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 TANG-LA RANGE.
339
Lan-tsan-tsian or the Tibetan Lakio. It turns to the south and has, lower down, the name of Mekong.
In that part of the range "I'an-la itself which Prshevalskiy saw, the snow peaks were approximately estimated at 19--20,000 feet at least. Living rock was very rare, and in some places altogether missing. On both sides of the Tang-la, sand and argillaceous schists were found. On the northern side the glaciers go down almost to the height of the pass, and the snow-line seems to be at about i 7,000 feet. On the southern side he estimates the snow and ice-line at 500 feet higher. The climate is extremely severe, and worse than the surrounding regions of Northern Tibet. Storms are general the whole year round. The cold in the winter is extreme. During the summer rain, snow and hail are constantly falling. At sunrise in the beginning of November, Prshevalskiy observed —30.0°, and in the middle of December —31.5°. Grass appears on the Tang-la to i 6,000 feet. Above that height the ground consists of very extensive marshes with tussocks. Such fill also the whole southern slope. On the latter, hot mineral sources are to be found.
During 8 days Prshevalskiy ascended the northern slope of Tang-la. The animals were very weak on account of the considerable height. One had to follow a path, which, as a rule, was covered with ice. Sand or gravel had to be spread on it for the camels. The rareness of grass, the bitter cold at night and the very hard winds made the journey still more difficult. As an average, only 15 versts were covered every day. The 8th day's march took the caravan to the pass of Tang-la. To the right and left of the pass mighty mountains rise approximately to 2,000 or 3,000 feet above the pass or to about 19-20,000 feet high. Mighty glaciers, especially to the west of the camp, filled the gorges and parts of the northern slopes, continuing on them nearly to the horizontal ground. The distance from the camp to the nearest of these glaciers was only one verst. On the northern slopes some very poor grass was to be found, even up to the pass itself, the southern slope was covered with fine gravel of argillaceous schist, and living rock was not to be seen. The pass itself is so easy that it can hardly be noticed. The height was 16,700 feet. From the pass to the river San-chu at the southern side, the caravan needed 5 days. Here the height was 14,700 feet. The river just mentioned falls into the Tan-chu, or, in Mongol, Bugin-gol, which goes to Nap-chu or Khara-usu.
On a very good map in Petermann's Mitteilungen, I 883,' the »Tan-la Gebirge» is represented as stretching W. N. W.—E. S. E. at 33° N. lat. The route of Prshevalskiy crossed this range at 92° 2 0' E. long. from Greenw.2
1 Tafel 9: Frzewalskis Reise durch die Gobi 'fiste und den Kwen-lun nach Tibet und zum Kuku-nor 1879 und 1880, 1: 3500000.
2 A short description of Prshewalskiy's journey over the Tang-la Mountains is to be found in
H. e. ,1Zy6poBHHI: Huhonati MuxatiAoetr1ra Hp./Ceea✓r'bcxiü, C.-IIeTep6yprb,
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