Strange formations in the western Gobi Desert, China.

I have no idea what they are. They reside in the Gobi Desert near where a river which originates in the Quilian Mountains far to the south goes to die in the former lake named Gaxun Nur (Gashun Nao'er). They remind me of giant artichokes. You can get some idea of their size by comparing them to the vehicle tracks, tractor scrapings and telephone poles visible near the lower right of the screen capture. They measure about 30 m diameter. I suspect they have a geological origin, maybe spalling of rock formations due to temperature swings and salts within them.

Attachments:

Interesting formations in the Gobi Desert o....kmz (1.01 KB)

The answer is obvious Hill...they're hills! 

I think I know what they are.

They are the result of aeolian (wind) erosion, this particular morphological feature is called Yardang -> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yardang
There are Yardangs in China's Tsaidam Desert that are very similiar to the ones in Mongolia, you can see them here -> goo.gl/maps/tn6L1
If you move 1 kilometer NW from the spot you found, you will find many more of them and they look totally similiar.
Also according to the wikipedia page, 30 meters in diameter is absolutely fine, in the Sahara desert they reach several kilometers of length.

edit: Exfoliation as you proposed is probably also another process added to it, in deserts there are always high values of atmospheric temperature range