We Started to Work

Apr. 25, 2009

Beautiful Qinghai—Beautiful Lakes

Mother Nature embraces a number of spots of grandeur that seem to keep a low profile. Qinghai is such a place resembling an uncarved jade, crude yet glittering with noble demeanor, inconspicuous but demonstrating amazing charm.
Qinghai, a western province of China, extending from latitude N31°39＇to N39°19＇ and from longitude E89°35＇to E103°04, is located in the northeast of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. She stretches 1,200 km from west to eas and 800 km from north to south, covering an area of 721,200 km2. This region features various geomorphic landforms, with skyrocket mountains, zigzagged rivers, and numerous lakes spreading all over. The bulky Kunlun Mountains spreads across the province from the middle. At the south there stands the towering Danggula Mountains; at the north there runs the lofty Qilian Mountains. Undulating grasslands stretches hundreds of miles beyond. Yet there lies the immense Qaidam Basin. Qinghai boasts the headstreams of three large rivers: Yangtze River, Yellow River and Lantsang River. China's largest inland highland saline lake—Qinghai Lake is situated in the province, whose name originated from this lake.

Apr. 25, 2009

Map of Qinghai Province

Map of Qinghai, by courtesy of Qinghai Bureau of Surveying and Mapping. Red flags denote major salt lakes.

Apr. 25, 2009

Beautiful scenery in the view of Bigeye

This is a movie of Qaidam Basin's picturesque scenery. Come on! Go and see with Bigeye.

File Type: Shockwave Flash File: 1.04 M

Apr. 26, 2009

What's on your mind?

What are salt lakes like in your imagination?

• Heavenly place!
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• I think there should be a very large lake, containing huge amount of salts, just like a treasure trove.
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• Salt lakes in Qinghai contain enormous amount of salts, as well as a number of special plants and animals. For example, brine shrimps are commonly seen in salt lakes, and Calligouum mongolicum can also be found at salt lakes. Besides, salt flowers are easily found in some salt lakes.
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• I project salt lakes are vast and seductive, refreshing and exhilarating.
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Apr. 26, 2009

How much do you know about salt lakes?

Buddies, you must have learnt a lot on salt lakes. Let's talk about that. I will be the first.

• Natural salts have amazing variety of shapes: they resemble dazzling pearls, blooming flowers, clean crystals, as well as angular jades, hence the vivid name of pearl salt, glass salt, stalactite, coral salt, crystal salt, snow flower salt, mushroom salt, and so on.
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• Salt Lake is a subcategory of saline lakes, highly salinized (mainly chloride contents) and distributed in arid areas.
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• Many salt flowers can be found at salt lakes. It takes more than 100 years for the development some salt flowers. The salts are typical of halite (pearl salt), gypsum, and other crystals.
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• Qinghai's salt lakes are mainly distributed in Qaidam Basin, where around 30 salt lakes including, Qarhan, Chaka, Dabuxun, DaQaidam and XiaoQaidam, have been found. Nearly 10,000 minerals have been discovered from brines of 40 categories of chemistry.
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• There are more than 1, 000 salt lakes of various dimensions in China, mainly distributed in Qinghai, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang, amounting up to nearly 40,000 km2. Consequently, abundance, vastness, richness, and variety are the characteristics of China's salt lakes. From the salt lakes, thenardite, halite, gypsum, polyhalite, langbeinite, Celestine, pinnoite， glauberite， lithium salts, trona, and picromerite can be obtained and applied in industry, agriculture and our daily life.
  Apr. 26, 2009