ISL undertook the task of "Investigation and Prospect Evaluation of Salt Lake Resources Change in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" in the second comprehensive scientific investigation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to the arrangement of scientific expedition tasks, the third topic is to complete the "Salt Lake Source and Sink Process and Resource Change Control Mechanism". From June 9th to 20th, 2020, Professor Fan Qishun led a scientific expedition team to conduct a systematic scientific investigation of the main lakes, surrounding rocks and sedimentary strata in the eastern Kunlun Mountains and the northern margin of Qaidam. The scientific expedition team consisted of 5 people. The expedition lasted 12 days. The team members overcame various difficulties such as the high altitude of the surrounding mountains, poor accommodation and road conditions, and successfully completed the scientific expedition task. The expedition has a total of more than 4,200 kilometers.
This scientific expedition is mainly divided into two parts. One is to carry out rock geochemical surveys along the Golmud River and Xueshui River basins in the East Kunlun Mountains, mainly to analyze the process and control factors of the weathering of resource element source areas in different seasons-river migration-the modernization of the tail salt lake. The second is to develop secondary lake basins along the northern margin of Qaidam, such as Dachaidan and Xiaochaidan salt lakes, Koluk-Tuosu Lake-Gahai, and carry out investigations on the enrichment of typical lake resources, lake surface expansion and response to resource element changes, stratigraphy and geomorphology of lake water overflow in geological period.
During the investigation, the scientific expedition team discovered that the surface of the Xiaochaidan Salt Lake in the northern margin of Qaidam has expanded significantly, which has seriously affected the highway roadbed and traffic operation. The most important findings indicate that the Xiaochaidan Salt Lake has spilled stratigraphic and geomorphological evidence during the geological period. In addition, scientific research found that the lakes of Koluk, Tosu Lake and Gahai continued to rise, which has endangered the road into the lake and the surrounding xerophytes. The changes in the resources of different types of lakes in the northern margin of Qaidam Basin and the resulting ecological and environmental effects require further regular quantitative monitoring and analysis.
Investigate the surrounding rocks of the East Kunlun Mountains