- Chinese (Pinyin):
- Chaidamu Pendi or
- (Wade-Giles romanization):
- Châai-ta-mu Pâen-ti
- Conventional:
- Tsaidam Basin
Qaidam Basin
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What is the Qaidam Basin?
The Qaidam Basin is in the northeastern section of the Plateau of Tibet, in western China's Qinghai province. It's bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south and the Altun and Qilian mountain systems to the north and east.
This immense, low-lying area has an average elevation between 8,000 and 10,000 feet (2,400 and 3,000 meters), lower than the Plateau of Tibet. The basin experiences minimal rainfall and interior drainage, with rivers flowing into salt lakes and saline swamps. The northwest has true desert conditions, and the Qarhan Salt Marsh is Chinaâs largest surface-level rock salt bed. Since World War II, mineral riches, including salt, oil, and potash deposits, have been developed.
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Where is the Qaidam Basin located in China?
The Qaidam Basin is located in the northwestern part of Qinghai province, western China, and forms the northeastern section of the Plateau of Tibet. It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south and the Altun and Qilian mountain systems to the north and east. The basin is lower in elevation than the Plateau of Tibet, with an average elevation of 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,400 to 3,000 meters).
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What kind of climate does the Qaidam Basin have?
The Qaidam Basin, in western China, has a continental climate because it's far from the sea, with mountain ranges blocking maritime winds. The area experiences significant temperature variations, long, extremely cold winters, and minimal rainfall of less than 4 inches (100 mm) per year. Summer is short and warm. Strong winds from the Mongolian Plateau often blanket the region with sand.
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Why is the Qaidam Basin important for minerals and resources?
The Qaidam Basin is important for minerals and resources because it contains vast deposits of salt, potash, various borate minerals, and boron. Extensive geologic surveys done in the 1950s revealed rich reserves of coal and petroleum. Qinghai has become Chinaâs largest producer of lithium, and the province has rich deposits of potassium, strontium, bromine, salts, silicon, and magnesium, as well as reserves of copper, lead, and zinc.
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What types of plants and animals live in the Qaidam Basin?
The Qaidam Basin is sparsely populated, but it is known for its horse and sheep pastoralists. Outside of the desert and salt marsh areas, the land is rolling plain covered with poor grass, while the slopes of the surrounding mountains have good grassland, especially in the north, where the Altun and Qilian mountains have some forested areas.
Antelope, wild horses, wolves, foxes, bears, snow leopards, and exotic birds such as the black-necked crane are found in Qinghai province, where the Qaidam Basin is located.
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How have people used and changed the Qaidam Basin over time?
The Qaidam Basin, once sparsely populated by pastoralists known for horse breeding and sheep, has undergone significant changes since the mid-20th century. Its rich mineral deposits, including salt, potash, borate, boron, coal, petroleum, lithium, potassium, strontium, bromine, salts, silicon, and magnesium, have attracted considerable attention and exploitation.
Extensive geological surveys in the 1950s led to the operation of oil fields, such as in the Mangnai area, and the construction of oil refineries at Lenghu and Mangnai. Large iron deposits were found at Golmud, where a chemical industry producing fertilizer was developed. Transportation infrastructure has also seen vast development, including railway extensions and highway networks, enhancing the area's role as a communications center. Additionally, agricultural experiments involving intensive irrigation have enabled wheat cultivation in some marginal areas.
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Qaidam Basin, northeastern section of the Plateau of Tibet, occupying the northwestern part of Qinghai province, western China. The basin is bounded on the south by the towering Kunlun Mountainsâwith many peaks in the western part exceeding 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) above sea levelâand on the north and east by the Altun and Qilian mountain systems; Dangjin Pass, which cuts between the Altun and Qilian systems, provides the only practicable access to Gansu province. The pass opens into the eastern Qaidam Basin through the area around Koko Nor. The basin is considerably lower than the Plateau of Tibet, which lies south of the Kunlun system, the average elevation being between 8,000 and 10,000 feet (2,400 and 3,000 meters).
The Qaidam Basin is almost entirely an area of interior drainage, with rivers discharging either into Koko Nor or into one of the numerous salt lakes and saline swamps in the basinâs central area. The northwest portion of the basin is an area of true desert. Another desert area is found in the subsidiary basin in the north, around the saline Lake Suhai (Sugan). The Qarhan Salt Marsh in the center of the basin is Chinaâs largest surface-level rock salt bed, with an area of some 620 square miles (1,600 square km) and solid salt deposits up to 50 feet (15 meters) thick. The area has a climate marked by long and extremely cold winters, great temperature variations, and minimal rainfallâthe total precipitation of the area is less than 4 inches (100 mm) per year. Outside the desert and salt marsh areas in the center of the basin, the land is rolling plain covered with poor grass, but the slopes of the surrounding mountains have areas of good grassland, particularly in the north, where the Altun and Qilian mountains have some forested areas, especially near Koko Nor.
Until the mid-20th century, the Qaidam area was sparsely populated, and most of the inhabitants were pastoralists noted for their horse breeding; the region is also renowned for its sheep. Since World War II, however, the mineral riches of the area have attracted attention. These include vast deposits of salt, potash, various borate minerals, and boron. In the 1950s extensive geologic surveys of the area revealed rich reserves of coal and petroleum. A number of oil fields are in operation, notably in the Mangnai area in the western part of the basin. A large oil refinery has been constructed at Lenghu, southwest of Dangjin Pass, and another has been built at Mangnai. Large deposits of iron have been found at Golmud, where a chemical industry using local materials to produce fertilizer on a large scale has been developed. In the late 1970s the railway from Lanzhou in Gansu to Xining in Qinghai was extended to Golmud, and in 2006 a new rail line was opened between Golmud and Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region; a network of highways has also been developed. The area has been the location of agricultural experiments. Some of the marginal areas in the north and east have been used to grow wheat through the use of intensive irrigation.
