National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.4 |
OROGRAPHY OF TIIE TIBETAN HIGHLANDS.
579
range, except that Nain Singh crossed over it by the pass of Kilong, situated immediately north-west of the northern point of the Dangra-jum-tso, and to that pass he assigns an altitude of 5 540 m. ; probably this is not exaggerated, when it is remembered that the range to which it belongs is one of the first magnitude. On Grenard's map this range is also indicated with heavy hatchments. The Scha-gandschum, Tok-dschalung, and Alung-gangri may no doubt be considered as parts of this range. South of it stretches a perfect terra incognita. Just as this last-mentioned range forms the northern boundary of Nain Singh's lacustrine basin and serves as a water-parting between it and the Selling-tso lakes, so we may take it that the Dangra-jum-tso and the groups of lakes to which it belongs are bounded on the south by an important main range running parallel with that on the north. And another big range overlooks, I believe, the northern bank of the Tsangpo. Between these two systems, of which there is not a sign on our maps, I assume that there exists a particularly broad and extensive latitudinal valley, which, I dare say, includes a vast number of lakes, amongst them being the Karmo-tso, Ruldap-tso, Galaringtso, and Mun-tso, which have been located on the maps from hearsay. Between the last-named and the Dangra-jum-tso Nain Singh has drawn a big range, which he entitles the »Targot Lha, Snowy Peaks». This is undoubtedly a westward continuation of the great range of Nintschen-tang-la, which rises south of the Tengrinor. To the southernmost range, namely that which overlooks the left bank of the Tsangpo, we may count the Kailas mountains north of the Manasarovar lakes. The most definite and the largest of all the Tibetan latitudinal valleys is that which contains the upper Indus, the Manasarovar lakes, and the upper Brahmaputra; in fact, it would be impossible to define the course of a valley better than is done in this case by these two rivers.
I have already given a table of the ranges in northern Tibet down as far as Arka-tagh IV. For the sake of completeness I will here bring together in one list all the ranges and intervening valleys which we have been discussing from the outset:
Lower Astin-tagh Latitudinal valley Upper Astin-tagh Latitudinal valley Akato-tagh | 3028 m. 3435 m. | 2799 m. 2970 » | |
Tschimen valley |
| 3237 | » |
Tschimen-tagh | 4240 m. |
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Latitudinal valley |
| 3918 | » |
Ara-tagh | 4373 m. |
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Latitudinal valley |
| 4094 | " |
Kalta-alaghan | 4462 m. |
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Kum-köl valley |
| 3887 | » |
Arka-tagh I | 5021 m. |
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Latitudinal valley |
| 4770 | » |
Arka-tagh II | 5193 m. |
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Latitudinal valley |
| 4968 | » |
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