The Turpan Depression is a fault-bounded trough located around and south of the city-oasis of Turpan, in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in far western China, about 150 km southeast of the provincial capital Ürümqi. It includes the second lowest exposed point on the Earth's surface, after the Dead Sea.

The Turpan Basin is a fault-bounded trough located in the eastern part of the Tian Shan mountains. It covers an area of 50,000 km². The surrounding mountain ranges include: the central Tian Shan in the west, the Bogda Shan in the north-west, the Haerlike Shan in the north-west, and the Jueluotage Shan in the south. Beyond the surrounding mountain ranges lie the Junggar Basin in the north, the site of many dinosaur excavations, and the Tarim Basin in the south.

Also in the center of the basin lies the Aydingkol (Moonlight) Lake which has an elevation of 155 m below sea level. Its shores mark the second lowest exposed elevation on the Earth's land surface (after the Dead Sea which reaches down to more than 400 meters below sea level).

The Turpan Basin has a hot and arid continental climate in which the precipitation is far less than the potential evaporation. July is the hottest month with an average maximum temperature of 39.7°C (103.5°F) and January the coolest with an average maximum temperature of -2.2°C (28°F). Monthly rainfall is highest in June (3.3 mm) and lowest in February (0.2 mm). The annual average precipitation is less than 2 cm. In contrast to this, the potential annual evaporation rate reaches 3 m. Because of its climate, the area is sometimes counted as one of the Furnaces of China or more commonly as "the Oven."

The ancient city of Gaochang where competitors mass pass, just outside Turpan, was a key point on the ancient Silk Road and dates back to the 1st century BC. It was burnt down in wars in the 14th century. The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, which are located in the Flaming Mountains' Mutou Valley, about 30 km (18 miles) east of the city of Turpan, have been sewn into the rock from the Tang Dynasty era up to the time of the Yuan Dynasty (13th century). The caves are famous for their murals, which can still be found in about 40 of the 77 known caves. The desert climate has favored preservation of the content of the Astana-Karakhoja ancient tombs, which are located about 6 km from the ancient city of Gaochang. The tombs are the burial place for nobles, officials, and others who were interred there from the times of the Western Jin Dynasty until the middle of the Tang Dynasty era.

Course

A preliminary course map for the Gobi March 2010 is shown below: