Aydingkol
Encyclopedia
Aydingkol Aydingkul (Mongol: ) or Ayding is a lake
in the Turpan Depression, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, PR China. At 154 m below sea level
, it is the fourth lowest land point on Earth
(after the shores of the Dead Sea
, the Sea of Galilee
and Lake Assal). This lake is now totally dried, and very muddy and salty.
In ancient times, Ayding Lake was known as juéluòwǎn (觉洛浣). The Uyghur derived name Aydingköl means "moon lake", due to the lake having a layer of white salt along its edge, giving the appearance of a shining moon.
The lake is located in the south hinterland
of the Turpan Depression, approximately 35 kilometres away from the city of Turpan. From east to west, the lake spans 40 kilometres; the north-south span is 8 kilometres; and the total area of the lake is 200 square kilometres. The lake was formed from the formation of an orogeny
of the Himalayas
249 million years ago, and once held approximately 5 million square kilometres of inland sea, which at one time surged up and became vastly extended. During the winter of 1948, the lake basin
was once filled with freshwater
, which primarily originated from melted snow water from the mountains, as well as supplementary groundwater
; owing to the lesser use of water to irrigate
cultivated land during the winter, the water level was higher. During the summertime, the water level declined as a result of increased use of irrigation water for farming, as well as significant natural evaporation
. Due to the expansion of farming in the region, the population using water from the lake subsequently increased, and coupled with the effects of global warming
, by 1958 the lake only held up to 22 square kilometres, with a water depth of about 0.8 metres. In 2000, except for the southwest region, little lakewater remains, and the entire lake area has become a saltpan
, with the centre of the lake holding silt
swamp
s, and no longer holds any native birds. During times of intense sunshine, mirage
s can often be seen.
Nowadays, Ayding Lake has a salt mill, which uses the region's alum
salt crystals and saltpeter
raw materials to manufacture chemical products. Scenic tours also run near the lake.
In July 2011, a new unofficial China-wide high temperature record was set at a meteorological station near Aydingkol, with a temperature of 50.2°C (122.4°F).
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Turpan Depression, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, PR China. At 154 m below sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, it is the fourth lowest land point on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
(after the shores of the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
, the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
and Lake Assal). This lake is now totally dried, and very muddy and salty.
In ancient times, Ayding Lake was known as juéluòwǎn (觉洛浣). The Uyghur derived name Aydingköl means "moon lake", due to the lake having a layer of white salt along its edge, giving the appearance of a shining moon.
The lake is located in the south hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
of the Turpan Depression, approximately 35 kilometres away from the city of Turpan. From east to west, the lake spans 40 kilometres; the north-south span is 8 kilometres; and the total area of the lake is 200 square kilometres. The lake was formed from the formation of an orogeny
Orogeny
Orogeny refers to forces and events leading to a severe structural deformation of the Earth's crust due to the engagement of tectonic plates. Response to such engagement results in the formation of long tracts of highly deformed rock called orogens or orogenic belts...
of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
249 million years ago, and once held approximately 5 million square kilometres of inland sea, which at one time surged up and became vastly extended. During the winter of 1948, the lake basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
was once filled with freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
, which primarily originated from melted snow water from the mountains, as well as supplementary groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
; owing to the lesser use of water to irrigate
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
cultivated land during the winter, the water level was higher. During the summertime, the water level declined as a result of increased use of irrigation water for farming, as well as significant natural evaporation
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
. Due to the expansion of farming in the region, the population using water from the lake subsequently increased, and coupled with the effects of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, by 1958 the lake only held up to 22 square kilometres, with a water depth of about 0.8 metres. In 2000, except for the southwest region, little lakewater remains, and the entire lake area has become a saltpan
Salt pan (geology)
Natural salt pans are flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually shining white under the sun. They are found in deserts, and should not be confused with salt evaporation ponds.A salt pan is formed where water pools...
, with the centre of the lake holding silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, and no longer holds any native birds. During times of intense sunshine, mirage
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirare, meaning "to look at, to wonder at"...
s can often be seen.
Nowadays, Ayding Lake has a salt mill, which uses the region's alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
salt crystals and saltpeter
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
raw materials to manufacture chemical products. Scenic tours also run near the lake.
In July 2011, a new unofficial China-wide high temperature record was set at a meteorological station near Aydingkol, with a temperature of 50.2°C (122.4°F).