Mount Mingshashan

Mount Mingshashan (FIG. 4-8) is a typical eolian dunes landscape, 5 km south of Dunhuang City. It is connected with the Sanweishan in the east, south lake oasis in the west and Dang River valley in the south. Mount Mingshashan is named for its singing sands, which is formed by quicksand piling. According to different mineral compositions, sand colors can be divided into five parts, red, yellow, green, white and black. It extends more than 40km in the east and west direction and 20km in the north and south direction. The main peak elevation is 1650 m. The sand hill is overlapping up and down while the ridge is like the blade. If someone skips from the top of the mountain, the sand will fall, playing music like orchestra and traditional stringed and woodwind instruments (the overall plan report of the provincial geopark of the Crescent Moon-shaped Spring and Mount Mingshashan in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, 2009). There develops typical crescent dune, crescent dune chai and pyramid dunes in the Mount Mingshashan, the surface of which has various types of sand ripples. 

Figure 4-8 Mount Mingshashan