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
| 466 ARTHUR NEVE. Kara-korum valleys »the evidence is of the conservative action of glaciers, not excavating their bed, but protecting it from aqueous erosion». June I I th they marched up to the snout of Bilaphond Glacier where at Ghyari they had their base camp; 6o years before VIGNE had been at the place. The view was open up the Bilaphond, and K I I was visible as well as the snow saddle of the pass. The natives declared that formerly the Chumik and the Bilaphond Glaciers were separate and nearly a mile farther back. They went up the glacier which was easier the second day, when they camped at Ali Bransa 17,000 feet. Most of the moraines were of reddish felspar granite, and higher up on the east side were some schists. Next day they continued. VIGNE and RYALL had been there before, but not so far. Dr. and Mrs. WORKMAN, three years later, took a different line up the glacier. At I I. a. m. they had reached the summit. We were fully convinced at the moment that we had crossed the great divide of the Karakorum, and that the valleys to the north drained into the Yarkand River. From our pass we looked up west to the half-hidden peaks of K II. North, a broad snowfield and glacier led gently downwards to a still larger sea of ice sweeping to the right, the east, and beyond that rose a mighty wall of rocky mountains which we assumed must be the Aghil Mountains of Younghusband. Next day they continued down the new glacier which was called Teram by the older coolies, and was said to lead to Chang Thang, which probably meant the high mountainous region beyond the Kara-korum, though only 2 marches separated the party from the Nubra Valley. Neve believed that they were on Chinese territory north of the Kara-korum. They were, however, on the biggest glacier they had ever seen. To the west they looked up it some 15 miles. The elaborate survey which Dr. and Mrs. Workman had carried out during 1912 through Mr. Peterkin, while they themselves explored all the surrounding glaciers and made some important ascents to the Oprang watershed, and also over a snowfield and down the Kondus glacier, has revealed the great size of the glacier, which is far the largest in Asia, or elsewhere outside the Arctic regions. The main glacier was 2 or 3 miles wide. I was not personally much impressed with the appearance or apparent altitude of Teram Kangri Mount, about which much has since been written. Judging it by the eye, I reckoned it at less than 25,000 feet. The chief interest for me was the geology of the Teram range, for while all the Karakorum to our south was granite, at a glance I saw that the great wall in front was partly stratified. It looked to Neve as if the highest part of Teram Kangri Peak might be slate. A few weeks earlier SELLA had photographed some of the peaks they now saw to the west. The most interesting was to know where the big glacier went to. It was decided to go around to the east. The upper part was left to the Workmans, »who during 19I 2 I I Vide infra. | |||||||
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