The largest scientific investigation of the Lop Nur desert since 1949 was launched in the Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on November 25. During the month-long program, scientists have conducted an all-round survey of the area's geography, ecology and environment, and carried out archaeological digs.

A withered Chinese tamarisk in the desert. [Xinhua]

The team discovered the remains of a settlements dating back to the Han and Jin periods (206 BC to AD 420) near the Bronze Age burial site of Xiaohe in the western area of Lop Nur, and traces of early farming activity near the ancient city of Loulan. Satellite remote sensing devices are examining and recording the growth of diversiform-leaved poplars in the area.

The Lop Nur area borders on the Taklamakan Desert to the west, the Kumutage Desert to the south, the Kuruktag Mountains, a branch of the Tianshan range, in the north and the Qilian Mountains in the east. One of the driest regions in Asian Continent, annual precipitation in Lop Nur is less than 10mm and evaporation averages 3,000 mm.

The fascinating landscape and history of Lop Nur have attracted the attention of scientists from all over the world since the mid-19th century.