There are several nitrates-enriched areas in the arid region of Xinjiang. These nitrates are formed from brine by evaporation. The nitrate-bearing beds were mainly discovered in Holocene strata. Studies show that nitrate minerals occur in nitrate-bearing sediments that brine strata are enriched with nitrate radical, and that Fe, Ti, Cr, Mn, Cu and some other elements are also relatively abundant in the sediments. Other mechanisms, such as biogenic and atmospheric mechanisms, are unsuitable for nitrate formation in the arid region. It is thus held that the TiO2-catalyst reaction may be the main mechanism for the formation of nitrates in Xinjiang.