National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
Citation Information
OCR Text
patches of dead reed-beds covered the top of Yārdangs. On my route of 1906 they were met
between four and six miles to the north of Camp 122 (about 40° 21–22′ lat.), and on my journey of
1914 I passed a similar belt of dead reed-beds, some three miles further west, in about the same
latitude. In both places the appearance of the low but thick stubble of dead reeds struck me as
not very ancient. The very different levels on which they were found, varying as much as eight
feet according to the greater or lesser height of the Yārdangs above the same wind-eroded trough,
suggested that these reed-beds had grown up during a temporary and somewhat recent submersion
of the ground after it had already undergone the effects of prolonged wind-erosion. It has since
occurred to me that the fact of Dr. Hedin's line of levels having shown the bottom of the above
depression to descend, over a portion of its width which he roughly estimates at about 4 km. or
two and a half miles, to an average of one metre (3′ 3·4″) below the level of the Kara-koshun during
the spring-flood of 1901,¹³ may possibly furnish an explanation. During a period of such excep-
tional floods water might have found its way from one direction or another into this belt, more
deeply eroded than the rest of the Yārdang area south of Lou-lan, and remained long enough to
cause a temporary growth of reeds, which, however, were bound to die again when those floods
finally ceased.
Absence of The other point to be noted is that nowhere on my two crossings of the belt corresponding to
salt-crust. Dr. Hedin's depression did I come upon ground showing the hard salt-encrusted surface which
invariably marks the bottom of dried-up ancient marsh beds in the Lop region. Nor was any
other form of salt-impregnation met with. Further to the east, beyond Dr. Hedin's line of levels,
a vast continuous area of the Lop desert was proved by our surveys of 1914 and 1915 to be covered
by such a hard crumpled salt crust, and I have strong reasons to believe that the beds of the
Kuruk-daryā delta, during the historical period of Lou-lan occupation, carried their water
to its edge.
Wind-ero- During the night from the 15th to the 16th of December we experienced for the first time the
sion watched blasts of the icy north-east wind of the Lop desert, which, unlike the winds affecting the Takla-
at work. makān, does not relent for long even during the winter, and which continued to hold us in its
clutches during most of our stay in this region. Its erosive effect on the Yārdangs could clearly be
watched, during the day's march, in the steady drift of sand which was undercutting the clay banks.
The sand seemed to become, from here onwards, of a slightly coarser and heavier grain, and as the
velocity of the wind was not great enough to raise its particles high, I could, before leaving camp
in the morning, for the first time sight the reddish-brown line of the Kuruk-tāgh foot-hills far away
to the north. Our progress towards it lay that day over ground bearing the same general character
as that crossed on the preceding march. The closely packed Yārdangs showed the same uniform
direction from east-north-east to west-south-west, and their tops were scored with furrows repro-
ducing the same surface configuration on a small scale. The interrelation between this configuration
of the ground and the wind which is its creator was brought home to us with painful directness by
the fact that nowhere, even in trenches cut down to a depth of twelve feet, could the slightest
shelter be found from that freezing blast. I particularly noticed that at the south-western end of
the terraces, where one was naturally tempted to seek for some protecting bank, the cutting force of
the wind was even increased. There the Yārdangs invariably ran out into a gradually sloping and
narrowing tail-like end, where piercing currents of air met from both flanks of the Yārdangs, as if in
an eddy, and carried on the work of abrasion with additional force.¹⁴
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
11
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
21
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
31
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
41
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
51
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
61
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
71
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
81
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
91
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
101
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
111
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
121
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
131
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
141
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
151
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
161
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
171
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
181
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
191
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
201
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
211
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
221
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
231
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
241
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
251
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
261
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
271
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
281
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
291
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
301
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
312
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
322
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
332
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
342
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
352
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
362
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
372
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
382
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
392
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
402
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
412
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
422
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
432
433
434
435
436
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
452
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
462
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
472
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
482
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
492
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
502
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
512
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
522
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
532
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
542
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
552
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
562
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
572
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
582
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
592
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
602
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
612
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
622
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
632
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
642
.
.
.
646
Copyright (C) 2003-2019
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
