In the vast land of Xinjiang, there is an old "ocean". Perhaps because it is too old to support the residents along the rivers with water, this ocean gradually began to decline in the 1970s. The land lost its life.
But in the past decade or so, this nearly dead ocean has once again taken on new vitality, with a steady stream of water nourishing this ocean.
Where is this "ocean"? Where do these currents come from?
Dry up and dry up again
At the end of the Tertiary Period and the beginning of the Fourth Period 18 million years ago, Xinjiang might still be a vast ocean. Under the influence of the neotectonic movement of the earth's crust, a basin appeared in the southeast. After many years of crustal uplift,
the altitude of the entire land of Xinjiang has been raised. Naturally, this basin is also "a rising tide lifts all boats", being carried higher and higher, and is called an "ocean" on a plateau mountain. , which is our today's Lop Nur .
Looking down from a high altitude, Lop Nur is shaped like an ear, so it is called the "Ear of the Earth". And because it is located in the eastern part of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, it is surrounded by a hurried and desolate scene, with almost no grass growing, like a restricted area of life, so This is also known as the "Sea of Death".
Around 126 BC, Zhang Qian returned from his mission to the Western Regions. This great Han envoy reported the results of his trip to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In Zhang Qian's description, there was a story on the road to the Western Regions. Loulan Ancient Kingdom :
" Loulan , Shiyi has a city wall, and is adjacent to Yanze."
The "salt lake" here is Lop Nur. The Loulan Ancient Kingdom is almost the first ancient city built along Lop Nur. Ever since Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty discovered Loulan, it has been an important stronghold on the Silk Road, almost a gateway to the west and the east.
Relying on Lop Nur, which is "a vast area of three hundred miles, with water pavilions that do not increase or decrease in winter or summer", and its important position on the Silk Road, the strength of the ancient Loulan country has gradually grown.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Loulan encountered a huge crisis. Zhubin River, a tributary that merged into the Tarim River, suddenly "derailed" and changed its course to other places. This greatly reduced the amount of water injected into Lop Nur and directly threatened the ancient country of Loulan. of survival.
Loulan ruins
Dunhuang's famous family "Sou" received a request for help from the ancient country of Loulan. The then head of the Suo family, Soller, once led troops to help the ancient country of Loulan "block the water", but the effect was minimal. Only a small part of the water was blocked. Intercepted back to Lop Nur again.
In the and Northern and Southern Dynasties period, once you can see the undulating Lop Nur, there are only a few small ponds that can be seen at a glance. Life in the ancient Loulan country is getting harder and harder. In the end, it can only rely on Laws restrict people's water use in the country, but no matter how much they are "reduced", they cannot stop the shrinking rate of the "source".
In the early Tang Dynasty, the once glorious ancient country of Loulan finally disappeared on the Silk Road, and Lop Nur also dried up completely, revealing the white bottom of the salt-alkali lake, becoming a veritable "salt lake".
It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that the original river changed its course again and returned to Lop Nur. Lop Nur gradually gained some savings and gradually became a small lake less than a hundred miles long from east to west and only two or three miles wide from north to south.
Before the founding of New China, the area of Lop Nur once reached nearly 3,000 square kilometers. However, after the founding of New China, people from the mainland were encouraged to go to Xinjiang to reclaim land, and these people gathered around Lop Nur and the Tarim River.
Drinking water for humans and animals, watering for cultivated land, water for mining... A series of human activities require water from Lop Nur and the Tarim River. In less than 20 years, the Tarim River basin has dropped sharply from more than 1,300 square kilometers to 1,000 square kilometers. .
The downstream flow was even cut off. There was no water left in the more than 300 kilometers of rivers, lying on the ground like dead snakes. The area of Lop Nur was only a pitiful less than 500 square kilometers.
" The house is leaking but it rains all night " The environment around Lop Nur has become worse and worse after Lop Nur once again slumped. Even the most drought-tolerant "anti-sand guard" Populus euphratica has fallen to the attack of drought. Then, less than twenty years later, Lop Nur completely dried up again and became a lifeless "Sea of Death".
Back to life Lop Nur
Looking at the lifeless Lop Nur, we are extremely sad. This lake has nurtured the people around it for nearly a thousand years. From ancient times to the present, so many heroic histories have happened here.
Even our new China's first atomic bomb and the first hydrogen bomb were successfully tested here in Lop Nur. Everyone who knows Lop Nur has deep feelings for it. We must Save Lop Nur.
But how to save it? The river has changed its course and stopped flowing in the middle. Where can we divert water to nourish this land? Moreover, storing water in Lop Nur will not bring any benefits in the short term, and the cost is huge, like a bottomless pit. Who would be willing to do such a "thankless" thing and be taken advantage of?
Until the beginning of this century, people discovered a huge treasure here - potassium salt .
According to relevant expert measurements, Lop Nur contains the largest potassium salt mineral resource in China, with a total reserve of about 250 million tons.
Potassium salt is a very important raw material in industrial activities. The potassium fertilizer we use when farming, the glass, ceramics, and even the textile industry and dyeing industry are all inseparable from potassium salt.
In 2020, my country's demand for potassium salt will be less than 12 million tons. Our country's national potassium salt reserves are only 1.1 billion tons. In Lop Nur alone, there are 250 million tons.
This is Lop Nur, this is a piece of sand, the sea of death, this is simply a golden mountain.
Since then, people have established a potash mining base around Lop Nur. During the mining process, unexpected surprises were discovered.
It turns out that potassium salts are contained in underground brine and mixed with the brine. People pumped the brine up from the ground and separated the potassium salt after a series of processes. So what about the brine that was born?
After some thought, people finally found the most suitable home for them - directly down.
The pH of the brine after separation of potassium salts is no longer that high. If you pour them into Lop Nur, wouldn't it just allow the water to re-moisturize Lop Nur? The cost is low and the results are quick. It is almost a matter of raising a hand, but it can bring water and vitality to Lop Nur again.
Moreover, these brine seeps into Lop Nur, which can also prevent the ground of Lop Nur from sinking due to the mining of underground mineral deposits. It is simply killing two birds with one stone.
Just like this, as the truckloads of potassium salt were transported away, the brine after a large amount of treatment also returned to Lop Nur, allowing Lop Nur to accumulate ground water little by little.
And with global warming, rainfall in the world's general environment has gradually increased, and a lot of warm and humid air over the ocean has been brought to the sky over Xinjiang.
In 2021, the Taklimakan Desert suffered a heavy rainfall, with the precipitation exceeding 80 ml. In the past, such heavy rainfall might not have been seen here for ten years.
And as our awareness of environmental protection has strengthened, the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has penetrated into the hearts of every modern person. We will naturally not sit back and watch this Lop Nur that has existed for 18 million years.
He died. With the development of the times and the advancement of science and technology, we will definitely come up with more effective methods to resurrect Lop Nur.
In fact, today's Lop Nur is already recovering from the dead. More and more "small ponds" have gradually appeared. I believe that one day, these small ponds will come together and become "big ponds".
These The large ponds are brought together again to recreate the undulating and endless scenery of Lop Nur, bringing a piece of life to this "death desert".
