{{Infobox body of water | name = Chaka Salt Lake | image = File:茶卡盐湖湖面03.jpg | caption = | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | location = Ulan County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China | coords = {{coord|36.6976|N|99.1055|E|region:CN-63_type:waterbody_scale:1000000|display=inline,title|format=dms}} | pushpin_map = Qinghai | type = Salt lake | inflow = | catchment = | basin_countries = China | length = {{convert|15.8|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|9.2|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} | area = {{convert|105|sqkm|sp=us|abbr=on}} | depth = | max-depth = | elevation = {{convert|3100|m|sp=us|abbr=on|-1}} | cities = Chaka, Ulan County | reference = }}'''Chaka Salt Lake''' ({{lang-zh|s=茶卡盐湖|p=Chákǎ Yánhú}}; {{langx|bo|ཚྭ་ཁ་མཚོ་}}) is a salt lake in Ulan County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai, China.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223837328 |title=Evolution of Chaka Salt Lake in NW China in response to climatic change during the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene |last1=Liu |first1=Xingqi |last2=Dong |first2=Hailiang |date=2008-04-01 |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |pages=867–879 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.12.006 |access-date=2019-10-04 |last3=Rech |first3=Jason |last4=Matsumoto |first4=Ryo |last5=Bo |first5=Yang |last6=Wang |first6=Yongbo|volume=27 |issue=7–8 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://english.www.gov.cn/news/photos/2015/08/25/content_281475175327000.htm |title=Chaka Salt Lake: Mirror of the sky in China |website=english.www.gov.cn |publisher=Government of China |location=China |access-date=2019-10-04}}</ref> The oval-shaped lake is located near the eastern end of Qaidam Basin, {{convert|298|km}} to the west of the provincial capital Xining.<ref name="CD 2019"/> The name "Chaka" (ཚྭ་ཁ) means "salt lake" in Tibetan.<ref name="CD 2015"/>
A branch railway connects the town of Chaka to the Qinghai–Tibet railway. Originally constructed for transporting salt, the line is nowadays used by tourist trains from Xining, with a travel time of over 4 hours.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国国家铁路集团有限公司 |url=http://www.china-railway.com.cn/xwzx/zhxw/202105/t20210509_114843.html |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=www.china-railway.com.cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-02 |title=这趟Y字头列车直达茶卡！网友：好多盐啊…… |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24462595}}</ref>
Chaka Lake is a major tourist destination and a key salt mine in Qinghai. In 2018, it received more than 3 million visitors.<ref name="CD 2019">{{cite news |title=New tourist park to open at China's Chaka Salt Lake |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201907/10/WS5d25a3a1a3105895c2e7cc4e.html |accessdate=4 October 2019 |agency=China Daily |date=10 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Visitors exceed 3 million at Chaka Salt Lake |url=http://eng.tibet.cn/eng/travel/news/201809/t20180920_6274226.html |accessdate=4 October 2019 |publisher=China Tibet Online |date=20 September 2018}}</ref> The lake is famous for its crystal-blue water and reflective lake bed, and is popularly known as "Mirror of the Sky".<ref name="CD 2015">{{cite news |title=Chaka Salt Lake: Mirror of the sky in China |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/travel/2015-08/24/content_21687515.htm |accessdate=4 October 2019 |agency=China Daily|date=25 August 2015}}</ref>
==Climate==
{{Weather box|width=auto |metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = Y |location = Chaka, Ulan County, elevation {{convert|3088|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals) |Jan high C = -2.2 |Feb high C = 1.7 |Mar high C = 6.8 |Apr high C = 12.7 |May high C = 16.6 |Jun high C = 19.2 |Jul high C = 21.5 |Aug high C = 21.3 |Sep high C = 17.2 |Oct high C = 10.9 |Nov high C = 4.1 |Dec high C = -1.0 |Jan mean C = -10.9 |Feb mean C = -7.1 |Mar mean C = -1.8 |Apr mean C = 4.5 |May mean C = 9.2 |Jun mean C = 12.5 |Jul mean C = 14.9 |Aug mean C = 14.3 |Sep mean C = 9.9 |Oct mean C = 2.6 |Nov mean C = -5.0 |Dec mean C = -9.8 |Jan low C = -18.2 |Feb low C = -14.7 |Mar low C = -9.2 |Apr low C = -3.3 |May low C = 2.1 |Jun low C = 6.4 |Jul low C = 9.0 |Aug low C = 8.4 |Sep low C = 4.1 |Oct low C = -4.1 |Nov low C = -12.1 |Dec low C = -16.9 |Jan precipitation mm = 1.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 1.8 |Mar precipitation mm = 3.3 |Apr precipitation mm = 7.5 |May precipitation mm = 26.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 51.3 |Jul precipitation mm = 58.8 |Aug precipitation mm = 48.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 27.2 |Oct precipitation mm = 4.9 |Nov precipitation mm = 1.4 |Dec precipitation mm = 0.5 |Jan humidity = 36 |Feb humidity = 33 |Mar humidity = 31 |Apr humidity = 33 |May humidity = 44 |Jun humidity = 55 |Jul humidity = 59 |Aug humidity = 58 |Sep humidity = 56 |Oct humidity = 43 |Nov humidity = 35 |Dec humidity = 35 |unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 1.9 |Feb precipitation days = 2.0 |Mar precipitation days = 2.7 |Apr precipitation days = 3.6 |May precipitation days = 8.4 |Jun precipitation days = 12.2 |Jul precipitation days = 13.6 |Aug precipitation days = 11.0 |Sep precipitation days = 7.8 |Oct precipitation days = 2.6 |Nov precipitation days = 0.9 |Dec precipitation days = 0.7 |year precipitation days = |Jan sun = 231.2 |Feb sun = 221.4 |Mar sun = 255.2 |Apr sun = 269.9 |May sun = 267.5 |Jun sun = 233.5 |Jul sun = 248.5 |Aug sun = 253.2 |Sep sun = 235.7 |Oct sun = 261.3 |Nov sun = 245.1 |Dec sun = 233.5 |year sun = | Jan percentsun = 75 | Feb percentsun = 72 | Mar percentsun = 68 | Apr percentsun = 68 | May percentsun = 61 | Jun percentsun = 53 | Jul percentsun = 56 | Aug percentsun = 61 | Sep percentsun = 64 | Oct percentsun = 76 | Nov percentsun = 81 | Dec percentsun = 78 | year percentsun = |Jan snow days = 2.8 |Feb snow days = 2.9 |Mar snow days = 4.3 |Apr snow days = 4.0 |May snow days = 2.4 |Jun snow days = 0.2 |Jul snow days = 0 |Aug snow days = 0 |Sep snow days = 0 |Oct snow days = 1.8 |Nov snow days = 1.7 |Dec snow days = 1.2 |year snow days = |source 1 = China Meteorological Administration<ref name="cma graphical">{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans |access-date=27 September 2023}}</ref><ref> {{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans | access-date =27 September 2023}}</ref> }}
{{commons category}}
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Lakes of China Category:Lakes of Qinghai Category:Tourist attractions in Qinghai