Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 138 (Color Image)

0138	Southern Tibet : vol.4

and fragments of old, nearly buried, ranges, the relief of the country in the direction
of our route became more alternating from a hypsometrical point of view. For all
these extended or short ranges which, as a rule, are stretching more or less from
west to east, have to be crossed in small, flat passes or thresholds, and sometimes
in more considerable passes. Such was the case on *October 11th* when we made
17.3 km. to the S. E. Hitherto we have spoken of a regular rise or fall of
the ground. From *Camp X* to *Camp XIV*, for instance, the ground was rising
gradually, but so slowly that it could not be noticed with the naked eye. From
*Camp XXVIII* to *Camp XXXII* the ground was falling with the same regularity and
with the appearance of being quite level. The distance between the two last-men-
tioned camps is 60 km., and the difference in height between them, 260 m. The
average fall of the ground is here as 1:231. From *Camp XXXV*, on the other
hand, which is at 5,033 m., we need only to march 6 km. E. S. E. to reach a height
of 5,253 m. or a rise of 220 m., which is as 1:27 or nearly ten times as steep as
in the former case. The heights (5,033, 5,253, 5,034, 5,055 and 4,978 m.) of a
single day's march, or that from *Camp XXXV* to *Camp XXXVI* on *Oct. 11th*, give
one an idea of wandering up and down more than hitherto. It is easy to see that
we have crossed the range or system of ranges which, on the south, is bounding
the long latitudinal valley we had followed for so many days. The greatest vertical
amplitude during the day's march is thus 275 m. and the distance in all is 17.3 km.

The country is a labyrinth of rounded hills of soft material, partly red, partly
greyish green dust in a much comminuted state of division. The ground is very
barren and there is no grass. The erosion furrows are fairly deep-cut and their
bottom is full of gravel. The hard rock is dark greyish green calcareous sandstone;
the dust, sand and gravel is detritus of the same prevailing material. Where the
hills consist of red clay they would be very difficult to climb after rains and the
animals would then sink deep in this ground which now is dry and comfortable.
The only vegetation now occasionally visible is moss. Our direction is now E. S. E.
following a valley which comes from a pass. From *Camp XXXIV* the pass and the
whole range to which it belongs had seemed to be very low, and still it took us
two hours from *Camp XXXV* to reach its flat saddle with the height of 5,253 m.
Its form was very comfortable and easy, though at this height all rising ground is
extremely fatiguing for the animals. On the pass the loose gravel consisted of yellowish
white limestone-breccia and the living rock was light red calcareous sandstone.

Pan. 49, Tab. 8, shows the relief of the surroundings of this pass. To the
N. E., north, west and S. W. are the rounded cupola-shaped hills which are the cul-
minating points of the little range we are just crossing. To the south and S. E.
are the southern slopes of the same. To the E. N. E., east and E. S. E. the view
is quite open for some 6 or 7 days' march or more. The eastern horizon forms a

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