Landscape Types and its Formation Mechanism in the Badain Jaran Desert and its Surrounding Areas

On the basis of climatic geomorphology, the author investigates the types of landscape in the Badain Jaran Desert and its surrounding areas. The present forms of landscape in the research area are mainly aerodynamic relief, desert plain and pediment. Because the climate becomes drier, the former pediment is undergoing the transformation toward desert plain. Aeolian sand comes into appearance in the place of former desert gorges in the surrounding mountains. The fossil desert gorges are becoming the intermediate form between desert gorges and aerodynamic relief. In the old lake basin, the land surface is now under development of aerodynamic relief because of the disappearance of water. Based on the consolidation on the dune surface and water level changes of surrounding lakes, the author concludes that it was more humid at the times present than 30 ka B.P. than at present and 20 ka B.P. in the areas of Badain Jaran owing to the influence of westerlies. The similar situation happens several times during Holocene, but these were due to the variation of the Asian summer monsoon.