Mapping a Paleodrainage System of the Keriya River Using Remote Sensing Data and Historical Materials

Keriya River, one of the ancient Four Green Corridors in the Tarim Basin, recording the changes of climate-environment and the ancient Silk Road of the region. According to the archaeological data, historical materials and paleoclimates information, its eeo-environment and climate have taken great changes since the 1.09 Ma B.P, especially during the recent 2,000 years, many famous ancient cities having been abandoned and the south route of the Silk Road has been moved southward. This study illustrates the capability of the remote sensing data （radar data, topographic data and optical images） and historical materials, in mapping the ancient drainage networks. A major paleodrainage system of Keriya River has linked the Kunlun Mountains to the Tienshan Mountains, possibly as far back as the early Pleistocene. The Keriya River will have important implications for not only the understanding of the paleoenvironments and paleoclimates of Tarim Basin from the early Pleistocene to the Holocene, but also the changes of the Silk Road.