Xinjiang Apricot Flower Blossom Tour

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

+65 9230 4951 XINJIANG APRICOT FLOWER BLOSSOM TOUR ITINERARY DAY 1 Depart to Urumqi. Urumqi - Kuitun Grand Canyon（ 600km） DAY Located at north foot of Tianshan Mountain, Kuitun Grand Canyon is of the stratum consisting of 2 gravel and sand completely, which should be the seabed in the distant past, and uplift to be the land after geological movement. (Standard Hotel Room) Sayram Lake - Guozigou (fruit valley) - Daxigouxiang - Huocheng County DAY Sayram Lake is located in the Bortala Prefecture near the Tian Shan Mountains, Xinjiang, China. In the 3 Kazakh language Sayram means 'blessing'. It is also known as Santai Haizi. It is the largest alpine lake in Xinjiang. Guozigou, hailed as "the most famous tourism resort in Ili," is a meandering valley across the Northern Tianshan Mountains. North of the valley is Sayram Lake, and to the south lies the Ili Valley. (Standard Hotel Room) Huocheng County - Tu'ergenxiang, Xinyuan, Ili DAY The wild almond trees grow in the Tianshan mountain of Tu'ergenxiang in West China. (Standard 4 Hotel Room) Ili Nalati Grassland DAY Enjoy the beautiful scenery of almond flower blossom in Ili, then we will go to Nalati Grassland. “Narat” 5 in Monglian literally means “The place where sunshine first appears”. Nalati Grassland is praised as the 'Air Grassland' because of its high altitude and stunning prairie scenery with flocks, herders and white yurts. (Standard Hotel Room) © 2019 The Wandering Lens. All Rights Reserved. +65 9230 4951 XINJIANG APRICOT FLOWER BLOSSOM TOUR ITINERARY DAY Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve 6 Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve is the second largest grassland in China, located in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tian Shan mountains in northwest China. The terrain is mostly flat, and encom- passes a middle section of the Kaidu River. Turpan DAY Turpan, also known as Turfan or Tulufan, is a prefecture-level city located in the east of Xinjiang, 7 People's Republic of China. Kumtag Desert DAY The Kumtag ("kum tagh" in Uighur, meaning "sand mountain") Shamo, or Sand Mountain Desert, is located in Xinjiang province in northwestern China. Like all deserts, the temperature in the Kumtag 8 Shamo varies from freezing at night to baking during the day. Here the hues of the barren sand desert with its thick yellow sand and those of the gobi type desert with its lunar-like, gravelly surface (the thin layer of soil, as well as the thin layer of sand below this, have been blown completely away, leaving only slate-colored gravel on the surface), contrast with the lusher green area 500 km to the south, where the mighty Yangtze River flows. Birds can be seen flittering about in the skies of Kumtag Shamo as the sound of tinkling bells focuses one's attention on approaching camels. There is beauty and charm in the Kumtag Shamo. DAY 9 Turpan - Urumqi DAY 10 Back to your homeland © 2019 The Wandering Lens. All Rights Reserved..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Sun Eclipse Tour and Silk Road Highlights
Sun Eclipse Tour and Silk Road Highlights - Total Solar Eclipse of August 1st 2008 - Observe the sun eclipse in one of the world's three best viewing locations: Balikun - Travel along the Tianshan (Heavenly) Mountain Route of the Silk Road - Visit the major towns of Hami, Turpan and Urumqi - Stay overnight in a Kazak yurt and camp in the Kumutage (Kumtag) Desert - Explore ancient and non-touristy Uygur villages - Visit the Urumqi History Museum with mummies on display - Taste the local specialties of Xinjiang Province - Have a great adventure in this fascinating region with its deserts alpine lakes, snow mountains and glaciers China Sun Eclipse Tour 2008 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TOUR & SILK ROAD HIGHLIGHTS A total eclipse of the sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the earth on Friday, 1st August 2008, beginning in Canada and extending across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. Do not miss out on this unforgettable travel experience! The viewing location will be far from the hustle and bustle of the big cities at one of the world's three best locations this year. This tour will lead you through Xinjiang Province - the ªWild Westº of China - and along the Northern Silk Road Route. Travel date: 29th July 2008 - 6th August 2008 . Destinations: Urumqi, Tianchi Lake, Balikun, Hami, Shanshan, Turpan . Duration: 9 days . Starting in: Beijing . Ending in: Beijing . Group size: min. 2 pax, max. 10 pax QUICK INTRODUCTION XINJIANG PROVINCE Lying in northwestern China, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also called Xin for short, was referred to as the Western Region in ancient times.
