The beautiful composition of Lake Aiding

Lake Aiding, also known as Moonlight Lake. Because it is mostly a dry lake bottom with wrinkles like waves, there are silvery white crystalline salts everywhere, which look like a bright moon, so it is named Moonlight Lake. Aiding means the moon in Uighur.

Recently, when the reporter came to the Gobi Desert in Chatterkale Township, 50 kilometers south of Turpan City, he found that Aiding Lake, like its name, is very poetic, and as long as there is a moonlight night, it is enough to show its romance.

You wouldn't imagine that building mountains and transporting jade in Xinjiang is a "child" of the Himalayas. As early as 249 million years ago, together with Chaerhan Salt Lake in Qaidam Basin, Qinghai Province, it quietly completed the creation process of the universe with overwhelming momentum. From the day it chose to be born in Turpan, it embraced more than 200 glaciers, ice and snow and rivers from all directions with the momentum of embracing all rivers, forming its own unique natural and geographical characteristics. At that time, the Aragou River formed by the melting water of modern glaciers in Kalawu Mountain in the west ran to it, and the Baiyang River, the Dahe River and the Talang River formed by hundreds of modern glaciers on the southern slope of Bogda Mountain ran to it. Numerous tributaries of spring water at the foot of the Flame Mountain quietly flow into it, and Karez, which is dotted under the Gobi Desert, also flows here, and the song is as clear as a silver bell. As a result, a lake, a fairyland-like Aiding Lake, was formed on the Gobi Desert in Chatterkale Township, 50 kilometers south of Turpan City.

You wouldn't think that it used to be an inland sea, covering an area of about 50,000 square kilometers, equivalent to Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. The blue waves are sparkling and the water plants are rich. On the lake, birds shuttle and sing, and reeds, red willows and reeds sway gently with the breeze. Ancient ancestors rowed wooden boats and lived a life of fishing songs and carefree.

However, Lake Aiding is now dry. Even if you keep jumping excitedly and hands in the air shouts loudly, you can't recall the scene of blue waves, lakes and mountains hundreds of millions of years ago. At your feet, there are swamps and saline-alkali soil. If you step on it, the virtual soil will soon drown people's thighs. If you are not careful, people will lose their way.

Why did Lake Aiding dry up? There are few relevant historical materials on this issue. However, the dry climate, large water evaporation, strong wind and large water consumption for agricultural irrigation make it difficult for Aiding Lake to maintain its own life. Although Aiding Lake is about to dry up, I am still willing to connect the saline-alkali beach with the moonlight night shadow, touch the charming smiling face of Aiding Lake like moonlight, and hope that the ancient waves will echo in this place again.

Altitude: A Changing Number

Lake Aiding is famous for its altitude.

There used to be different views. Some people say it's-154 m, some people say it's-156 m, and some people say it's-16 1 m. It was not until 1979 that the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping first measured the elevation of the bottom of Aiding Lake as-154.56 meters. This survey data has been uniformly used by various maps officially published by the state. The reporter learned from the Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of the Autonomous Region that at the end of September, 2008, Beijing and Aiding Lake Depression in Turpan City, Xinjiang jointly held a news conference on the new elevation of the lowest point in China (Aiding Lake Depression in Xinjiang), and officially announced the latest achievements to the society:-154.438+0m.

Why is Lake Aiding "high"? From 2006 to April 2007, our district formed a surveying and mapping team, braved the cold and went into Aiding Lake for reconnaissance and investigation four times. Zhang Huamin, an old team member who participated in the first measurement mission of 1979, said with deep feelings that in the past, traditional optical measuring instruments were used for measurement, such as theodolite and level. At present, electronic surveying and mapping instruments are used to automatically obtain information, such as total station, RTK, GPS receiver, etc., which have high accuracy and can measure the error of several millimeters. Undoubtedly, high technology has replaced the traditional mechanical surveying and mapping technology, which is an important reason for its "height".

