Birth of the Taklamakan Desert: When and How?

The Taklimakan Desert is one of the largest deserts and sand seas in the world and plays a critical role in the global aerosol (eolian dust) system, impacting both climate and ecosystems on continents and over oceans. Geological evidence suggests that much of the western part of the Tarim Basin, which is now covered by the vast sandy desert, was once the eastern fringe of the Paratethys Sea. After the retreat of the sea, the area transformed into a fluvial system before becoming an mountain front alluvial fan system due to the uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau. Deserts developed during this period, as sand dunes and eolian loess deposits were formed and buried to become part of the sedimentary sequence. Dating of these sequences suggests that the Taklimakan Desert, in a similar form to what we observe today, came into existence no later than 25 million years ago. Taklimakan Desert was formed as a response to a combination of widespread regional aridification due to the rain shadow effect and increased erosion in the surrounding mountain fronts, both of which are closely linked to the tectonic uplift of the Tibetan-Pamir Plateau and Tian Shan, which had reached a climatically sensitive threshold at this time.