The right bank of the Irtysh River: the colorful hill

Most of the rivers in Xinjiang are inland rivers, which eventually end up in the desert and will never see the sea. But Xinjiang also has outward rivers, and the Irtysh River is one of them.

The Irtysh River originates from the Altai Mountains, and together with the Altai Mountains, it forms a perfect combination of "golden mountains" and "silver waters". The Irtysh River is the largest tributary of the Ob River, which is the third largest river in Russia and a famous long river in the world.

▲The upper reaches of the Irtysh River. Photo by Yang Jian

The Irtysh River originates from the Altai Mountains, and along the way it incorporates tributaries such as the Kara Irtysh River, Kelan River, Burqin River, and Haba River. It then flows out of China from southeast to northwest, pours into Lake Zaysan in Kazakhstan, then flows northward across the West Siberian Plain, and finally flows into the Ob Bay of the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean.

Therefore, the Irtysh River has become the only river in my country that flows into the Arctic Ocean. The Irtysh River has a rather peculiar phenomenon, that is, all its tributaries are developed in the Altai Mountains, and flow into the main stream from the right bank of the main stream, that is, the north side of the river, forming a typical comb-shaped water system, while the main stream of the Irtysh River runs through the northeast edge of the Junggar Basin.

▲Irtysh River. Photo by Tuchong Creative

Leaving Urumqi to the west, the car sped along the western edge of the Junggar Basin. The Tianshan Mountains were on the left side of the car window, rolling and majestic. The famous Bogda Peak stood out among the peaks, bright, sacred and far away.

This oasis nurtured by the snow of the Tianshan Mountains is the most beautiful season of the year. The lush greenery spreads from the nearby area to the foot of the snow-capped mountains. The poplars, cotton fields, and corn are all green, and even the sparse red willows on the saline-alkali land are green. Only the sunflowers are yellow, and the dazzling golden color stands out among the green.

The farther we got from the Tianshan Mountains, the less green there was, and we finally entered the vast Gobi Desert. When we saw green again amid the scorched yellow, we had already arrived at Burqin County on the banks of the Irtysh River. This small border county is located on the right bank of the Irtysh River on the northern edge of the Junggar Basin. The Burqin River, which originates from Kanas, merges into the Irtysh River to the west of the county seat, and the area where the two rivers meet nourishes a strip of oasis.

▲A large wetland formed at the confluence of the Burqin River and the Irtysh River. Photo by Photographer Xiaowei (TuChong Creative)

The landscapes on both sides of the Irtysh River are completely different. The left bank is full of greenery, with winding rivers and wetlands like carpets, while the right bank is full of undulating shallow yellow hills, lifeless. "Half is sea water, half is fire", the strong contrast has become a strange landscape. Burqin Wucai Beach is the most charming viewing point for admiring the Irtysh River.

Starting from the county seat, 24 kilometers westwards towards the border between China and Kazakhstan is Wucai Beach. As the sun is about to set, the afterglow shines on the earth, and everything becomes quieter in the warm colors. Twenty years ago, Wucai Beach was still a place that few people knew about. Only the most experienced photography enthusiasts would come here through word of mouth.

▲The Irtysh River, with colorful hills on the left, a forest of poplars and birches on the right, and a sandbar on the Irtysh River in the middle. Photo by Tuchong Creative

The Irtysh River here has a wide valley, the water is steady and mighty, and the water is emerald and charming. There is a suspension bridge over the river, connecting the barren but colorful hills on the right bank with the golden or lush poplars on the left bank.

When the sun is about to set but not yet set, the Kazakh herders riding their horses and herding their cattle and sheep pass by the suspension bridge on time. At this time, photography enthusiasts have already set up their tripods and are excitedly waiting for this moment. Every time they press the shutter, it is a classic picture of herders returning from Irtysh.

As more and more people went there, some people found that in addition to the charm of the Irtysh River, there was also a kind of colorful hills here. The Irtysh River photographed with it as the foreground has the artistic conception of Monet's oil paintings. Wucai Beach has gradually become famous and has now become a must-see attraction on the Kanas loop.

▲The cable bridge is the best place to take photos of herders returning to the Irtysh River. Photo by: Buhuifei (TuChong Creative)

These colorful shallow hills are distributed on the first and second terraces on the north bank of the Irtysh River, with an exposed area of ​​about 3 square kilometers. The rocks that form the colorful hills are mainly sandstone, mudstone, and conglomerate, showing color changes of red, earthy red, light yellow, and light green. This rock was formed in a river and lake environment about 23-21.4 million years ago.

The rocks of different colors seem to be randomly arranged, but they are also very rhythmically arranged. Under the erosion and cutting of surface water, rills, grooves, and low shallow hills are crisscrossed and colorful. Walking into the valley, it seems as if you are involved in a sea of ​​colors. Various colors come from all directions, purple, brown, light yellow, gray-green, gray-white, bright and strong.

▲Irtysh River. Photo by Zhang Zongyun

Find a high place to look far away, the colorful hills are stacked layer by layer, staggered, and the whole world is lit up by bright colors. The rocks that form the colorful hills are mainly siltstone and mudstone of various colors in the Paleogene, which appear alternately, have loose structures, and are easily weathered.

Due to the large changes in the environment during deposition, different sedimentary environments have different enriched pigment ions, and the colors are also different. For example, in an oxidizing environment, the sediment is rich in iron oxide, and the rock is red. In a reducing environment, the content of asphaltene, carbon and iron sulfide increases, and the rock is gray to black. Especially when the rock layer contains a white gypsum layer, high-brightness white and yellow, medium-brightness red and ochre, and low-brightness green and black become a wonderful combination.

▲ Wucai Beach. Photo by Zhang Zongyun

The contrast between brightness makes the entire hilly area colorful, orderly combined, and full of rhythm and layering.

These colorful rocks were lifted to the surface by tectonic action, and were washed by seasonal rainstorms in the arid climate of northern Xinjiang, forming colorful hills. Because the rocks are weak, it is difficult to form cliffs, and thus the opportunity to form Danxia landforms is lost.

▲ Wucai Beach. Photo by Tuchong Creative

Hills of different colors are not only beautiful, but also well record information such as sedimentary environment and paleoclimate evolution in the geological history. White to light gray indicates pure sediments with low content of colored minerals or organic matter. Black often reflects a reducing environment or a restricted environment. Red is mainly an oxidizing environment. In the alternation of hot and dry seasons and wet seasons, sediments are often intermittently exposed to water, which easily forms red rock layers.

▲ Wucai Beach. Photo by Tianya Wanderer (TuChong Creative)

-END-Text丨Li Zhongdong

Editor | Lao Xia

Picture | Zhang Zongyun Tuchong Creative, etc.

Source | WeChat public account of "Xia Ke Geography"