Chaka Salt Lake: Mirror Of The Sky

Chaka Salt Lake, located near the town of Chaka in Wulan County, is regarded as one of the most beautiful lakes in the Qaidam Basin of Northwest China’s Qinghai Province. In reality, Chaka is an enormous salt flat measuring roughly 9 kilometres from north to south and 15 kilometres across, with its surface covered by a thick layer of salt. During the dry part of the year, the visible lake becomes considerably smaller. After rainfall, however, the water spreads outward and the lake can reach its full extent.

Why Chaka Is Called the Mirror of the Sky

The water at Chaka Salt Lake is extremely shallow, with some sections reaching only ankle depth. This makes it possible for visitors to walk directly across parts of the lake. When the weather is clear and the sky is intensely blue, the water creates an almost perfect reflection of the heavens above, giving the impression that an enormous mirror has been placed across the earth. Because of this remarkable scenery, Chaka Salt Lake is often known as the “Mirror of the Sky.” Its appearance has also led to comparisons with Bolivia’s famous Salar de Uyuni, although Chaka is considerably smaller.

How the Salt Lake Was Formed

The area where Chaka Salt Lake now lies was once covered by a shallow sea. Over time, tectonic forces pushed this section of land upward by more than 3,000 metres, contributing to the formation of the vast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As the ancient sea disappeared, small amounts of seawater remained trapped in depressions across the elevated landscape and gradually developed into saline lakes, including Chaka Salt Lake.

Rainfall and seasonal streams carried additional salt and minerals down from the surrounding mountains into these enclosed waters. As this process continued over a very long period, the concentration of salt in the lake steadily increased. Today, the salt layer beneath Chaka Salt Lake is more than 5 metres thick.

A History of Salt Production

Salt has been extracted from the lakes of the Qaidam Basin for more than 3,000 years. During the Western Han Dynasty, which lasted from 206 BC to AD 25, members of the local Qiang ethnic minority relied on these lakes as an important source of salt. Salt was also collected from other nearby bodies of water, including Xian Lake, which is now known as Qinghai Lake, as well as Salt Lake in Jincheng County.

Modern Salt Mining at Chaka

Large-scale salt extraction began during the latter half of the 18th century. Because the region contains such enormous natural reserves, obtaining the mineral has traditionally been relatively straightforward. In many areas, salt can be collected simply by removing the upper layer of the lake surface.

Today, industrial-scale extraction is carried out with mechanical equipment. Chaka’s salt factory produces hundreds of tons of high-quality crude salt every year. The salt is distributed throughout China and is also shipped overseas to markets including Japan, Nepal and the Middle East.