[Show full text]
CCSC09新絲綢經典之旅9日遊 2020 the Silk Road 9 Days No Shopping Tour 純玩系列
CCSC09新絲綢經典之旅9日遊 2020 The Silk Road 9 days no shopping tour 純玩系列西安入烏魯木齊出Arrive Xian&Urumqi Departure 免費接機時間pick up service：12:00/15:00/18:00//免費送機時間drop off service： 08:00/16:00 12 自費專案月份 (大小同價) Optional tour(compulsory 2 Date W/O BED & breakfas children will be the same) 4、6、10月 $749 $649 $749 $230 $100/間/晚 $380 $100 $30/人 7-9月 $899 $799 $899 $370 $140/間/晚 $380 $100 $30/人自費專案(需保證參加）：USD 380/人，嘉峪關城樓含區間車+長城第一墩+天山天池含區間車+蘇公塔+火焰山+維吾爾古村含區間車+西域歌舞秀晚宴。Optional tour(compulsory, children will be the same): USD380/PAX，the Gate Tower at Jiayu Pass(including the battery cart)+ the first Frusta of the Great Wall+ the Tianchi Lake on the Mountain Tianshan(including shuttle)+ the Flaming Mountains + the Uighur family visit.團費不含西安-嘉峪關機票(請訂12點前抵達嘉峪關的航班)：USD150/人。The airfare from Xian to Jiayuguan: USD150/PAX.行程特色：★古都西安名勝盡覽：大雁塔、明代古城牆、秦始皇兵馬俑、華清池★河西走廊精華景點：嘉峪關、莫高窟、鳴沙山月芽泉★感受西域民俗風情，吐魯番火焰山、交河故城、坎兒井★安一程內陸航班一程高速動車，節省十多小時車程★國家5A級景區“天山天池”---西王母瑤池聖地★品嘗各地特色美食陝西小吃、汽鍋雞、雪山駝掌、新疆羊肉串、大盤雞。Itinerary Specialty: ★Xian ancient City Wall, the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum，Jiayuguan, Mingsha Mountain, Crescent Moon Lake, Mogao Grottoes, Tianshantianchi, Special local style meal, Desert Style Meal, The chicken of boiler. 無任何推薦自費！No other optional tours！ 2020抵達西安日期（逢週一） Arrive Xian Date(On Monday)： 04月：27 05月：11、25 06月：8、22 07月：13 08月：10 09月：7、14、21 10月： 12、26 11 不開班月： 12 不開班月： D1 抵達西安 Arrive Xian D5 敦煌/柳園/吐魯番 DunHuang/Liuyuan/Turpan(B/L/D) 恭候貴賓到來，接機送回酒店休息。(免費接機時間1200/1500/1800三趟)Pick up and transfer to the 已含柳園-吐魯番動車二等座,including the 2nd class bullet train tickets from Liuyuan to Urumqi.
