<P> A relatively large area on the east side of the Greater Khingan range, between the upper waters of the Songhua (Sungari) and the upper waters of the Liao - ho, is reckoned to belong to the Gobi by conventional usage . Some geographers and ecologists prefer to regard the western area of the Gobi region (as defined above): the basin of the Tarim in Xinjiang and the desert basin of Lop Nor and Hami (Kumul), as forming a separate and independent desert, called the Taklamakan Desert . </P> <P> Archeologists and paleontologists have done excavations in the Nemegt Basin in the northwestern part of the Gobi Desert (in Mongolia), which is noted for its fossil treasures, including early mammals, dinosaur eggs, and prehistoric stone implements, some 100,000 years old . </P> <P> The Gobi is a cold desert, with frost and occasionally snow occurring on its dunes . Besides being quite far north, it is also located on a plateau roughly 910--1,520 metres (2,990--4,990 ft) above sea level, which contributes to its low temperatures . An average of approximately 194 millimetres (7.6 in) of rain falls annually in the Gobi . Additional moisture reaches parts of the Gobi in winter as snow is blown by the wind from the Siberian Steppes . These winds may cause the Gobi to reach − 40 ° C (− 40 ° F) in winter to 45 ° C (113 ° F) in summer . </P> <P> The climate of the Gobi is one of great extremes, combined with rapid changes of temperature of as much as 35 ° C (63 ° F). These can occur not only seasonally but within 24 hours . </P>

What is the climate in the gobi desert