Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 267 (Color Image)

0267	Southern Tibet : vol.4

southern one is filled with ice and comes so near the threshold that it seems doubtful
whether it flows to the north or the south of it. From the furrows in the ground,
it even seems at highwater times to form a bifurcation. *Camp LXXIX* was
placed in the very angle between two ice-filled beds, the southern of which also
had running water. The joint brook flows to the S. 50° E. in a deep-cut valley,
and is a left tributary of the *Bogtsang-tsangpo*. In the background to the S. 66° E.,
appeared a snow-covered peak belonging to a comparatively high range or group.
To the S. W. and W. S. W. we are aware of a series of small steep peaks, pyramids
or pinnacles which rise abruptly from the undulating grass-covered ground of detritus.
They are not high, but very steep or perpendicular to the north or N. E. On the
accompanying photograph they are clearly visible. This photograph should be com-
pared with the panorama 90A and 90B, Tab. 15, where the same pinnacles are to
be found from S. 52° W. to S. 80° W. They consist of light reddish chalk-limestone.
To the N. 82° W. we see the comparatively high mount which we left to our right
when ascending to the pass. It is visible both on the panorama and on two photo-
graphs. The eastern slopes of this mount are furrowed by innumerable dry water-
courses. The first-mentioned photograph is an excellent illustration of the general
relief worked out by running water and erosion. In the lower part of the principal
bed, situated close to *Camp LXXIX*, a part of the ice-sheet is readily visible. One
even gets a graphic impression of the hopeless barrenness of the soil, which goes a
long way to explain the cause of our heavy losses in caravan animals. Over the
hills to the south, the road continues to a pass which we had to cross the next day.
No nomads were in sight, the grass extremely poor, and dung very rare.

On *December 5th* our direction is nearly south for 12.2 km. From *Camp
LXXIX* we have only to rise 27 m. to a flat threshold, 4,843 m. high, from which
the ground slopes down to the bed of the *Bogtsang-tsangpo*, 4,710 m. in height.
From the river we again slowly rise to *Camp LXXX* at 4,760 m.

The S. W. wind had been strong again. The temperature was —25.4°.

From the camp we have to cross undulating hills and rather deep-cut water-
courses with gravelly beds here and there with small limestone knolls cropping up
at the sides, and finally we follow a little watercourse which later on joins the brook
at *Camp LXXIX* and originates from the pass. The latter is a flat saddle of quite
secondary importance, but is still provided with two cairns and traversed by many
paths of tame yaks and sheep. The living rock consists of grey quartz-amphibol-
diorite-porphyrite; below the pass the gravel was of dark grey dense aptien-limestone.
Pan. 91, Tab. 15, shows the view to the south from this threshold. To the south
the valley of *Bogtsang-tsangpo* is bounded by considerable mountains. Down in the
valley, the river meanders in several branches all covered with ice. Exactly to the
south of the pass the latitudinal valley of the river is very broad and more like 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