Deep into theTaklimakan

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Taklimakan Desert, in the hearts of most people, is synonymous to "monotonous""barren". Sterile and dust-covered, it is regarded as the "Forbidden Area for Life", reminding people of fear and death. However, its unique geographical location and poor natural environment also breed a wealth of landscapes and tenacious lives in the sand.

The most common yet characteristic landscape in Taklimakan is the dune formed because of the wind power , rolling in various shapes. Animals and plants that dance with the wind and sand are like the masters of the desert, rooted in the forbidden area of the desert , highlighting the tenacity of life. The inland rivers stemmed from the surrounding mountains and melted snow feed lives in the desert, filling the desert with vitality.

The Sea of death--the Sea of Hope

Taklimakan Desert is located in the middle of Tarim Basin and covers about 337,600 square kilometers--the largest in China and the world's second largest flow desert. Here the annual precipitation is not more than 100 millimeters while the annual evaporation is up to 2500 mm.With extremely aridclimate and scarcevegetation, it is known as the "Sea of death."

However, the melted water of snow and ice from the surrounding mountains form rivers in all sizes, Tarim River, Hotan River, Keriya River and Qarqan River. In addition, the water injected into the hinterland of the desert also forms a rich layer of groundwater. It is estimated that the storage of underground water is more than 8 trillion tonnes, and the groundwater level in most areas is no more than 10 meters. Along the oil highway of the Tarim Desert , there are also many water pools left from construction work.

During the geologic periods, the Tarim Basin was once a tropical-subtropical ocean, but as the earth changed, it became a sea of sand today. Therefore, There are rich oil and gas resources in the strata of Taklimakan. The famous geologist Siguang Li once said: "In the Tarim Basin, it is possible to find a large oil field in the oil-bearing strata." Today's Tarim Basin has become an important base of oil and gas energy in China, which also makes Taklimakan a "Sea of Hope".

The Vast Sea of Sand--Museum of Aeolian Geomorphology

Taklimakan Shamo is a flowing desert with moving dunes, and the quicksand area takes up about 82% of the total area. In the desert, there are frequent sand activities; the sand can be stacked into dunes of different sizes and shapes as well as huge dunes, and there will form beautiful sand ripples on the surface of the sand. The dunes can be shaped into crescent, pyramids, honeycomb, feathers, fish-scale and lines,while a dune of large size is like a dragon. Therefore, Zhenda Zhu, an eremologist, compared Taklimakan to a " Museum of Aeolian Geomorphology".

In the west of Taklimakan, there is chain of complex transverse dunes, the length of which is 5-15 km with the longest up to 30km. In the old riverbed area north of the desert, there are complex transverse dunes and doom dunes. In the hinterland and southwest of the desert, there are mainly composite longitudinal dunes, the length of which is 10-20 km, with the longest up to 45 km. In the vicinity of Minfeng and Qiemo, there are pyramid dunes, which are solitary, or strung into narrow, and irregular ridges.

In the hinterland of the desert, there are mountains extending to the east-west direction, known as the Rostage-Mazatag. The southern Mountains, reddish-brown, are composed of red malmstones, and the northern mountains are silver-gray because of the large amount of gypsum in the strata. From afar, these two rows of mountains, red and white, are known as the "Red-White Mountains." The rocks on the mountain, subjected to wind erosion, form a peculiar form of aeolian mushroom.

The Waste Land--The Battlefield for Sand-fixing "Warriors"

Few descriptions about the plants in Taklimakan can be found in ancient books. But with the exploration of the desert, plants are found in the desert, whose distribution is of certain regularity. According to the survey, there are 28 plant formations in the Taklimakan, of which 6 are desert plant forms, 3 of which desert bank forest, 9 of which jungle forms, and 9 of meadow forms, including ephemeral and ephemeroid plants with special survival ability.

Tamarix Chinensis

Tamarix Chinensis is the most widely distributed plant in Taklimakan. To absorb the groundwater, its roots can even spread to thousands of meters away, the vertical height of which up to 10 meters; it is extremely resistant to salinity, and can live in the seriously saline-alkali land with salinity of 1 percent; its wind-break and sand-fixing capacity is also remarkable, and bun-like nebkhas can often be seen around the Tamarix Chinensis in the wild.

sacsaoul

There are communities of sacsaoul on the alluvial plain by the Tarim River at the northern edge of the desert. The sacsaoul has a strong tolerance to drought and salinity. Its root system is developed; generally the main root is 2 meters deep with the deepest up to 5 meters. The sacsaoul not only has the ability of wind-break and sand-fixing, but its roots can be a parasitic mate to Cistanche salsa, a type of rare herb.

Populus Euphratica

Poplar trees, which grow on both sides of the river, are the most beautiful landscapes in the desert. Every autumn, the leaves of Populus euphratica turn into yellow. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the golden poplar trees reflect in the water, bright as sunset, fantastic like dreams. It has strong resistance to drought,, desperately absorbing the water and adhering to every inch of land, with the will to fight against the wind and sand till its death. It can stand for a long time even after its death and is like a hero in the desert. Poplar trees are described ”to live for 1000 years, to stand for 1000 years after its death, and not to rotten even after 1000 years after its fall.

Alhagi

Alhagi is a perennial leguminous herb with excellent drought tolerance. Its root is well developed, generally up to 20 meters, absorbing groundwater and nutrients from the depths of the desert while the roots which grow horizontally growth of the roots sprout new plants. In order to adapt to the arid environment, alhagi is as short as possible on the ground , while the huge roots go deep into the ground. Its roots can look for water in a large area and absorb water, while the part on the ground can effectively reduce water transpiration.

In addition, perennial plants such as Calligonum mongolicum, Apocynum venetum, Karelinia caspica, Hexinia polydichotoma, reed, licorice, and Halostachys belangeriana as well as annual herbs such as odine weed, Halogeton and Salsola can be found in the Taklimakan.

Forbidden Area of Life--Paradise for Exotic Animals

In Taklimakan, there is a saying that goes like"no birds in the sky, no beasts on the ground" , but researches have denied this. Wildlife such as eagles, mouses, butterflies etc. has being observed. It is recorded that wild camels, big swans, Pu's gazelle, Tarim rabbit, Red Deer, lop-disk sheep, White-tailed Raven and other animals once lived in Bayingolin Mongolian Prefecture, most of which dwelt in the Taklimakan . The study found that there were 98 species of wild vertebrates living in the downstream of Keriya, the river in the heart of the desert, including 4 species of fish, 1 species of amphibians, 4 species of reptiles, 70 species of birds, and 19 species of mammals, including the extinct Xinjiang Tigers.

The animals that can survive in the Taklimakan have an extraordinary adaptive ability to adversity. Wild camels, the largest wildlife in Taklimakan, are known as the " Last Watchmen of Taklimakan". It survives thanks to the specific ability to drink salt water. In the desert, where the living condition is harsh and fresh water is nowhere to be found, there sometimes scatter a few alkaline springs that are bitter and salty, together with halophytes beside the spring. The wild camels feed on these plants and alkaline water. They are accompanied by wind and sand, leading a proud life in the boundless sea of sand.

In Taklimakan, there are some endemic species. Tarim Rabbit, one of the unique lagomorpha animals in the world, is a relic species in the ancient Tarim block. it is petite, with large ears and stout feet. This may result from their long-term adaptation to the desert. The Xinjiang Ground-Jay

is a bird unique in Xinjiang, which inhabits the scrub areas of the desert. They belong to small crows with a long beak, slightly downward bent, whose function is digging and burying food; their nostrils are covered with thick feathers. There are also mysterious sand foxes and phrynocephalus running like lightning.