1. What is a salt lake？
Fresh water is the water there are less than 0.1% (1 g/L) inorganic substances, and these lakes were called fresh lake.
Salt water is the water there are 0.1%-3.5% (1-35 g/L) inorganic substances, and these lakes were called fresh lake.
The lakes were called salt lake there is more than 3.5%(35 g/L) salts, and there lakes were formed in the end of the process of evolution and development.
There are many salt lakes in China, salt lake is the lake there are more than 5.0%(50 g/L) salts, and the dry salt lake is there are intercrystalline brine but no surface brine.
2. How to determination the brine salinity in the lake?
The brine salinity is the quantity of inorganic salts in the lake.
The main salt types are Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO42-, HCO3- and CO32-, and the other compositions can be ignored. So the brine salinity was calculated according to the quantity of the main salt types.
3. How many salt lakes are there in China?
According to investigation, there are more than 1000 salt lakes, and the areas is about 50000 km2. Among them, there are more than 800 salt lakes and their areas more than 1 km2. the total area is about 40000 km2, and salt lake is the main type of natural lakes in China.
4. The distribution of salt lakes in the world
There are salt lake areas in equatorial regions, and both hemispheres on the earth. Modern salt lakes mainly are located drought zone of both hemispheres in the world. Lake Chad in Africa, dead sea in West Asia, Chaerhan Salt Lake in China and great salt lake in America also are located drought zone of northern hemisphere.
There are Southern Africa and South America in drought zone of Southern hemisphere. There are only small carbonate-type salt lakes in Southern Africa. And there is many salt lakes in Australia. There are Salar de Salt Lake , Larry tiri salt lake, Salar de Uyuni ,and so on in South America. There are some salt lakes in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and these lakes are located equatorial regions.
5. The distribution of salt lake in China
China is the most populous countries of salt lake distribution, the number and distribution of dense are rare in the world.
In the north and east of our country, there are many salt lakes. For example, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang and so on. In these areas, the total area of salt lakes is about 40000 km2. there are 790 lakes their area are more than 1 km2.
Locations of world salt lakes
Locations of China salt Lakes