[Show full text]
01. Antarctica (√) 02. Arabia
01. Antarctica (√) 02. Arabia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Desert A corridor of sandy terrain known as the Ad-Dahna desert connects the largeAn-Nafud desert (65,000 km2) in the north of Saudi Arabia to the Rub' Al-Khali in the south-east. • The Tuwaiq escarpment is a region of 800 km arc of limestone cliffs, plateaux, and canyons.[citation needed] • Brackish salt flats: the quicksands of Umm al Samim. √ • The Wahiba Sands of Oman: an isolated sand sea bordering the east coast [4] [5] • The Rub' Al-Khali[6] desert is a sedimentary basin elongated on a south-west to north-east axis across the Arabian Shelf. At an altitude of 1,000 m, the rock landscapes yield the place to the Rub' al-Khali, vast wide of sand of the Arabian desert, whose extreme southern point crosses the centre of Yemen. The sand overlies gravel or Gypsum Plains and the dunes reach maximum heights of up to 250 m. The sands are predominantly silicates, composed of 80 to 90% of quartz and the remainder feldspar, whose iron oxide-coated grains color the sands in orange, purple, and red. 03. Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deserts_of_Australia Great Victoria Western Australia, South Australia 348,750 km2 134,650 sq mi 1 4.5% Desert Great Sandy Desert Western Australia 267,250 km2 103,190 sq mi 2 3.5% Tanami Desert Western Australia, Northern Territory 184,500 km2 71,200 sq mi 3 2.4% Northern Territory, Queensland, South Simpson Desert 176,500 km2 68,100 sq mi 4 2.3% Australia Gibson Desert Western Australia 156,000 km2 60,000 sq mi 5 2.0% Little Sandy Desert Western Australia 111,500 km2 43,100 sq mi 6 1.5% South Australia, Queensland, New South Strzelecki Desert 80,250 km2 30,980 sq mi 7 1.0% Wales South Australia, Queensland, New South Sturt Stony Desert 29,750 km2 11,490 sq mi 8 0.3% Wales Tirari Desert South Australia 15,250 km2 5,890 sq mi 9 0.2% Pedirka Desert South Australia 1,250 km2 480 sq mi 10 0.016% 04.
[Show full text]
Open-Surface Water Bodies Dynamics Analysis in the Tarim River Basin (North-Western China), Based on Google Earth Engine Cloud Platform
water Article Open-Surface Water Bodies Dynamics Analysis in the Tarim River Basin (North-Western China), Based on Google Earth Engine Cloud Platform Jiahao Chen 1,2 , Tingting Kang 1,2, Shuai Yang 1,2, Jingyi Bu 1,2 , Kexin Cao 1,2 and Yanchun Gao 1,* 1 Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; [email protected] (J.C.); [email protected] (T.K.); [email protected] (S.Y.); [email protected] (J.B.); [email protected] (K.C.) 2 College of Resources and Environment, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-010-6488-8991 Received: 6 July 2020; Accepted: 6 October 2020; Published: 11 October 2020 Abstract: The Tarim River Basin (TRB), located in an arid region, is facing the challenge of increasing water pressure and uncertain impacts of climate change. Many water body identiﬁcation methods have achieved good results in diﬀerent application scenarios, but only a few for arid areas. An arid region water detection rule (ARWDR) was proposed by combining vegetation index and water index. Taking computing advantages of the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform, 56,284 Landsat 5/7/8 optical images in the TRB were used to detect open-surface water bodies and generated a 30-m annual water frequency map from 1992 to 2019. The interannual changes and trends of the water body area were analyzed and the impacts of climatic and anthropogenic drivers on open-surface water body area dynamics were examined.
[Show full text]
Supplementary Material Herzschuh Et Al., 2019 Position and Orientation Of
Supplementary Material Herzschuh et al., 2019 Position and orientation of the westerly jet determined Holocene rainfall patterns in China Nature Communications Supplementary Tables Supplementary Tab. 1 Summary statistics for canonical correspondence analyses for the whole dataset from China and Mongolia (Cao et al., 2014). Pann – annual precipitation, Mtwa – mean temperature of the warmest month; Mtco – mean temperature of the coldest month; Tann mean annual temperature, Pamjjas – precipitation between March and September, Pamjjas – precipitation between June and August. Results indicate that Pann explains most variance in the modern pollen dataset. Neither temperature nor seasonal precipitation explains more variance. Climatic variables as sole Marginal contribution based on VIF VIF predictor climatic variables Climatic 1/2 variables (without (add Explained Explained Tann) Tann) variance P-value variance P-value (%) (%) Pann 3.8 3.8 1.58 4.9 0.005 1.50 0.005 Mtco 4.3 221.7 1.36 4.2 0.005 0.67 0.005 Mtwa 1.5 116.6 0.61 2.7 0.005 1.30 0.005 Tann - 520.4 - - - - Pamjjas - - 1.50 4.9 0.005 Pjja - - 1.30 4.4 0.005 Cao, X., Herzschuh, U., Telford, R.J., Ni, J. A modern pollen-climate dataset from China and Mongolia: assessing its potential for climate reconstruction. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 211, 87-96 (2014). Supplementary Tab. 2 Summary statistics for canonical correspondence analyses for the southern China dataset <30°N (Cao et al., 2014). Pann – annual precipitation, Mtwa – mean temperature of the warmest month; Mtco – mean temperature of the coldest month; Tann mean annual temperature.
