| A HIGHLAND STEPPE. 223 On 7anuary 13th, we moved 22.3 km. E. S. E., rising only 21 m. or to 4,935 m. at Camp CCCIII, being a rate of 1 : 1062. The temperature of the night was —28.0°. In the morning we had a west wind. It had snowed in the night, but only on the northern hills, where no bare patches were left. About 9.30 o'cl. a. m. it began to snow again for half an hour. At the same time a very thick fog came up from the east, concealing all the surrounding mountains. Even the eastern end of the lake became hidden. We now left our course of 1906, and proceeded along the base of the southern mountains, crossing a broad, shallow and barren erosion bed from a larger transverse valley to the south. The good grass had ceased about one hour from the camp; to judge from the enormous amount of dung of wild yak and kyang, it was a well-known grazing-ground for these animals. Then only yaj5chan plants were abundant the whole way to the next camp. The soil consists of soft sand and dust; gravel is only passed in erosion furrows. A herd of antelopes fled at our approach ; no other animals were seen except two ravens. The west wind begins again , and the fog is swept away. In front of us, is a little threshold between the southern hills and a detached hill which we had left to our right in 1906. To our left, is the broad and open latitudinal valley with half its area white with snow, and its principal watercourse, to which broad erosion beds go down from the southern valleys. Some of them have terraces, 1 m. high, at the east or lee side of which, a good deal of snow has been swept by the strong west wind. Camp CCCIII was pitched in the mouth of a southern valley, where grass and fuel were abundant and the snow afforded water. Pan. 392A and B, Tab. 69, is taken from this place. On 7anuary 14th, our march goes E. S. E. and S. E. for 17.7 km. rising 10 m., as Camp CCCIV is at 4,945 m. which means a rise of the ground at a rate of 1:1770 or a practically level country. The temperature went down to —36.1°. We crossed the little threshold just east of the camp, being only some 3o m. high above the surrounding ground. From here the great latitudinal valley of 1906 is seen stretching far away to the east. Our passage to the S. E. seemed to be obstructed by moderate mountains, but soon we found an opening between two hills, and a large even plain stretching S. 55° E., being in connection with the extensive latitudinal valley. In this direction, all vegetation gradually disappears. The soil is fine, grey clay, or dark brownish dust, the latter being soft and tiring for the caravan animals. In the lowest part of the plain, where the height of 4,92 8 m. was read, running water had modelled the clay deposits into terraces, platforms and tables. Several shallow erosion beds convey into this flat depression, probably the basin of a dried-up lake. Calcified parts of plants form a fine gravel, as it were, on the surface of the soil. To our right are hills of moderate size, all white with snow. In the S. E. part of the plain, the soil consists of reddish brown and very | | |
IIIFカラー高解像度
