Why do Karez only appear in desert areas of Xinjiang?

Karez is an ancient water conservancy project, which uses a combination of shaft and culvert to pump groundwater out of the ground for irrigation. The construction of Karez requires specific natural and geographical conditions, which can only be met in desert areas of Xinjiang.

Adequate underground water source

Take Turpan, Xinjiang as an example. There are tall snow-capped mountains in the north and west of Turpan. When the snow melts in summer, it will seep into the Gobi and gather into an underground undercurrent.

Slope terrain

The sloping ground and groundwater make the straight karez horizontally protrude from the ground from a height.

Solid soil

If the soil is not strong enough, it will collapse easily. The solid soil formed by the cementation of gravel and clay in Xinjiang ensures that the shaft wall and culvert are not easy to collapse.

Generally speaking, the conditions required for the construction of Karez are very consistent with the desert areas in Xinjiang.

—— The above content is taken from Millay's children's book Field Natural History Class.