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Why did Lop Nur become a salt-encrusted lake bed?

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Map of Asia highlighting the location of the Takla Makan Desert in northwestern China, with the desert area shaded in orange. Surrounding regions, including parts of Europe, Africa, and the Pacific Ocean, are shown for geographic context. An inset in the top right corner provides a global view with the desert's location marked. — Takla Makan Desert The Takla Makan Desert is flanked by high mountain ranges: the Tien Shan to the north, the Kunlun Mountains to the south, and the Pamirs to the west.

Lop Nur became a salt-encrusted lake bed primarily due to human intervention in the mid-20th century. The construction of reservoirs and irrigation works along the middle reaches of the Tarim River, which served as the lake's primary tributary, diverted significant amounts of water away from the basin.123

By the 1970s, this substantial loss of water, combined with the intense evaporation characteristic of the region's extremely arid climate, caused the lake to dry up completely. Following the disappearance of the water, the area has been subjected to increased wind erosion and the formation of a vast salt crust, which now covers approximately 8,000 square miles.12