a sandy desert in northwestern China, in the central part of the Dzungarian plain. It has an area of about 45,000 sq km, of which about 38,000 sq km are occupied by semifixed, ridgy sands and barchans; the remaining area is covered with takyrs and sandy pebbled plains. The ridges extend in a meridional direction and attain a height of up to 30 m (in the northern part of Dzosotyn Elisun, 80-100 m in places), with steep eastern slopes and more gently sloping western slopes, which are often covered with saxaul and wormwood. There are sparse tamarisk patches on the takyrs. Dzosotyn Elisun is used as a year-round grazing area for sheep and camels.