[Show full text]
Distinguishing Between Anthropogenic and Climatic Impacts on Lake Size: a Modeling Approach Using Data from Ebinur Lake in Arid Northwest China
J. Limnol., 2014; 73(2): 350-357 ORIGINAL ARTICLE DOI: 10.4081/jlimnol.2014.852 Distinguishing between anthropogenic and climatic impacts on lake size: a modeling approach using data from Ebinur Lake in arid northwest China Long MA,1 Jinglu WU,2* Wen LIU,2 Jilili ABUDUWAILI1 1State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; 2State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China *Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Evaluation of anthropogenic and climatic impacts on lake size variation is important for maintaining ecosystem integrity and sus- taining societal development. We assumed that climate and human activity are the only drivers of lake-size variation and are independent of each other. We then evaluated anthropogenic and climatic effects on hydrological processes, using a multivariate linear model. Macro-economic data were used to describe the anthropogenic impact on lake surface area in our approach. Ebinur Lake is a shallow, closed, saline lake in arid northwest China; it has shrunk at a rapid rate over the past half century. Using our new method, we explored temporal trends of anthropogenic and climatic impacts on the lake over the past 50 years. Assessment indices indicate that the model represents observed data quite well. Compared with the reference period of 1955-1960, impacts of climate change across the catchment were generally positive with respect to lake area, except for the period from 1961 to 1970. Human activity was responsible for a reduction in lake surface area of 286.8 km2 over the last 50 years.
[Show full text]
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Lake Dynamics in Central
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Lake dynamics in Central Asia in the past 30 years A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Geography by Shengan Zhan 2020 © Copyright by Shengan Zhan 2020 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Lake dynamics in Central Asia in the past 30 years by Shengan Zhan Doctor of Philosophy in Geography University of California, Los Angeles, 2020 Professor Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Co-Chair Professor Yongwei Sheng, Co-Chair Water is a key resource in arid Central Asia (CA) and is heavily affected by climate change and human activities. Temperature across the region has increased drastically especially in the mountain region while precipitation change is less homogeneous. The increased temperature has caused increased melting of glacier and snow which has a large contribution to the runoff in rivers. Human activities such as agriculture irrigation and reservoir management also affect water availability. In the Soviet era, agriculture in CA expanded continuously and large amount of water was extracted from rivers for irrigation. This has caused the catastrophic decline of the Aral Sea. In the post-Soviet era, countries in CA have reorganized their agriculture structure to be self- sufficient. It is important to understand how these changes affect water availability in CA especially under climate change. This dissertation uses lakes as proxy indicators of water ii availability and assesses how climate and human activities have affected lakes in CA. Seventeen lakes located in three former Soviet republics and western China from seven basins are examined using remote sensing and hydrologic modeling to estimate their changes in area, water level and volume.
