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Fascinating rock formation: In Chinese, Tian Shan means »heavenly mountains«
Photo: NASA Earth Observatory
Sometimes the beauty of the earth only really becomes clear from space.
The high mountains of Tian Shan or Tienschan in German in Central Asia is such a case.
This is also made clear by a picture taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station ISS at the beginning of the year and which has now been published by the American space agency Nasa as “Picture of the Day”.
Tian Shan translates to "Heavenly Mountain" and especially covered in snow and ice, the formation really looks otherworldly.
In fact, anything but heavenly forces were at work here.
On the contrary: there must have been a bang when the beautifully layered rocks took their shape.
The Tian Shan is one of the largest mountain ranges in the world, stretching some 2,500 kilometers across Central Asia, mainly along the Kyrgyzstan-China border.
It was created about 300 million years ago when a former part of the Australian continent met Eurasia and pushed the earth up.
Tensions between the continental plates erupted in violent tremors.
In the following millions of years, there were collisions with volcanic islands and the Indian subcontinent.
Today the highest mountain in the Tian Shan Mountains is about 7440 meters high.
Visible from space are ridges of the central part of the mountain range in Xinjiang, China.
Apart from snow and ice, the bands of color in the rock are caused by superimposed layers of sediment from different phases of the earth's history.
Geologists speak of faults.
They provide clues to the age of the thrust rock.
Red stands for the Devonian period around 400 million years ago.
prerequisite for cotton production
The Tian Shan Mountains in Xinjiang have been a World Natural Heritage Site since 2013.
The rock formations not only look fascinating and are geologically interesting.
They also contribute to the livelihoods of many people in the region.
Glaciers cover about 13,000 square kilometers of the slopes in the Tien Shan Mountains and provide an important source of water for farmers and local residents.
Above all, cotton production in north-west China depends on the supply of meltwater.
The acreage east of the Tien Shan received less than 20 centimeters of rainfall a year but produced about 85 percent of China's cotton, NASA writes.
Between 2004 and 2015, the irrigated area under cultivation grew by 60 percent, and groundwater consumption doubled.
Utilization is becoming a problem.
An evaluation showed that the water reserves in the region are decreasing due to the increasing demand.
Sustainable water use is at risk.
In addition, climate change is increasing glacier melt in summer.
Experts estimate that much of the ice originally measured in the region will disappear over the next few decades.
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