not sure about the etymology nor the degree of
generality
but chink is evidently at least the local probably
kazak or russian name for any edge of this crumbly
ustyurt plateau of which this kaplankyr spur is a part
& the word is sometimes translated as
abrupt seashore
or abrupt border

here is a picture of a nearby but probably different
chink
with a resident skink i think
http://www.atyrau-city.kz/KCS/Book1/012.jpg
or perhaps it is the same chink but a different spur
named mangystau in this case
but in any case a few hundred km to the northwest of
kztmuz
& in fact at the opposite shoulder of the same plateau

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/mapcenter/map.aspx?TextLatitude=39.45&TextLongitude=-98.907&TextAltitude=0&TextSelectedEntity=39070&SearchEnc=false&MapStyle=Comprehensive&MapSize=Medium&MapStyleSelectedIndex=0&searchTextMap=mangystau&MapStylesList=Comprehensive&ZoomOnMapClickCheck=on

what astonished or perhaps rather amused me so much
about this claim of a nondelineated tripoint was
first
tripoints arent supposed to be delineated because they
arent linear
& second
this particular one appears to lie at the convergence
of 3 perfectly geodetic border line segments
all of them seemingly very clearly delimited since
soviet times & now reportedly fully delineated if not
also demarcated

but now that you mention it
crumbly vertical ground can present a special problem
for monumentation
& perhaps it is only this that our possibly
misinformed or careless informant had in mind
if anything

--- "Lowell G. McManus" <lgm@...> wrote:

> Exactly. The NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ATLAS OF THE WORLD
> shows this and the other similar oblong area to the
> southeast as a basin below sea level called "Chink
> Kaplankyr." I suspect that "Chink" might be cognate
> with the English "chink" (crack) or "sink" (low
> area) via some common Proto-Indo-European etymon.
>
> Lowell G. McManus
> Leesville, Louisiana, USA
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jesper Nielsen/Borderbase
> To: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, September 03, 2006 7:56 AM
> Subject: SV: [BoundaryPoint] yikes kztmuz is
> reportedly undelineated & definitely elusive
>
>
> What do you make of this
>

http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.307729,55.994568&spn=0.089619,0.159645&t=k

> ? saltlake perhaps?
>
> That could explain why it's hard to delimit the
> place and perhaps even mark it.
>
> Jesper
> --
> Borderbase - your online guide to international
> borders and tripoints
> http://www.nicolette.dk/borderbase
>
>
>
>
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Fra: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com] På vegne af
> aletheia kallos
> Sendt: 31. august 2006 15:23
> Til: BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com
> Emne: [BoundaryPoint] yikes kztmuz is reportedly
> undelineated & definitely elusive
>
>
>
>

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/08/295991D6-AB19-4C80-93B4-A5859F110120.html

> but what could this mean
> for kzuz is reportedly fully delimited & likely
> even
> marked by now per
>
>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BoundaryPoint/message/11250

> while on tmuz all border questions were reportedly
> settled years ago
>
>

http://www.newscentralasia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=638

> & demarcation is supposedly well under way there
> too
>
>

http://www.newscentralasia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1059

>
> reference map
> http://www.dntours.com/map.htm
> from
> http://www.dntours.com/dashoguz/kaplankyr.htm
>
> kztmuz is in the chink kaplankyr
> which is the southernmost spur of the ustyurt
> plateau
>
>

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/mapcenter/map.aspx?TextLatitude=38.3893924187585&TextLongitude=39.4382328526111&TextAltitude=8&TextSelectedEntity=9241499&SearchEnc=false&MapStyle=Comprehensive&MapSize=Medium&MapStyleSelectedIndex=0&searchTextMap=ustyurt&MapStylesList=Comprehensive&ZoomOnMapClickCheck=on&ResultsListbox=38.3893924187585%3B39.4382328526111%3B8%3B9241499%3BHazar+%5BKavak%5D%2C+Elaz??%2C+Turkey%3BMedium%3BComprehensive

>
> the best if not the only known tour of the area
> http://stantours.com/tm_syl_ee_kap.html
> gets to within 100 km of the target
> at chagyl & kyzyl kaya or gyzylgaya on day 3
> & again at lake sarakamysh & kaplankyr national
> park
> on day 7
>
>

http://enrin.grida.no/biodiv/biodiv/national/turkmen/htmfiles/mapres.htm

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