Liu Geqing, Party Secretary of the Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of the Autonomous Region, seems to have a more comprehensive explanation. He said that the changes in Aiding Lake are related to the great progress in surveying technology, but the changes in the environment and geological structure, crustal movement, soil erosion and desertification in Aiding Lake depression in the past 29 years cannot be ruled out.

Now that it is "high", is Aiding Lake still the lowest place on land in China? The reporter can't help but have questions.

"We made a scientific determination in advance." Kong Jinhui, director of the Achievements Division of the Achievements Division of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, said that through accurate map data comparison, Aiding Lake is still the lowest land natural landform in China.

The expert's testimony makes the lake more mysterious, but there is another important change that has not attracted many people's attention so far: its name has been changed and it is called Aiding Lake Depression. The reporter consulted Ci Hai. A lake refers to a large pool with accumulated water, which has the functions of regulating water storage, supplying drinking water, breeding and regulating climate, while a depression refers to some low-lying places on the surface with poor drainage, and the central part often accumulates water to form lakes, swamps or salt marshes. Obviously, the geographical position of Lake Aiding accords with the latter.

What used to be a big lake has now become a depression. The change of Lake Aiding tells us that we have the responsibility to protect Lake Aiding and prevent this "bright moon" from disappearing from our sight.

Aiding Lake: Numerous titles of "China No.1"

You may not think that Lake Aiding is not only the lowest place on land in China, but also has many titles of "the highest in China": the lake with the largest salinity change in China, the lowest plant in China, the lowest animal in China, the lowest bird paradise in China and the lowest lighthouse in China.

You will find that what distinguishes Lake Aiding from other lakes is the salt shells all over the lake. Now, its outer circle is lake plain, its surface is hard saline-alkali land, its middle circle is salt swamp, and its bottom is silt, so it is difficult for people to walk in except in winter. The center of the lake is full of crystalline salt. According to research, as early as 20,000 years ago, Aiding Lake was once a fairly large freshwater lake, which contained a lot of chlorine, sodium and potassium plasmas. Mineral deposits include halite, anhydrous sodium sulfate, gypsum, sodium sulfate and various potassium, magnesium, salt and sodium sulfate, with a reserve of more than 300 million tons, making it the most mineralized lake in China.

You will also find that this is a natural halophytic botanical garden. Under the nourishment of saline-alkali land, plants such as' low' salt ear wood, brittle flower wood, pointed camel thorn, black thorn and Haloxylon ammodendron have brought vitality to this almost dry lake and formed a unique plant landscape.

You will also find that this is an animal paradise. Precious national first-class protected animals, such as snow leopard, goat, Tibetan wild donkey and second-class protected animals, such as prairie tabby cat, brown bear, goose-throated antelope, argali, rock sheep, red deer and lynx, often appear here. Occasionally, you can see rare and endangered wild camels, who come here to find traces of water and food. It seems that this is a warm home.

You will also find that this is a paradise for birds. Once upon a time, storks, black storks, swans, cygnets, goshawks, kites, kestrels and other rare birds and flocks of geese, ducks and finches lived in the bushes, swam on the water or soared in the blue sky between lakes. Only now, these magnificent scenes are gone, but the swarms of small flying insects and rabbits and mice that occasionally run under their feet still attract an endless stream of Chinese and foreign tourists to take pictures, explore and travel here.

Don't think that Lake Aiding only represents a lake, it also hides the remains of human civilization. On its north and south sides, one is Tashi beacon tower, and the other is Tula beacon tower on the second floor. Although it is not outstanding in appearance, the remains left by the ancestors who fought for defense here in ancient times make it the lowest beacon tower in China, which also gives Aiding Lake a cultural thickness.

In fact, there are many titles of "the best in China": for example, Karez, Stone and the lowest residents in China. No matter how many there are, with a special posture and bright moon-like light, Lake Aiding makes the lowest part of this land more mysterious and desirable.