Abstract: The Qaidam Basin is rich in salt mineral resources, making it an advantageous mineral species in Qinghai Province and a fundamental support for the construction of a world-class salt lake industrial base. Based on years of research on salt deposits in the Qaidam Basin, the author comprehensively summarized and analyzed the types, resource characteristics, and spatiotemporal distribution patterns of salt deposits in the basin. Based on the main ore deposit characteristics and mineralization, salt deposits in the basin are divided into 3 types and 5 subtypes, and each deposit type is briefly explained. The salt mineralization period in the Qaidam Basin can be divided into three stages: Paleocene to Eocene (the embryonic stage of salt deposits), Oligocene to Early Pleistocene (the development stage of salt deposits), and Middle Pleistocene to Holocene (the peak stage of salt deposits). The resource characteristics of its salt deposits are: a large number of mineral sites, but uneven geographical distribution. Salt deposits are concentrated in the central depression area of the basin, with a large number of large and medium-sized deposits and a large proportion of resources. Deep brine and ancient salt deposits are only distributed in the western part of the depression area. There are various types of ore deposits, but they are mainly Quaternary modern salt lake deposits and confined brine types; Salt lake deposits related to chemical salts are generally distributed in concave structures, while single ancient salt deposits or deep brine deposits are generally distributed in anticlinal structural areas.