Why is the lowest point of land in China inaccessible?

When it comes to which part of China has a low altitude, many people first associate it with some coastal cities, because their altitude may not be as high as 10 meters. However, this is not the case. Not many people know that the places with the highest temperature and the lowest terrain in China in summer are all in Turpan Basin.

Turpan basin is an intermountain basin, located in the eastern part of the southern slope of Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang, and most of the area belongs to Turpan City. In fact, in Uighur, Turpan means "lowland". Most of the ground in Turpan Basin is below 500 meters above sea level, while the lowest land point in China is in Turpan, named Aiding Lake.

Lake Aiding is below sea level15438+0m.

Lake Aiding is the second lowest place in the world. The detailed address is located in Gaochang District, Turpan City, Xinjiang. The elevation of the lake here is 100 meters lower than the sea level, and the lowest point of the lake bottom is only-16 1 meter. Because the Turpan basin itself is closed, all the surface runoff in this area will gather at the lowest point, Aiding Lake.

Around Aiding Lake, there are sand dunes besides saline-alkali land and salt flats, so the road to Aiding Lake is not easy. Because the evaporation of Lake Aiding is far greater than the precipitation, it is also one of the driest places in the world. 20 1 1 year, the weather station here also monitored the extreme high temperature of 50.2 degrees, which directly became the highest temperature area in China.

Different from ordinary lakes, the surface of Aiding Lake seems to be covered with salt crust, while its periphery is lake plain landform. The surface looks hard, but in fact it hides salt marshes and a lot of silt. In the middle of Lake Aiding, there are all white crystalline salts. Some research conclusions show that Aiding Lake was a freshwater lake 20,000 years ago. Because it is rich in various minerals, it is also the lake with the highest salinity in China.

Lake Aiding is more than just a lake.

Yes, Lake Aiding is not only a lake, but also an important relic of human civilization and an important habitat for many wild animals. On the north and south sides of Aiding Lake, there are two sets of Tula Lighthouse and Tashi Lighthouse respectively. It may be a little hard to understand to say so directly. These two pagodas, which are not very special, are the ruins left by ancient ancestors far enough away now. Seen from the altitude, these two towers are undoubtedly the lowest in China.

If it weren't for the low temperature in winter, it would be difficult for ordinary people to enter Lake Aiding. There are wild snow leopards and brown bears here, and you may also see endangered wild camels. Once Aiding Lake was also a paradise for all kinds of wild birds and animals, and very rare wild birds and animals such as goshawk, black stork and kite all lived here. Of course, the prosperity of these wild animals no longer exists, but for many tourists who go to Aiding Lake, even the sight of some rabbits is enough to cheer them up.

How did the Turpan Basin where Aiding Lake is located come into being?

As mentioned earlier, Lake Aiding is the lowest point of China's land and the second depression in the world, with the Dead Sea of Jordan in front. Aiding Lake is located in the center of Turpan Basin. When we have a bird's eye view of the basin from a height, it is equivalent to splicing three areas, and the center of these areas is Lake Aiding.

Turpan basin has been called "Huozhou" since ancient times, because the evaporation here is always above 3000 mm, and the average annual precipitation is only a dozen millimeters. From June to August every year, the average maximum temperature in this area is above 38 degrees Celsius, and the surface sand temperature may exceed 80 degrees Celsius.

Turpan basin is surrounded by mountains. Geological research shows that Turpan basin used to be a sea, but the violent crustal movement made it the basin topography we see today, especially the Himalayan orogeny about 30 million years ago. Although the Turpan Basin has a mountainous area of more than 9,000 square kilometers, the plain area is also close to 6,000 square kilometers, and the oases on the north and south sides provide an important guarantee for the local residents to thrive.

In Turpan area, wind is also a natural resource, mostly northwest wind, and the wind is the strongest from March to June in a year. It can be said that Turpan's wind energy resources are inexhaustible, with low cost and no pollution. The problem of water shortage in Turpan basin has also been alleviated by draining the Irtysh River. "Hometown of Melons and Fruits" will bring you more delicious fruits for a long time to come.