South Suli Lake
small salt lake in the western Qarhan Playa, Qinghai, China

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) 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.
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".
See also
Qarhan Playa & Qaidam Basin
List of lakes & saltwater lakes of China
References
Citations
Bibliography
"Cháidámù Péndì Dìmíng Jíjǐn 柴达木盆地地名集锦" [A Selection of Qaidam Basin Place Names], Official site (in Chinese), Da Qaidam: Wusute Yadan Geological Park, 2 May 2019.
Yu Junqing; et al., "Geomorphic, Hydroclimatic, and Hydrothermal Controls on the Formation of Lithium Brine Deposits in the Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau, China" (PDF), Ore Geology Reviews, vol. 50, Amsterdam: Elvesier, pp. 171–183, doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2012.11.001.
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