well done thus far holders....dare to dream, anyone consider the possibility of a jv with peabody?
no point speculating...only teasing.
bit of history on The Tsaidam Basin.
http://www.uv.es/EBRIT/micro/micro_605_64.html
Until recent times the Tsaidam area was sparsely peopled, and the population was for the most part composed of pastoralists noted for their horse breeding; the region is also renowned for its sheep. Since World War II, however, the mineral riches of the area have attracted attention. These include vast deposits of salt, potash, various borate minerals, and boron. In the 1950s extensive geologic surveys of the area revealed rich reserves of coal, oil, and asbestos. Oil fields are in operation, including several around Mang-ya. A large oil refinery has been constructed at Leng-hu, southeast of the Tang-chin Pass, and another has been built at Mang-ya. Very large iron deposits have also been found at Golmud, which has developed a chemical industry using local materials and which produces fertilizer on a considerable scale. In the late 1970s the railway from Lan-chou in Kansu to Hsi-ning in Tsinghai was extended to Golmud, and a network of highways had been constructed. The area has also been the scene of experiments in agriculture. With intensive irrigation, some of the marginal areas in the north and east are used to grow wheat.
Source: Peking Review, No. 48, November 26, 1971 Transcribed for www.wengewang.org
THE Tsaidam basin in northwest China's Chinghai Province is being built into a new industrial base. The vast sandy land is dotted with derricks and factories, and many new towns have sprung up. In place of camels which used to be the only means of conveyance, lorries travel along criss-crossing highways, carrying petroleum, asbestos, lead, zinc, potassium fertilizer and chemical raw materials to other parts of the country. Hemmed in by the Chilien Mountains on the north and the Kunlun Mountains on the south, the basin � one of the largest in China's interior � covers an area of more than 300,000 square kilometres. Rich in oil, salt, borax, lead, zinc, coal and iron-ore, it also produces gold, silver and other precious metals, while the salt deposits of Lake Chaerhan are sufficient for the people of the whole country for 10.000 years. Small wonder that Tsaidam has earned the name "Basin of Treasures." However, at the time of liberation in 1949, it was practically desolate except for its eastern strip where, with grassland and adequate water supply, nomads of the Mongolian, Tibetan and Kazakh nationalities grazed cattle and built a few farm settlements. From 1950, survey teams were sent to eastern Tsaidam by the People's Government. Since 1954, geological prospecting teams have continually combed the area for underground resources. During the big leap forward in 1958, guided by the general line of "going all out, aiming high and achieving greater, faster, better and more economical results in building socialism" formulated by Chairman Mao, large numbers of people from all parts of the country went to Tsaidam where they located many ore deposits and built many factories after overcoming innumerable difficulties.
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