Xiaobiele Lake | |
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Location | Golmud County Haixi Prefecture Qinghai Province China |
Coordinates | 37°03′00″N94°39′19″E / 37.05000°N 94.65528°E Coordinates: 37°03′00″N94°39′19″E / 37.05000°N 94.65528°E |
Type | Endorheic saline lake |
Native name | 小别勒湖 (Chinese) |
Basin countries | China |
Surface area | 0–6.25 km2 (0.00–2.41 sq mi) |
Surface elevation | 2,676.4 m (8,781 ft) |
Xiaobiele Lake | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 小別勒 湖 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 小别勒 湖 | ||||||||
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Xiaobieletan | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 小別勒 灘 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 小别勒 滩 | ||||||||
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Xiaobiele Lake or Xiaobieletan is an ephemeral lake in the southwestern Qarhan Playa north of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline;like the other lakes of the surrounding Bieletan subbasin,it is rich in lithium.
The xiao at the beginning of the name is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese word meaning "little" or "lesser",distinguishing it from nearby Dabiele Lake ("Big" or "Greater Biele Lake"). Xiaobiele is also known as Xiaobieletan [1] from a Chinese word used for both beaches and muddy riverbanks.
Xiaobiele Lake is an ephemeral salt lake [2] in the Bieletan subbasin [3] in the southwestern quarter of the Qarhan Playa at an elevation of 2,676.4 m (8,781 ft). [4] It lies between Dabiele and West Dabusun Lakes. It is usually 6.25 km2 (2.41 sq mi) wide. [4] Its depth usually does not exceed 1 m (3 ft 3 in). [1]
Xiaobiele's position at the south end of the playa means that its waters are relatively less influenced by the concentrated mineral springs along the playa's northern boundary. [5] As with Dabiele,it is nonetheless nearly saturated with calcite,anhydrite,halite,and (importantly) carnallite, [6] which is processed to produce potash for potassium-rich fertilizers and other uses. The Bieletan subbasin as a whole—inclusive of Suli,S. Suli,and Dabiele—is also the richest source of brine lithium in China,with an estimated store of 7.74 million metric tons (8.53 million short tons) of lithium chloride. [7] The lithium derives from hot springs located near Mount Buka Daban which now feed the Narin Gol River or Hongshui River [8] ( t 紅水 河 , s 红水 河 ,HóngshuǐHé) that flows into East Taijinar Lake. [9] In the past,however,the springs lay within the "Kunlun" paleolake which until about 30,000 years ago produced a river which flowed north into a broad alluvial fan feeding the "Qarhan" paleolake in the Sanhu area. [10] Bieletan's lithium came both from deposits directly flowing into the area at the time and continuing contributions from the Urt Moron and other rivers arising in and flowing through the former alluvial plain. [11]
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes. In some cases,salt lakes have a higher concentration of salt than sea water;such lakes can also be termed hypersaline lakes. An alkalic salt lake that has a high content of carbonate is sometimes termed a soda lake.
Golmud,also known by various other romanizations,is a county-level city in the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province,China. It is now the second-largest city in Qinghai and the third largest in the Tibetan Plateau. The population in 2020 is 221,863.
The Qaidam,Tsaidam,or Chaidamu Basin is a hyperarid basin that occupies a large part of Haixi Prefecture in Qinghai Province,China. The basin covers an area of approximately 120,000 km2 (46,000 sq mi),one-fourth of which is covered by saline lakes and playas. Around one third of the basin,about 35,000 km2 (14,000 sq mi),is desert.
Bristol Lake is a dry lake in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County,California,42 km (26 mi) northeast of Twentynine Palms.
An endorheic lake is a collection of water within an endorheic basin,or sink,with no evident outlet. Endorheic lakes are generally saline as a result of being unable to get rid of solutes left in the lake by evaporation. These lakes can be used as indicators of anthropogenic change,such as irrigation or climate change,in the areas surrounding them. Lakes with subsurface drainage are considered cryptorheic.
