Liao Plain

(also Manchurian Plain), a plain in northeastern China; part of the Sungliao Plain; 360 km long and 120 km wide (maximum).

The axial part of the Liao Plain is composed of alluvial deposits of the Liao Ho. The section along the coast of the Gulf of Liaotung (Yellow Sea) is composed of marine deposits. The floodplain and terraces of the Liao Ho are adjoined by sloping piedmont plains—the talus trains at the foothills of the Jehol Mountains and the mountains on the border between Manchuria and Korea. There are isolated outliers with elevations of up to 580 m (Mount Tahushan) on the plain.

The Liao Plain has a monsoon climate, with moderately cold winters and hot, rainy summers. The precipitation averages between 600 and 700 mm a year. Most of the plain is under cultivation, with plantings of kaoliang, soybean, and foxtail millet; hardly any natural vegetation (dry steppes on light chestnut soils) remains. The major cities of Shenyang and Anshan are located in the Liao Plain.