Tuanjie Lake

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.

Tuanjie Lake
团结湖 (Chinese)
Tuanjie Lake in 2003, surrounded with salt pans. The town of Qarhan and Lake Dabusun are visible to the NW.
Tuanjie Lake
Location	Golmud County Haixi Prefecture Qinghai Province China
Coordinates	36°43′50″N 95°21′42.5″E
Type	Endorheic saline lake
Primary inflows	Shougong River
Basin countries	China
Surface area	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Surface elevation	2,675 m (8,776 ft)

Tuanjie Lake
The Sanhu Depression in 2014, with Tuanjie in the extreme SE (ESA)
Traditional Chinese	團結湖
Simplified Chinese	团结湖
Literal meaning	Solidarity Lake Unity Lake
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tuánjié Hú Wade–Giles T‘uan-chieh Hu

Geography

Tuanjie Lake and the surrounding salt pans (2007)

Tuanjie Lake at the southern edge of the Qaidam subbasin^[1] in the eastern Qarhan Playa at an elevation of 2,675 m (8,776 ft) above sea level.^[2] It has an area of 6 km² (2.3 sq mi).^[2] It lies southeast of Dabusun Lake, south of Xiezuo Lake, and west of South Hulsan Lake^[1] and is fed by the intermittent stream of the Shougong River (收工河, Shōugōng Hé).^[3] Its depth usually does not exceed 1 m (3 ft 3 in).^[4]

Tuanjie'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] Nonetheless, the lake's brine is at or near saturation with calcite, halite, polyhalite, kieserite, and (importantly) carnallite,^[6] which is processed to produce potash for potassium-rich fertilizers and other uses.

See also

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