South Suli Lake

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, Xiǎozàohuǒ Hé)^[1] 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.^[2]

South Suli Lake
南涩聂湖 (Chinese)
A map of the Qarhan Playa (1975), with Suli Lake (Se-nieh Hu) in the far west and S. Suli Lake (unlabeled) below it
South Suli Lake
Location	Golmud County Haixi Prefecture Qinghai Province China
Coordinates	36°58′45″N 94°16′20″E
Type	Endorheic saline lake
Primary inflows	Zaohuo River
Basin countries	China
Surface area	0–1.5 km2 (0.00–0.58 sq mi)
Surface elevation	2,675 m (8,780 ft)

South Suli Lake
Traditional Chinese	南澀聶湖
Simplified Chinese	南涩聂湖
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nánsèniè Hú Nán Sèniè Hú Wade–Giles Nan-se-nieh Hu Nan Se-nieh Hu
Little Suli Lake
Traditional Chinese	小澀聶湖
Simplified Chinese	小涩聂湖
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiǎosèniè Hú Xiǎo Sèniè Hú Wade–Giles Hsiao-se-nieh Hu Hsiao Se-nieh Hu
New Suli Lake
Traditional Chinese	新澀聶湖
Simplified Chinese	新涩聂湖
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xīnsèniè Hú Xīn Sèniè Hú Wade–Giles Hsin-se-nieh Hu Hsin Se-nieh Hu

It takes its name from its position relative to the larger Suli Lake, itself supposedly a transcription of a Mongolian placename derived from the word for "temples" or "sideburns".^[3]

See also

• Qarhan Playa & Qaidam Basin
• List of lakes & saltwater lakes of China