CHARACTERISTICS OF INLAND QUATERNARY BASINS IN NORTHWEST CHINA WITH REFERENCE TO THEIR HYDROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Quaternary inland basins are well-developed in northwest China, better known as the typical Gobi Desert area. Most of these Quaternary basin s are features inherited from Meso-Cenozoic basins. They are character ized by long sequences of gravel formations and strong neotectonics. S everal patterns of basin structures have been classified on the basis of different intensities of neotectonic movements. This paper gives a detailed analysis of the sedimentary and structural features of these different basin types paying special attention to their hydrological s ignificance.