The origin of human civilization is mostly related to water sources. Early humans settled in large river basins and gradually developed civilization. It is generally easier to develop large market towns on the banks of the big rivers by the sea. In ancient times, due to the need for crop cultivation, places with abundant freshwater resources were also more densely populated.

Saltwater lakes are mostly formed in inland areas where water flow is not abundant

Freshwater resources are an important support for farming civilization, but the distribution of river basins is related to terrain, and rivers flow from high terrain to low terrain. Because the inland areas are in areas where water vapor is difficult to reach, it is difficult to form large rivers due to insufficient rainfall. Even if there are rivers in these places, the lakes formed are mostly salt water lakes.

The saline lake is accompanied by saline-alkali land, which is difficult for crops to grow. In a river basin with a large flow, the accompanying lakes are mostly freshwater lakes, while for rivers with little flow or inflow, the accompanying lakes are mostly saltwater lakes. Most of the saltwater lakes in China are located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Because the northwest region is too dry, there are already few rivers, and even fewer lakes are formed.

The long-dry "Dead Sea" Lop Nur is about to be resurrected

There is a famous lake in Xinjiang, Lop Nur, where the water area varies greatly. Large lakes have been formed in history, and then completely dried up, and the repeated area changes have made it unsuitable for human settlement. But it is precisely because of this change that a lot of mineral salts have also been deposited in the Lop Nur area.

The water in Lop Nur comes from the Tarim River, a famous seasonal dry river. Because there is a period when the river stops flowing and the rainfall is insufficient, there is no more water in the Tarim River to replenish Lop Nur, and the Lop Nur gradually dries up. The original lake area of ​​Lop Nur, which changed periodically, was not subject to manual intervention.

Even in the smallest period, Lop Nur did not dry up completely. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the increase in the demand for water for construction in Xinjiang, in the 1970s, Lop Nur completely dried up, and the place became lifeless. Originally, this saline-alkali land was not suitable for human habitation and could not grow any plants. It could be regarded as a wasteland with no development value.

However, the saline-alkali land of Lop Nur makes it have another development value, which is rich in potassium salts. Potash is an important raw material for the manufacture of potash fertilizers. As a large grain-producing country, China has a great demand for chemical fertilizers. Lop Nur has 250 million tons of potash reserves, and the development of potash here can fill the gap in the supply of potash raw materials in China.

With the continuous exploitation of potash, the groundwater in Lop Nur has been continuously pumped up, and these brines have formed a large lake on the ground. Lop Nur also seems to have returned to the period when the water area was once vast. After the potash here is mined, Lop Nur may return to a dry state.

What appears to be a desert may hide great wealth

The water supply of saltwater lakes is generally very small, let alone an area with little rainfall such as Lop Nur. The "resurrection" of Lop Nur may also be a microcosm of Mars. The environment on Mars is similar to that of Lop Nur, and there is no liquid water on the surface. However, there are saltwater lakes underground in the north and south poles. If humans want to build settlements on Mars, mining these saltwater lakes is critical.

The extracted salt water will form large lakes on the surface of Mars, and the surface of Mars will become less desolate. It looks like a desert place, but there may be huge wealth hidden underground.

However, it is much easier to transform Lop Nur than to transform Mars, and water can be drawn from other places on Earth. After the brine in Lop Nur is pumped up, it will also gradually dry up. If water could be diverted from other high-flow rivers, it could bring the area back to life.

Potash mining cannot be sustained forever, and new development points can be found to keep this area in value. Perhaps when humans can control the weather, desert areas will no longer be barren.