Traveling in Northern Xinjiang | The essence of nature over billions of years - the colorful city in the Gobi Desert

⛰The Colorful City, located in Jimsar within the eastern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang, is 235 kilometers northeast of Urumqi. It is a colorful stone city that suddenly catches your eye in the vast Gobi Desert, with its undulating and magnificent charm! 🌋This typical Yardang landform comes from the thick coal layers deposited during the Jurassic period. After being eroded by wind and rain, the sand and stone on the surface of the coal layer were almost completely eroded. After being exposed to the sun or struck by lightning, the coal layer burned out, and the sintered rock accumulated. Due to the different mineral content in different geological periods, the continuous hills in this area present a variety of beautiful colors, mainly reddish-brown, mixed with yellow, white, black, green, etc. After being blown by the wind, exposed to the sun, and rained on, they gradually become colorful. From a distance or up close, they look like city walls, hence the name 'Colorful City'.