toward the Caspian Sea. Russian satellite photos have revealed huge deposits of salt domes (about 1,200), in the Caspian Depression in western Kazakhstan. One dome, called the Chelkar Deposit, covers an area of 3237 km2 and is nearly 8 km 0 deep.

The southern region of the depression, or the north coast of the Caspian Sea, is characterized by the large development of damp sites resulting from tidal phenomena. The depression is also home to many insect