Have you ever been to Qaidam Desert?

Qaidam Desert

Qaidam Desert is the fifth largest desert in China, covering an area of 34,9 square kilometers. Qaidam desert is located in the hinterland of Qaidam basin, a huge inland basin in the northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The Qaidam Desert is one of the eight deserts in China. It is located in the Qaidam Basin in the northwest of Qinghai, with an altitude of 2,5 to 3, meters. It is also the highest desert area in China and the world. The Qaidam Desert covers an area of about 34,9 square kilometers, accounting for about one third of the total area of the Qaidam Basin.

With the change of climate and the increase of human activities, the vegetation in the sandy area has been seriously damaged, which makes the original desertified land area expand continuously and the river water volume decrease day by day, which seriously threatens the normal industrial and agricultural production and people's daily life, and will restrict the economic development of Qaidam and its surrounding areas.

The degree of drought in Qaidam Desert is getting worse from east to west, with annual precipitation of 5-17mm and dryness of 2.1-9. in the east. The annual precipitation in the western region is only 1-25mm, and the dryness reaches 9.-2.. Wind erosion land, sand dunes, Gobi, salt lakes and saline soil plains are interlaced in the basin.

The Qaidam Desert is dotted with sand dunes, which are concentrated in Qimantage Mountain in the southwest of the basin and the northern foot of Wula Mountain in Sha Song, forming a sand belt with intermittent distribution in the northwest-southeast direction. Huahaizi in the north and Tiegui in the east are also distributed in small areas. Dunes are mostly flowing crescent dunes, dune chains and sand ridges, generally 5 meters to 1 meters high; The higher one is 2 to 5 meters. Of course, there are also complex sand dune chains, but the area is very small.

a big earth ditch with a width of more than 2 meters and a depth of seven or eight meters. At the bottom of the ditch, a clear river winds from south to north. The river is not more than three meters wide, but the current is very fast. From the shore, you can clearly see the aquatic plants floating with the waves and the stones at the bottom of the river.

Datugou extends several hundred meters to the south, and it is divided into two branches, the east and the west, and the river also comes from both sides. The farther south, the smaller the river is, and more and more springs are on the ditch slopes on both sides. No matter drought or flood, the flow of spring water does not rise. Even in a few cold days, it will not freeze, but will give off hot air.

Crescent Spring is surrounded by Mingsha Mountain, so it is named because it looks like a crescent moon. Covering an area of 13.2 mu, the average water depth is 4.2 meters. The water is sweet and clear as a mirror. The boundary between quicksand and spring water is only a few tens of meters. However, although the spring water is not submerged by quicksand in case of strong wind, it is located in Gobi, and the spring water is not turbid and dry.

This unique landform with sand springs and spring sand is really a "wonder of the world". Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring are twin sisters on the Gobi Desert. "The mountains sound because of the spirit, and the water is beautiful because of God". Whether it is a bird's eye view from the top of the mountain or a swim by the spring, tourists will be fascinated. There is indeed a feeling that "the sound of sand is pleasant and the crescent spring washes the heart".

Crescent Spring was called Shajing in ancient times, also known as Medicine Spring. It was once rumored to be Wowochi, which was named Crescent Spring in Qing Dynasty. Dunhuang, located at the western end of Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, is a famous city on the ancient Silk Road. In the long history of cultural exchanges between China and the West, it was once a gathering place for celebrities of Chinese and Western cultures.

Because of their essence and macro, they blend with each other, creating Dunhuang prose that attracts worldwide attention and leaving many cultural treasures for mankind. There are not only the Mogao grottoes, a world-famous treasure house of cultural relics, but also colorful natural features and cultural landscapes such as "lonely smoke in the desert, side wall barriers, camel bells in ancient roads and oasis in clear springs". Among them, the crescent spring scenic spot in Mingsha Mountain is the best among many natural landscapes in Dunhuang.

throughout the ages, this place is famous for its "wonders of the desert" and is known as "one of the best scenery beyond the Great Wall". The artistic landscape of the Mogao Grottoes in the east of Mingsha Mountain, the "three wonders" connected with the south of Dunhuang, has become a tourist destination that people in China and even the world yearn for.

Mingsha Mountain is 5 meters south of the city, so it is named after the sound of sand. Mountains are formed by quicksand, which has four colors: yellow, green, white and black. Shajiao Mountain in Han Dynasty, also known as Shensha Mountain, and Mingsha Mountain in Jin Dynasty. It spans more than 4 kilometers in Shandong and west, and is about 2 kilometers wide from north to south. Its main peak is 1715 meters above sea level, and the sand ridges are connected. The sand falls with the feet, which is rare in the world.