This Google Earth satellite image shows a region near 39.2°N, 90.8°E, on the northern foothills of the Altun Mountains at the southwestern edge of Lop Nur, Xinjiang, China. The landscape is marked by vast wind-blown sand dunes and red sandstone outcrops to the west, a mountain-front fault zone with dense alluvial fans in the center, and bright white salt flats and dry lakebeds to the east—remnants of an ancient lake environment. Situated between the Tarim Basin and the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, this arid desert–gobi zone holds significant geological and ecological value. Culturally, it was once part of the Silk Road sphere, near the ancient kingdom of Loulan, leaving enduring traces of oasis civilization amid today’s stark wilderness.
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