Have you ever been to Taklimakan Desert?

Taklimakan Desert, located in the middle of Tarim Basin in northwest China, is the largest desert in China, with a total area of about 337,000 square kilometers, of which quicksand accounts for 85% of the total area, making it the second largest mobile desert in the world. The terrain here is obviously undulating, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and the climate is particularly dry.

However, in this land to be reclaimed, there are still virgin forests dominated by Populus euphratica and a wide variety of desert plants and wild animals. There are abundant underground water resources, oil and other mineral resources under the sand layer. There is no unified understanding of the formation of Taklimakan desert in the scientific community so far.

Although some scholars have studied the ancient sand buried in the sedimentary strata here, it is difficult to judge the time, scale, shape and ancient environment of the ancient desert even if sporadic outcrops are found. During the day, the Taklimakan sun is scorching, and the strong evaporation makes the surface scenery erratic.

Desert travelers often see hazy mirage in the distance. Around the desert, dense Populus euphratica forests and Tamarix shrubs grow along the banks of Yeerxian River, Tarim River, Hotan River and Qierqin River, forming a green island in the sand sea. The Taklimakan desert is occupied by complex sand dunes, except for a part that is not covered by sand dunes.

The area of mobile dunes in Taklimakan desert is large, and the height of dunes is generally between 100 ~ 200 meters, and the highest can reach 250 meters. The types of sand dunes are complex and diverse, and the compound sand hills and ridges are like dragons inhabiting the earth. Tower dunes are unpredictable with various honeycomb scales. The eastern part of the desert is mainly composed of a huge compound sand dune chain extending for a long time, which is generally 5 ~15km long, up to 30km long and1000 ~ 2000m wide.

The descending slope of sand dunes here is high and steep, and the windward slope is covered with a secondary sand dune chain, which stretches for a long time, but it is divided by some low sand dunes perpendicular to it, forming a long closed depression with lakes distributed in it. Compound longitudinal sand ridges are mainly distributed in the middle and southwest of the desert, with an extension length of 10-20km and the longest length of 45km. Long and narrow irregular ridges distributed as isolated individuals or dunes.

High and large arc dunes can be seen in the northern desert, and fish-shaped dunes can be seen in the west and northwest. There are also two tall sand dunes with distinct red and white in Taklimakan Desert, called Mount Notre Dame, which are composed of red sandstone and gypsum respectively, and sedimentary rocks are formed after they are exposed to the ground. The wind-eroded mushrooms on the mountain are peculiar and spectacular, about 5 meters high, and the huge lid can accommodate more than ten people.