Yueya Quan
| Yueya Quan | ||
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| Yueya Quan (2009) | ||
| Geographical location | China | |
| Location close to the shore | Dunhuang | |
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| Coordinates | 40 ° 5 '14 " N , 94 ° 40' 10" E | |
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Yueya Quan ( Chinese 月牙泉 , Pinyin Yuèyá Quán - " crescent moon spring "), also: crescent moon lake , is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis 6 km south of the city of Dunhuang in the Chinese province of Gansu , which is surrounded by high dunes . It has been named after the Qing Dynasty . It is adjacent to the up to 300 m high so-called "echoing" or "singing" sand dunes ( Mingsha Shan ) of the Kumtag Desert , which is part of the Taklamakan Desert. As an oasis , it was an important point of contact for travelers on the Silk Road .
A historically documented phenomenon is that the lake has not silted up for over 2000 years, despite the adjacent desert and irregular sandstorms. Artesian water, presumably rising from the subsoil, feeds the lake and, on the other hand, leads to the moisture in the surrounding sand. When the water content of the dunes exceeds 4%, the resistance of the dunes to wind erosion increases. The more moisture is bound in the dunes, the more stable they are and can also grow taller. If, as happened, the groundwater level sinks due to excessive exploitation of the groundwater reserves, the dunes can dry out and the sand that was previously bound in the damp dunes is moved again by the wind.
Measurements from 1960 indicated the average depth of the lake at 4 to 5 meters, with a maximum depth of 7.5 meters. However, in the following 40 years the amount of water decreased continuously and with it the depth of the lake. In the early 1990s, the lake was only 5,500 m² in size with an average depth of just under one meter (max. Depth 1.3 m). In 2006 the local government, together with the central government, made efforts to replenish the lake and restore its depth.
The lake with its pagoda , the "singing" sand dunes (Mingsha Shan) and the surrounding desert form a tourist attraction.
Environment around the lake
Sea of flowers at Yueya Quan
Yueya Quan in Dunhuang (2009)
Lake in the desert and the pagoda
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See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ CHEN Jiansheng et al. a. [2006] “Formation mechanisms of megadunes and lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia” Chinese Science Bulletin 2006 Vol. 24 3026-3034