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Laoyankeng Salt Lake, Lopnur Co. (Yuli Co.; Weili Co.), Bayin'gholin Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, Chinai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Laoyankeng Salt Lake | Saline Lake |
| Lopnur Co. (Yuli Co.; Weili Co.) | County |
| Bayin'gholin Autonomous Prefecture | Prefecture |
| Xinjiang | Autonomous Region |
| China | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
40° 49' North , 87° 6' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
The Laoyankeng salt lake is located in the northwestern margin of the Ruoqiang Depression in the eastern Tarim Basin. The playa covers ∼ 11 km2 and displays a NW-SE trending, diamond-shaped planform. The modern land surface consists of dunes and sand flats, salt-lake flats, and locally cultivated land. The sedimentary succession is characterized by vertical alternations between saline-lacustrine and aeolian deposits. The evaporite intervals in Well RJ2 contain halite, gypsum, sylvite, glauberite, and celestite, and brines of the halite inter-crystalline pores from the well enrichen KCl with grades of 0.44%–0.69%.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
6 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
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Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Halite | 3.AA.20 | NaCl |
| ⓘ | Sylvite | 3.AA.20 | KCl |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Glauberite | 7.AD.25 | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
| ⓘ | Celestine | 7.AD.35 | SrSO4 |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Celestine | SrSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Na | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Celestine | SrSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| Cl | ⓘ Sylvite | KCl |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Sylvite | KCl |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Sr | Strontium | |
| Sr | ⓘ Celestine | SrSO4 |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
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References
[1]Ma, Mingze; Liu, Wenhao; Yuan, Chongyang; Qiu, Man; Yang, Zhen; Wang, Fan; Liu, Chenglin (2026) Hydro-geochemical characteristics, evolution and potash-forming potential of salt lakes in the desert−covered area of the eastern Tarim Basin, western China: a case study of Laoyankeng salt lake. Ore Geology Reviews, p.107470. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2026.107470