[Show full text]
Pg19 23 FITNXK 13D North Xinjiang.Ai
哈萨克斯坦 Flight path HIGHLIGHTS KAZAKHSTAN 贾登域 Traverse by coach JIADENGYU 1 Featured destinations 阿拉木图布尔津 NORTH XINJIANG BURQIN 1 2 Black Oil Mountain ALMATY 2 克拉玛依 1 Overnight stays KARAMAY Hemu Village 1 春贾 Kanas Scenic Area 1 乌鲁木齐 SHONZHY 1 Sample Tuva Homemade Milk Wine KHORGAS KUYTUN 1 URUMQI 奎屯 1 Colorful Beach 霍尔果斯口岸 Urho Ghost City Included Mini Train Ride 1 Sayram Lake GHULJA Xinjiang Ancient Ecological Park 伊宁 Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar SEASONAL BONUS: 北京 Lavender Manor 北疆 BEIJING (Specially arrange between XINJIANG June to September depending Lavender season) 中国 KAZAKHSTAN CHINA Park of Panfilov Guardsmen Zenkov Cathedral Independence Monument Shymbulak Ski Resort National Art Museum Falcon Show DAY 1 DAY 4 MEGA Mall ✈ Hard Rock Café SINGAPORE BEIJING JIADENGYU BURQIN Kazakhstan Cuisine with (Meal On Board) (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) Cultural Dance Performance Assemble at Singapore Changi Airport for • Kanas Scenic Area (including shuttle bus Issyk-Kul Lake your flight to Urumqi (transit at Beijing). 【Fish Watching Pavilion + Crouching Dragon Ile-Alatau National Park Bay + Shenxian Bay + Moon Bay】- Kok Tobe Hill Beautiful and mysterious (meaning of Zharkent Mosque DAY 2 the Mongolian "Kanas"), you can see the BEIJING ✈ URUMQI clear and tranquil lake, the lake changes KARAMAY its colour according to the season and DELICACIES (Lunch/Dinner) weather. The virgin forests of spruce, fir • Black Oil Mountain Park - Located In the and Siberian larch are mixed around the North Xinjiang : northeast of Karamay, 2 kilometres from lake. Big Plate Chicken the city center, it is the place where the • Tuva Household Visit - The Tuva is an Cold-water Fish Cuisine oilfields are out of the oil field.
[Show full text]
Afghanistan Desertification In, 53–54 Population Growth In, 21 Snowmelt
Index Afghanistan Algeria, efforts to combat desertification in, 53–54 desertification in, 53 population growth in, 21 alternative energy sources, 44, 117, snowmelt, dependence on, 87 121 Africa. See Middle East and North Amazon basin, 99–100 Africa; sub-Saharan Africa; animal protein, demand for. See specific countries food chain, moving up agriculture Antarctic ice sheet, 88 climate change affecting, 83–86, Anti-Desertification Organization, 90–92 Iran, 55 foreign acquisition of land for. aquaculture, 17, 24–25, 28–29, 31, See land acquisition deals 33–34 grain yields from. See grain aquifers and aquifer depletion. productivity See water supply irrigation used to expand, 57–59 Argentina no-till farming, 119–20 exports of grain, restrictions on, soil erosion due to overplowing, 12 47 grass-feeding of beef cattle in, soybean production, effects of, 25, 30 97–100 land acquisition deals in, 104 water supply, competition soybean production in, 95 between cities and farms for, Asia. See also specific countries 69–71 climate change in, 87, 89 Agriculture, U.S. Department of, consumption of fish protein in, 41, 45, 90, 119 28 al-Amoudi, Mohammed, 112 grain productivity in, 74–75 Al Ghurair Foods, 102–03 irrigated land in, 58 126 FULL PLANET, EMPTY PLATES Index 127 Asia (continued) Brazil moving up the food chain in, 9, crop yields. See grain productivity land acquisition deals in, 104 biofuels in, 36, 38 26–27, 28, 30, 33–34, 95 Crutzen, Paul, 42 population stabilization in, changes in animal protein population stabilization in, 18–19, 22 consumption in, 31 18–19, 22 Daewoo Logistics, 108 soil erosion in, 17, 18, 48, 53 grass-feeding of beef cattle in, soil erosion and dust bowls in, dairy products, 32–33 Asner, Gregory, 85–86 25, 30 48–50 dam building and irrigation Australian grain import land acquisition deals in, 104 soybeans and, 32, 92, 93–100, reducing riverine flows, 13, negotiations with Yemenis, 12 population stabilization in, 19 104 62–63, 67–69 automobiles.
