into into
the depression. of .Aibu-Ghir, excavating a
which still separates it from. the Aral Sea-
AS 8 by %beh Se
saline condition of the. Caspian and Arall
Seas is explained is also supposed to ac-
count for the sweet waters of the new lake.
The Caspian and Aral Seas are merely =
brackish. Around their shores are a NUM-
Der of large CULTS, almost land locked, and 4
therefore nearly separated from the seas.
The depth of water in these gulfs Is small,
from the seas are constantly setting into
these CULTS. The water never emerges into
the seas again, but. disappears through eva
poration, leaving saline deposits.
The Aral and CASPIAN Seas, therefore are |
constantly losing saline matter deposited in
these great inlets, while they are receiving
water with very little salinity, and it is sup
new freshwater lake is eliminated in q SINH
lar manner.