Ketmen-Töbö Valley ( or Кетментөбө өрөөнү) is a tectonic valley in the Inner Tian Shan of Kyrgyzstan. It is bounded by the Talas Ala-Too and Suusamyr Too to the north, the Uzun-Akmat Range and At-Oynok Range to the west and southwest, the Fergana Range to the south, and the Kögürüm-Тоо Range to the southeast. Geography The valley covers an area of . Its prevailing elevations range from above sea level. The valley floor is about long and wide. It generally slopes slightly westward and consists of alluvial fan deposits, proluvial and deluvial plains, and river terraces. The valley is dissected by numerous small streams, gullies, ravines and dry channels, usually deep. Irrigation canals are widespread. Geology and tectonics The valley contains Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary sedimentary deposits up to thick, which overlie Paleozoic bedrock. Structurally, it is an east–west-trending asymmetric graben-megasynecline. The valley formed during Neogene mountain-building processes as a result of increased compression along the Talas–Fergana Fault. Mineral resources The principal mineral resource of the valley is rock salt, occurring in Neogene lacustrine deposits. The main occurrence is the Ketmen-Töbö salt deposit. Climate The climate is sharply continental. The average temperature is about in July and in January. Mean annual precipitation is approximately . Hydrology Major rivers include the Karasuu, Chychkan, Uzun-Akmat and Torken. The largest lake is Karasuu, with an area of . The Toktogul Reservoir occupies about of the valley and is one of its dominant geographical features. Landscapes The valley is characterized by several altitudinal landscape belts: ephemeral-wormwood semi-desert on grey soils at ; wormwood-feather grass dry steppe on light chestnut soils at ; feather-grass and mixed-herb steppe, and forest-meadow steppe on dark chestnut soils at ; subalpine and alpine meadows at ; glacial-nival landscapes with scree, permanent snow and glaciers above .
Transportation The Bishkek–Osh Highway (M41 or ЭМ-04), (European route E010), traverses the Ketmen-Töbö Valley. Entering the valley through the Chychkan Gorge, the highway follows the northeastern and southern shores of the Toktogul Reservoir and provides the principal road connection between northern and southern Kyrgyzstan.
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