Chinese scientists will re-measure the lowest land point, Aydingkol Lake, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The re-measurement project is expected to be approved by the superior authority and launched next year, said Liu Geqing, a senior official with Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Land Surveying and Mapping Department.

Located in Turpan Basin in eastern Xinjiang, the freshwater lake is the lowest place in China and the second lowest place in the world. The lake is also dubbed China's Dead Sea, since its altitude is merely a little higher than the Dead Sea in western Asia.

The re-measurement could help the world find out the exact altitude of the lake, Liu said.

The lake was found to be 155 meters below sea level in 1978, though many books have been citing different figures in recent years.

Aydingkol Lake was produced in the formation of the Himalayas about 200 million years ago, Liu said.

After the first measurement in 1978, new features might have appeared due to geological changes, but they might not be great, Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2005)