Salt Fields on Dry Lake Bed of Lop Nur, China
40.0N 90.0E
China - March 5th, 2010
The curved indentation towards the center of this image was once home to Lake Lop Nur, between between the Taklamakan (left) and Kuruktag (right) deserts in China. In the 1950’s, the lake had a surface area of about 2,000 square km (770 square miles); however, all that has remained since the 1970’s is the dry, salt-encrusted lake bed.
Lop Nur is also known as “The Wandering Lake”, since changes in the balance between rainfall and evaporation used to cause it to change considerably in both size and position. The green, rectangular area in the lake bed is a salt field and salt refining facility, constructed in 2002.
October 27th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
I could find no evidence from remotely sensed imagery of the salt mine before 2005