Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 505 (Color Image)

0505	Southern Tibet : vol.4

cloudy in the afternoon. This explains that the temperature at 7.30 o'clock a. m. was
+8.2°, and at 1 o'clock p. m., +6.1°. However, we had found that March is the
month in which the power of the winter is broken and the spring begins. During
the first half of March, the winter had been so cold that one or two of our mules
had frozen to death. In the last days of March the weather was so hot, if there was
no wind, that we had to lay off some of our winter clothes. The ice was rotten
and melting, snow very rare, and insects began to move on the ground and in the air.

After crossing a little valley we entered the valley of Satsot-la with a well
marked erosion furrow and much gravel. From the threshold of this little pass, which
is only a little more than 100 m. above the surface of Chunil-tso, the view is open
to the S. S. W. and S. S. E., the rest being hidden by hills. To the S. 7° W., a
part of the lake is in sight, white to the left, blue to the right, indicating that it is
still partly ice-covered. It occupies a large part of a flat depression which, to the
south, is bounded by a mighty range with several snow-peaks and crests. But in
the prolongation of the lake, or S. 7° W., the mountains appear lower and there we
seem to have a favourable way for a few days.

Here we had thus discovered a new lake, belonging to the same curious chain
of lakes, most of which had been discovered by Nain Sing. In this chain we may
reckon Tengri-nor, Mokieu-tso, Kyaring-tso, Chikut-tso, Marchar-tso, Ngangtse-tso,
Dangra-yum-tso, Teri-nam-tso, Karong-tso, Chunil-tso, Tarok-tso, Tabie-tsaka,
Poru-tso, Shovo-tso and Nganglaring-tso. It is worth while remembering that the
extensive latitudinal depression which is indicated by this chain of lakes, affords the
most splendid northern boundary of the orographical system of Transhimalaya.
Shuru-tso, on the other hand, does not belong to this chain of lakes, as it is situated
in the middle of Central Transhimalaya.

On the pass the rock consisted of red quartz-porphyritic dacite or tuff-por-
phyroid. The slope down is moderate amongst gravel. At its base the grass was
good. Farther on, the clay ground is barren in some places. From the N. W. a
large valley enters with a red conical mount in its background. In its mouth there
is a spring surrounded with ice and grey clay hills. To the left, at the base of a
conical hill which had been visible two or three days, was a tent and flocks of sheep.
Three sheepfolds were passed. In the valley were the tracks of several hundred
yaks, which had marched to the N. W. through the above-mentioned valley, obviously
to Tabie-tsaka for collecting salt.

We ascend a flat ridge which borders the lake depression on the north.
On its top was a mani with yak horns; two round manis had been seen on the
southern side of Satsot-la. To the S. 81° E., opens a considerable valley at the
southern base of the large conical mount. Just east of our route, is a little dry,
clay depression. From the flat ridge we go down a terrace to an erosion bed, with
38. IV.

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