The lake, which has an area of 21 km² today, consists of a smaller northeastern sub-basin (East Chagannur) and a larger southwestern sub-basin (West Chagannur) joined by a narrow channel. Two intermittent rivers discharge into the lake, one from the northeast and the other from the southeast. The lake is also fed by direct precipitation. Chagannur is the largest of a series of 16 salt lakes that are relicts of a formerly more extensive lake (Chagannur Palaeolake). At its maximum extent, which is thought to have been during the early to mid-Holocene, this palaeolake occupied an area of ca 2640 km². The total area of lakes in the basin today is ca 156 km². The basin, which is controlled by two faults running SW-NE, is of tectonic origin. The bedrocks are Cretaceous sandstone and mudstone.
Ref.:
- Yu, G., Harrison, S.P., and Xue, B. (2001): Lake status records from China: Data Base Documentation. MPI-BGC Technology Report No. 4, pp. 46-49.
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Map Reference: 43°16'N , 112°54'E
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