Kuylytau Ridge
Kuylytau
A mountain range in the Central Tien Shan, in Kyrgyzstan. It is located between the rivers Kuyly and Uchkel (the Sarydjaz basin). The length of the ridge is about 50 km, and the maximum height is 5203 m. The ridge is composed of limestones, metamorphic schists, and granites.
The Kuyly massif extends approximately 50 km in the latitudinal direction and 25 km in the meridional direction. The natural boundaries of the area are the rivers Sary-Djaz, Uch-Kel, Sarychat, Kuyly, and the Kuyly pass. The ridge is located parallel to the Terskey-Alatau ridge but further south. To the east, it almost adjoins the Sary-Djaz ridge, and to the west, it is adjacent to the Akshyirak ridge. The average height of the Kuyly ridge is 4700 m, and the highest peaks rise above 5000 m (Constitution Peak - 5203 m). The terrain of the ridge is quite diverse and significantly differs from the traditional Tien Shan, resembling the steep walls of cirques, powerful steps of glaciers, large slopes of gorges, and short approaches typical of the Central Caucasus. The average height of the snow line is about 3700-3900 m on the northern slopes and 4000-4200 m on the southern slopes. The heights of the glacier tongues are 3700-3900 m.
The rivers on the northern slope have wide, easily accessible trough-type valleys. The valleys on the southern slope in the upper reaches are usually troughs, while in the middle and lower reaches, they are difficult to traverse and hard to access, except for the Terakty river.
The northern boundary of the Kuyly area is usually considered to be the valley of the Keolu River (Kuyly Eastern River) - a right tributary of the Sary-Djaz River. The valley is a typical trough oriented to the northeast. The length of the valley is about 50 km.
The river itself has carved into the bottom of the trough. The width of the trough bed reaches 700 m. The bottom of the trough is a terrace, covered with grass in the lower part, with patches of spruce forest in places.
The southern boundary of the Kuyly massif is considered to be the Uch-Kel River, also a right tributary of the Sary-Djaz River.
The largest area of modern glaciation is found in the basins of the rivers Ashutor, Karator, and Bordutor on the northern slope of the Kuyly ridge, and the rivers Terakty, Kuyly, Southern, Bashkul, and Ikichat on the southern slope. The glaciers are valley glaciers, located in complex multi-cirque areas and associated with the ridges of the main watersheds, both hanging and cirque types, located on transverse spurs in areas of lower absolute heights. Flat-topped glaciers are not typical for the Kuyly massif. The maximum length of the glaciers is 5-6 km, with the tongues of large valley glaciers descending to heights of 3500-3600 m, while the tongues of cirque and hanging glaciers are found at altitudes of 3900-4100 m.
The glaciers are mainly fed by atmospheric precipitation and also by avalanches.
The height of the snow line varies from 3600 to 3900 m on the northeastern and eastern slopes, and up to 4100-4600 m on the southern slopes.
The passes are predominantly of snowy, snow-ice, and less frequently rocky-ice nature, with difficulty categories of 3A-3B. The heights of the passes range from 3600 to 4800 m.
