IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Southern Tibet : vol.7 |
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Citation Information
THE FIRST SURVEY OF GODWIN-AUSTEN.
233
S. W.—N. E. and called Gangri Mussun Mts. and Giangri—Lang-boo-ri Mts. The mysterious Tsasa Dabhan Mts. are also entered.
Pl. LIII shows a new edition of the map of STÜLPNAGEL: Ost-Indien mail den Inseln (coloured, 38x29 cm., i : j8, 5 00,000), Gotha 1863. The Kara-korum Pass is still shown as situated in the Kwen-lun Range.
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With GODWIN-AUSTEN one of the really great and epoch-making names makes its entrance in the history of exploration of the Kara-korum. In his article On the Glaciers of the Mustaklz Range and on the map accompanying it, Captain H. H. GODWIN - AUSTEN gives us a much fuller and more complete idea of the glacier world of Western Kara-korum, than we ever got from his predecessors.'
He begins his work, August 5th, 186o, from the village of Kiris, and ascends the Bianchu, 16,000 feet high. A crossing of a pass and a glacier takes him into the valley of Thüllè. The next valley he visits is Hushè. From a high peak he had a magnificent view of the Kara-korum Range, »rising 2 2,000 feet, with fine needlelike forms .... and yet these mountains were only the spurs which ran down from the great masses beyond them». From another station at the left side of the same valley he had a fine view up the Hushè valley to Masherbrum, »rising to 2 5,000 ft. with its pink-tinted rocks shining out in warm contrast with the masses of snow which rested on its sides.» »From this peak the Atoser and Masherbrum glaciers were coming down.»
From a peak situated southeast of Skardo and 17,500 feet high, he has again »a magnificent view of the Kara-korum Mountains, or rather of that portion known as the Mustakh; but presenting at this distance only great masses of everlasting snow, from off which rise several fine peaks to the west and deep in the distance below lies the Skardo valley, and its junction with the Shigar.» After some excursions from Shigar he finished the work of the year.
In July 1861 he continued his survey work. From Boorje La and Thyarlung (I 6,844) are to be seen Peak K 2, »the highest on this side ...., K 1 (Masherbrum), K 3 and others, all over 24,000 in height.»
Godwin-Austen was not only a very careful surveyor, he also travelled with his eyes open for the geological questions and phenomena in these difficult regions.
The height of the upper lacustrine deposit at Kuardo is quite 4000 feet above the present river, and this deposit also rests on the rock of Skardo in the town. This attracts the attention at once, for it indicates plainly that the whole breadth of the valley has at some time been filled up to that level.
I Journal Royal Geographical Society. Vol. 34. 1864, p. 19 et seq. 30. VII.
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