[Show full text]
Nationwide Desert Highway Assessment: a Case Study in China
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2011, 8, 2734-2746; doi:10.3390/ijerph8072734 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ISSN 1660-4601 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Article Nationwide Desert Highway Assessment: A Case Study in China Xuesong Mao *, Fuchun Wang and Binggang Wang Key Laboratory for Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China; E-Mails: [email protected] (F.W.); [email protected] (B.W.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-29-82334869; Fax: +86-29-82334869. Received: 20 May 2011; in revised form: 13 June 2011 / Accepted: 26 June 2011 / Published: 30 June 2011 Abstract: The natural environment affects the construction of desert highways. Conversely, highway construction affects the natural environment and puts the ecological environment at a disadvantage. To satisfy the variety and hierarchy of desert highway construction and discover the spatio-temporal distribution of the natural environment and its effect on highway construction engineering, an assessment of the natural regional divisions of desert highways in China is carried out for the first time. Based on the general principles and method for the natural region division, the principles, method and index system for desert highway assessment is put forward by combining the desert highway construction features and the azonal differentiation law. The index system combines the dominant indicator and four auxiliary indicators. The dominant indicator is defined by the desert’s comprehensive state index and the auxiliary indicators include the sand dune height, the blown sand strength, the vegetation coverage ratio and the annual average temperature difference.
[Show full text]
Changes in the Area of Inland Lakes in Arid Regions of Central Asia During the Past 30 Years
Environ Monit Assess (2011) 178:247–256 DOI 10.1007/s10661-010-1686-y Changes in the area of inland lakes in arid regions of central Asia during the past 30 years Jie Bai · Xi Chen · Junli Li · Liao Yang · Hui Fang Received: 5 November 2009 / Accepted: 23 August 2010 / Published online: 10 September 2010 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract Inland lakes are major surface water flexible than those of other two types. Accord- resource in arid regions of Central Asia. The area ing to comprehensive analyses, different types of changes in these lakes have been proved to be inland lakes presented different trends of area the results of regional climate changes and recent changes under the background of global warming human activities. This study aimed at investigating effects in Central Asia, which showed that the the area variations of the nine major lakes in increased human activities had broken the balance Central Asia over the last 30 years. Firstly, multi- of water cycles in this region. temporal Landsat imagery in 1975, 1990, 1999, and 2007 were used to delineate lake extents auto- Keywords Arid region · Central Asia · Inland matically based on Normalized Difference Water lake · Lake variations · Climate change · Index (NDWI) threshold segmentation, then lake Human activities area variations were detailed in three decades and the mechanism of these changes was ana- Introduction lyzed with meteorological data and hydrological data. The results indicated that the total surface Lakes act as the essential components of the hy- areas of these nine lakes had decreased from drological cycle, which would have affected on 91,402.06 km2 to 46,049.23 km2 during 1975–2007, many aspects of ecosystems and human activities.
[Show full text]
Inverted Relief Landforms in the Kumtagh Desert of Northwestern China: a Mechanism to Estimate Wind Erosion Rates
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Geol. J. 52: 131–140 (2017) Published online 13 November 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/gj.2739 Inverted relief landforms in the Kumtagh Desert of northwestern China: a mechanism to estimate wind erosion rates ZHEN-TING WANG1,2*, ZHONG-PING LAI3 and JIAN-JUN QU2 1State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 2Dunhuang Gobi Desert Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, CAS, Dunhuang, China 3State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China Although commonly found in deserts, our knowledge about inverted relief landforms is very limited. The so-called ‘Gravel Body’ in the northern Kumtagh Desert is an example of an inverted relief landform created by the exhumation of a former fluvial gravel channel. The common occurrence of these landforms indicates that fluvial processes played an important role in shaping the Kumtagh Desert in the past 151 ka. A physical model is presented to reconstruct the palaeohydrology of these fluvial channels in terms of several measurable parameters including terrain slope, boulder size, and channel width. Combining the calculated palaeoflood depth, the maximal depth of channel bed eroded by wind, and the current height of inverted channels with the age of the aeolian sediments covered by gravels, the local wind erosion rate is estimated to be 0.21–0.28 mm/year. It is shown that wind erosion occurring in the Kumtagh Desert is no more severe than in adjacent regions. Since the modern Martian environment is very similar to that of hyperarid deserts on Earth, and Mars was once subjected to fluvial processes, this study will be helpful for understanding the origin of analogous Martian surface landforms and their causative processes.
[Show full text]