2003 Volume 52 Issue 5 Pages 523-528
Mogao Grottos are located at the eastern foot of the Mingsha Dunes, 25km southeast of Dunhuang town. It faces east toward Sanwei Mountain, one range of Qilian Mountains, and in front of it Daquan River runs.
The caves were excavated into the cliff on the west bank of the Daquan River. The stratum in which the caves were excavated is the alluvial and pluvial Jiuquan conglomerate in which there is argillaceous and calcareous cementation. The wall paintings in the caves are subject to the severe deterioration generated by recrystallization of salt. It relates with the movement of water/moisture in rock formation. The basement of Mogao Area consists of granite and gneiss formed in the Pre-Cambrian Age. Through the satellite image analysis and geological survey, it has been clarified that the movement of ground water is governed by the fault system and the geographical nature is specified by the aggressive tectonic movement from the south.
