The world's earliest Aral-Sea type disaster: the decline of the Loulan Kingdom in the Tarim Basin.

ABSTRACT: Remnants of cities and farmlands in China's hyperarid Tarim Basin indicate that environmental conditions were significantly wetter two millennia ago in a region which is barren desert today. Historical documents and age data of organic remains show that the Loulan Kingdom flourished during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) but was abandoned between its end and 645 CE. Previous archaeological, geomorphological and geological studies suggest that deteriorating climate conditions led to the abandonment of the ancient desert cities. Based on analyses of lake sediments from Lop Nur in the eastern Tarim Basin and a review of published records, we show that the Loulan Kingdom decline resulted from a man-made environmental disaster comparable to the recent Aral Sea crisis rather than from changing

SUBMITTER: Mischke S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5327390 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature