Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 80 (Color Image)

0080	Southern Tibet : vol.4

But at many places one sees that great volumes of water have washed over the
ground without forming regular furrows. Gradually the ground becomes more and
more barren, there is no more yapkak and no rabbits' holes. The dust is more
reddish and sometimes covered with fine gravel. With the sun behind them, the
*Kara-korum* Mountains now have a more greyish tint but towards evening they again
appear in a tone of pink.

The mountains bounding the plain to the east, project like a promontory to
the N. W. We marched towards this promontory with the intention of turning east
on its other side. At its base there was an erosion bed which seemed to be directed
to the north. The rock was greyish green sandy schist. Turning around the corner,
*Camp VIII* was pitched at a place where the grass was the best we had seen since
*Pobrang*, and where water could be had by digging small wells. At 1 o'clock p. m.
the temperature of the air was 16.9°. The surface of the sandy ground had by
direct insolation a temperature of 28.8°, and where it was moist 21.2°. At a depth
of 10 cm. in a well I read 10.9°, at 30 cm. 7.6°, and at 55 cm. 5.9°. No precipi-
tation had fallen during the day, though the heavens became covered by clouds in
the afternoon, and one could see the precipitation on the high mountains around.
It seems as if the arid plain is protected by them.

From the point where the erosion bed was crossed 1¹⁄₂ km. S. W. of *Camp VIII*,
Pan. 22, Tab. 4, was taken to the S. W., west, north, and N. E. It represents the
mountains bounding the *Aksai-chin* Plain in this direction.

The next day an excursion was made up to the top of the low hills south of
*Camp VIII*. A valley with unusually good grass leads up between the hills. The
rock *in situ* is greyish green sandy schist. The valley becomes steep before it
emerges upon the top of the plateau-shaped mountain, which, seen from below, has
a red colour. At the edge of the plateau one is 60 or 70 m. nearly perpendicularly
above the plain. Here my men built a cairn which probably will be found by future
travellers. On the top of the plateau the rock proved to be light reddish Barré-
mien-limestone with grey patches, grey dense limestone, and red calcareous sand-
stone. At the base of the plateau-hill fossils were found in reddish grey Cenoman-
limestone. It proved to be Rudist individuals, which Professor Douvillé places near
the *Praeradiolites Fleuriani* from the Cenoman of Mans. The limestone of this region,
therefore, should belong to the upper Cenoman. All the specimens of rock from my
itinerary are described by Professor Hennig in Vol. V.

From a dominating point of the plateau some 4 km. S. E. of *Camp VIII*,
I sketched Pan. 23ᴬ and 23ᴮ, Tab. 5, which goes all round the horizon and partly
embraces rather distant mountains. Only in the direction of the next day's march,
*i. e.* to the east, the distant view is somewhat hidden by the eastern continuation of
the plateau itself. To the S. W. is the plain we had just crossed in search of water,

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Citation Information

OCR Text

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books