Tsaidam

Tsaidam, whose Tibetan name means “salt marsh”, is a vast inland basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The Kunlun, Qilian and Altun Mountains surround its dry plains, where rivers end in saline lakes and salt flats instead of reaching the sea. Though lower than the plateau to the south, the basin remains high and cold. Ancient shorelines recall a time when much larger lakes occupied its floor.