[the edge of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]
Thank you all for your encouraging feedback; we have reached the western edge of the Chaidamu Basin. We drove out to the western Kunlun Mountain, the continuation of the Xidatan area we were in over a week ago.
We ventured briefly into Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region before turning back. We were over 1,100 kilometers from the next town within Xinjiang, therefore did not have enough fuel to complete this trek. Our expedition did not plan to go there in the first place, but only to mark a new boundary to our explorations.
We surveyed the Youshashan, Shizigou, and Ganchaigou Formations. Even though mammal fossils are not known from this area in the five decade long presence of the Qinghai Petroleum Geologists, this area is nevertheless the type section of these formations. This means the strata here represent the standard with which to define other contemporaeous sedimentary deposits of the basin.
Tomorrow we will drive back east to Olongbuluk Mountain, to work a few more days in the Chuanshuiliang area, where we discovered a rich mammal fauna earlier in the season.
The weather has been overcast, with daytime high temperature around the upper 60s degrees F. The hill tops are chilly though, as the wind blows from the snow-capped peaks of the Kunlun Mountains.
Jack
3 comments:
Hi Jack! Your photographs are spectacular, I am envious of your travels but am following you on your quest virtually! We are all well here. We had the Trustees meeting here at La Brea last night which was a great success. Looking forward to your brief visit home in Oct. You will have to come check out our mammoth - the largest known from La Brea to date!!
be safe
Ais
I love Lanzhou Raman. I used to have it whenever I'm in China.
Kind of late in this game. Need to catch up what you have in the blog.
Hey there big brother!
I'm back home now in San Jose...you still haven't emailed me your phone number (if you even have one) I'm sorry I missed your birthday...well I didn't miss it, I just didn't know how to tell you happy bday. Did you get to celebrate? A little bird told me you'll be home in Oct? Let's do lunch. I fixed the car alarm today...just took it by Best Buy and they reset it. Your pictures are pretty...but I'm sure it's nothing compared to the real thing. I tried taking pictures of hurricane ike...did you follow it on the news? I was right in the middle of it...pretty interesting experience- I'll have to tell you all about it. Anyway, hope all is well...email me baaaack!
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