Abstract: The physicochemical characteristics as well as the mechanical characteristics of aeolian sand are studied through tests in this paper. The result shows that the standard compaction curve of aeolian sand in the Mu Us desert different from that of silt and mud soil. The split-blip character of the standard compaction curve suggests that the higher dry density of aeolian sand can be obtained when the sand is dry or with the optimum moisture content. The aeolian sand has a low-compression ability and the compressibility is related with the initial dry density,water content and the load. The triaxial shear test shows that both of the density and the water content contribute to the shearing stregnth of the sand,between which the density contributes more and the water content only contributes a little. The work in this paper can offer some basic data for the resolution of the engineering geological problems in the Mu Us desert.