Researchers taking part in China’s largest scale scientific expedition in over two decades of Lop Nor - located in southeast Xinjiang Urghur Autonomous Region - found much evidence of extensive farming dating back thousands of years, Guangzhou Daily reported on Wednesday.
The expedition which recently concluded focused on Lop Nor, also known as Lop Desert, which is known for its landscape formed by water and wind erosion.
The expedition team consisted of 75 scientists who used the most advanced technologies, and Xia Xuncheng, the expedition team leader and researcher of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that of their three major findings, the discovery of the traces of farming is the most significant.
Xia was quoted by the paper as saying that they found pollen and spores in the samples they collected from the earth, which formed the most persuasive evidence of the farming history in the area of the Loulan Relics.
The scientific team also estimated that Lop Nor may actually consist of an area covering 10,000 square meters - rather than 5,350 square meters.
Lop Nor is referred to as the Asian Inland District Desert Center due to its mere 10 mm annual precipitation and 4,800-plus mm annual evaporation capacity, according to statistics collected by the expedition – and this area may be a source of sandstorms that sweep Northern China.
(Source: Global Times)
86-10-68597521 (day)
86-10-68597289 (night)
86-10-68511095 (day)
86-10-68512458 (night)
cas_en@cas.cn
52 Sanlihe Rd., Xicheng District,
Beijing, China (100864)
Copyright © 2002 - Chinese Academy of Sciences
