Lop Nur was once named Lop Nao. Luobunao is a Mongolian pronunciation, which means a lake where many waters gather. This is indeed the case. Before 330 BC, the Tarim River, Kongque River, Cheerchen River, Shule River, etc. all gathered here to form the second largest saltwater lake in my country. The lake was full of water and moisturized the lake in the northwest. The ancient country of Loulan became an important gateway on the ancient Silk Road.
However, in recent years, one of Lop Nur’s most well-known roles is the “no man’s land”. As one of the four uninhabited areas outside of my country, Lop Nur has attracted a large number of expedition teams to visit because of the mysterious attributes of the ancient Loulan Kingdom and its reputation as a nuclear test base. Although it is currently sparsely populated and the scenery is desolate, it was once a bustling scene. So how did the Youze land once mentioned in the "Shan Hai Jing" become a deserted place, and now it is heard that the land and water are rippling and will soon return to its previous appearance. What is going on?
Lop Nur is depleted
As a lake formed by multiple rivers, the continuous inflow of live water from the source is an important condition for maintaining the lake's original state. However, with the development of economy and society, in order to better utilize the river water, people have built many water conservancy projects on the river course, changing the natural regulating function of the river course.
Later, the population increased, and farmland was vigorously cultivated to grow crops to meet people's living needs. The cultivation of crops not only requires a large amount of water for irrigation, but also destroys the local vegetation, leading to serious soil erosion and greatly reducing the water storage capacity of the vegetation. In addition, people's domestic water consumption has also greatly increased, and the consumption of water resources has intensified the drying process of rivers.
The water source of the Tarim River mainly comes from the melted water of mountain ice and snow. It will also consume part of it during the flow process. Some of it will evaporate through water vapor, and some will penetrate into the ground along the way, forming a groundwater. Due to the impact of global warming in recent years, the amount of snow in the mountains has decreased, and the amount of water flowing into the rivers is not much. With the loss of water resources along the way, and the intensified consumption in many aspects in Lop Nur, the water resources will naturally slow down. Slowly drying up. Several other rivers have similar situations, so the source of Lop Nur has less and less running water, eventually leading to the lake drying up.
Water is the source of life. All living things on the earth live in water. The four ancient civilizations also relied on the nourishment of the mother river to develop rapidly. Without water sources, the ecosystem near the lake has gradually changed. Plants have died in large areas, and animals that rely on plants have also starved to death. The food chain has collapsed, and the ecosystem has collapsed. The people who stood at the top of the food chain were also clever people who couldn't make a living without rice, so they had no choice but to leave their homes and move away from this place. Slowly, Lop Nur became such a desolate place.
Due to the characteristics of Lop Nur’s uninhabited land, our country chose this place to successfully test the first atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb. Subsequently, approximately 40 more nuclear tests were conducted here. As we all know, nuclear testing still has a certain impact on the environment, and nuclear radiation can cause fatal damage to local animals and plants. Lop Nur was previously uninhabited, but after the nuclear test it became almost barren, perfectly blending into the Taklimakan Desert and becoming a true no-man's land. However, due to the rippling blue waves of Lop Nur before, this no-man's land also has a romantic name: "Sea of ??Death".
Many expedition teams have successfully crossed through the Lop Nur uninhabited land. Their rule of thumb is to bring more water, because not a drop of water can be found in the current Sea of ??Death, and many people are missing. It is easy to die from dehydration of the body. Therefore, you need to be cautious when exploring, and remember not to go on the road unprepared without professional knowledge and equipment.
Resurrection of Lop Nur
When Lop Nur was prosperous, the lake area once reached 2,400-3,000 square kilometers.
Now after research, Lop Nur has regained its rippling blue waves and restored lake waters of nearly 10,000 square kilometers. The area has reached 3-4 times that of its peak, which is indeed ironclad evidence of Lop Nur's resurrection. There is also news that a huge cornucopia has been discovered in the hinterland of Lop Nur. In order to better develop this cornucopia, people and various modern facilities have gathered in this no-man's land. So where did the treasure come from, and what are its inextricable connections with Lop Nur's restoration of life?
Lop Nur, known as the uninhabited land, lacks water sources, but here it refers to the fresh water necessary for the life of humans and other creatures. In 2000, some investigators discovered that Lop Nur's underground contained abundant "natural brine." Although these brine cannot be consumed directly by people, they are rich in potassium salts. Potash is the treasure mentioned above. Potassium salt mines are generally found in the surface layers of the earth's crust and in the brine of lakes and oceans. 95% of the potassium salt products are used as fertilizers and 5% are used in industrial production.
Our country is a large agricultural country, so it can be seen that potassium salt is a very important substance for us. However, the important producing areas of potassium salt are currently distributed in countries such as Canada and Russia. Canada accounted for one-third of the international potash market in 2005. However, my country's identified potassium salt resource reserves are not large, and they are also listed as one of the minerals in urgent need in the country. Previously, 70% of the annual consumption had to rely on imports.
The investigators pumped out the brine from Lop Nur from the ground and stored it in the lake. Because the brine in the lake has a high salt content, it is not easy to evaporate. As more brine is pumped out, the area of ??Lop Nur’s lake also increases. Gradually expand. After further analysis and prediction, the potassium salt content in Lop Nur ranks first among the known potassium salt mines in the country. The proven storage capacity has reached more than 250 million tons, and the economic value is estimated to exceed 500 billion. Calculated based on my country's potassium salt consumption of about 1,000 tons in 2020, Lop Nur's potassium salt reserves alone can be used by my country for about 25 years, greatly alleviating my country's potassium salt shortage problem.
Now Lop Nur has become the world’s largest monomer potassium sulfate fertilizer base. Photos taken by satellite show that the massive salt fields are connected together. After the potassium salt is extracted, the brine in the lake There will be more and more, naturally forming a scene of rippling blue waves.
Conclusion
The former Sea of ??Death is also regaining its vitality. Although brine cannot recreate the ancient country of Loulan, the potassium salt in brine also provides another source of energy for people’s production and life. A kind of support. This is also the nurturing power that nature provides us from another different dimension. The earth is our common home. From fresh water to potassium salts, they all selflessly provide human beings with their own resources. We must also better protect the environment and rationally develop and utilize resources so that human beings can enjoy the benefits of the earth for generations to come. Continue the glory at the top of the food chain.