Da Qaidam is an administrative committee in Haixi Prefecture in northwestern Qinghai province,China. It borders Gansu province to the north.
The Qarhan or Cha'erhan railway station is a station on the Qingzang Railway at Qarhan in Golmud County,Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai Province,China.
Brine mining is the extraction of useful materials which are naturally dissolved in brine. The brine may be seawater,other surface water,groundwater,or hyper-saline solutions from several industries. It differs from solution mining or in-situ leaching in that those methods inject water or chemicals to dissolve materials which are in a solid state;in brine mining,the materials are already dissolved.
Dabusun or Dabuxun Lake, alternately known as Dabasun Nor, is a lake beside the town Qarhan,just north of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. Fed by the main course of the Golmud River,it is the largest present-day lake in the Qarhan Playa. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline,with 307–338 grams of salt per liter of water (2.5 lb/gallon).
The Qarhan Playa or Salt Plain, also misleadingly described as Qarhan Lake,is a playa in the Golmud and Dulan counties of Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai,China. Formerly a single unitary lake,it is now an expansive salt flat divided into four greater sections which contain a number of smaller salt lakes,the largest of which is Dabusun Lake. The area is heavily exploited for its valuable salt,mineral,and rare earth reserves but parts are also protected as a national park and contribute to regional tourism.
West Dabusun or Dabuxun Lake is an ephemeral lake northwest of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. Comprising a basin in the Qarhan Playa,it fills when meltwater floods the Golmud River,causing it to spill into subsidiary channels west of the main course to Dabusun Lake. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline.
North or Bei Hulsan Lake, also known by other names,is a lake northeast of Golmud in Dulan County,Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai Province,China. A part of the Qarhan Playa,it is filled from the east by the Qaidam River. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline.
South or Nan Hulsan Lake, also known by other names,is a lake northeast of Golmud in Dulan County,Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai Province,China. A part of the Qarhan Playa,it lies east of Tuanjie Lake and south of North Hulsan Lake. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline.
Tuanjie Lake is a lake in the southeastern Qarhan Playa north of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. It is fed from the south by the Shougong River. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline.
Xiezuo Lake is a lake in the northeastern Qarhan Playa north of Golmud in Dulan County,Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai Province,China. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline.
Dabiele Lake,also known by other names,is an ephemeral lake in the southwestern Qarhan Playa north of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. It is fed by the Tuolahai and Qingshui Rivers from the Kunlun Mountains to the south. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline;like the other lakes in the Bieletan subbasin,it is rich in lithium.
Suli or Senie Lake is a lake in the western Qarhan Playa north of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. It is fed from the west by the Urt Moron River. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline;like the other lakes of the surrounding Bieletan subbasin,it is rich in lithium. Its underlying salt has also trapped one of China's largest onshore natural gas fields.
Dongling Lake is a lake in the Qarhan Playa north of Golmud in the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai Province in northwestern China. Like the other lakes of the surrounding Qaidam Basin,it is extremely saline.
South,Little,or New Suli or Senie Lake is a small ephemeral lake in Golmud County,Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai Province,China. It lies in the southwest corner of the Qarhan Playa in the southeast Qaidam Basin. It is part of Qarhan's Bieletan subbasin,located south of Suli Lake and west of Dabiele Lake. It is principally fed from the southwest by the Zaohuo or Little Zaohuo River (小灶火河,XiǎozàohuǒHé) and consists of a 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi) basin which gradually evaporates into three smaller ponds. As part of the Bieletan subbasin,it is rich in lithium chloride.
The Golmud or Ge'ermu River is a river in Golmud County,Haixi Prefecture,Qinghai Province,China. It flows north from the Kunlun Mountains to Dabusun and (occasionally) West Dabusun Lakes in the central Qarhan Playa in the southeastern Qaidam Basin. The county seat Golmud lies along it.