Xi'an sits on the great loess plateau of China and is mostly pretty flat. I've seen loess before--mainly in Alaska, but that is nothing compared to the loess plateau here. Criss-crossing it by high-speed train in the past week has been a revelation.
Loess has been a long-time interest of mine, as it is the "medium" which records the variations of the Himalayan monsoon strength, which I have used to look at the dynamics of Neogene climate variations.
While touring around Xi'an, one local told me that the area was so flat, every time you see a mound or hill, it always turns out to be somebody's tomb . . .
Like all cities in China, Xi'an is growing monstrously. The photo below can't capture the scale of the construction, but the area covered by this new apartment development must have covered a square mile, composed of dozens of towers.
What kind of mound will they leave in the future, I wonder?
Loess plain near Luo Yang
Loess has been a long-time interest of mine, as it is the "medium" which records the variations of the Himalayan monsoon strength, which I have used to look at the dynamics of Neogene climate variations.
While touring around Xi'an, one local told me that the area was so flat, every time you see a mound or hill, it always turns out to be somebody's tomb . . .
. . . like this one.
Like all cities in China, Xi'an is growing monstrously. The photo below can't capture the scale of the construction, but the area covered by this new apartment development must have covered a square mile, composed of dozens of towers.
What kind of mound will they leave in the future, I wonder?
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