Fig. 3

Typical landscapes in the Qaidam Basin. A Meandering river Nasin Gol on its way into the salt lake Dong Taijnar Hu. Width of the main channel 25 m. B Lake Dabusun in the background; in front solid rugged crust of halite, in places shattered. Lake Dabusun and the salt flats are part of the central Qarhan playa. Distance to the small island c. 500 m. C Salt lake Da Qaidam Hu with rugged salt structures in the foreground. Width of the polygonal shapes 20–30 cm. D Aeolian salt-rich sand deposits in the Qilian mountains, which originally came from the Qaidam Basin. High of the mountains 5827 m a.s.l. and c. 2600 m above earth surface