Southern Tibet : vol.7 / 545 ページ（白黒高解像度画像）

0545	Southern Tibet : vol.7
南チベット : vol.7

0545

Southern Tibet : vol.7

南チベット : vol.7

375

Wegener's map, Pl. LXVIII, was already drawn, though not yet published, when
the existence of his hypothetical range seemed to be proved by the expedition of
Bonvalot. The Dupleix Range, discovered by him at about 90° East. long. and
about 1° north of the Tang-la was running E. S. E.—W. N. W. and was believed to
be the western continuation of the latter. The high snow-range discovered N. E.
of Ladak, at 35° North. lat. and 83° East. long. by Bower and Thorold, indicated
the prolongation of the range far to the west. »Somit ist die Existenz des gewaltigen,
im wesentlichen gradlinigen Kwen-lun-Zuges vom Pamir-Gebirge bis jedenfalls zum
92sten Meridian wohl als sicher anzusehen. Dieser Kettenzug ist zugleich der höchste
und imposanteste des ganzen Systems.» Everything seemed indeed to be in favour
of the correctness of this theory. Later exploration has, however, proved that it was
wrong inasmuch as the Dupleix and Tang-la Mountains belonged not to the Kwen-
lun, but to the Kara-korum System.

We now come to Dr. Karl Futterer who, in 1896, wrote a summary of
the geology of Central Asia and China which was to be regarded as a preparation
for his own journey together with Dr. Holderer through the Asiatic continent from
west to east. He does not feel convinced that the Gaurisankar (i. e. Mt. Everest)
and the gigantic peaks of the Kara-korum are the highest mountains of the earth.
The absolute culminating peaks may be sought for in the region where the northern
parts of the Farther Indian mountain systems come in contact with the old Kwen-
lun Ranges.¹

He shows how Suess has brought the great Asiatic System of folds in connection
with the European mountain chains, and Richthofen has explained the relation
between the geological structure and the physical as well as biological phenomena.
Pamir is the nucleus in this world of mountains. Here the European systems of
folds meet the Asiatic systems. Between the upper Jehlam and the latitude of Kashgar
the systems of Himalaya, Kara-korum and Western Kwen-lun form a »Scharung» with
the ranges from the west, i. e. the Hindu-kush and the Iranian folds, following along
the Persian Gulf, and, after a great curve, the course of the Indus. They join in
the great highlands uninterrupted by meridional depressions or any other orographical
irregularities. According to Suess the Western Kwen-lun, which continues in a N. W.
direction in the Kizil-yart, is a part of the Himalayan region of folds which in a
broad zone extends far beyond the Kara-korum. So far as the geological age is
concerned the Kwen-lun plays the most important part amongst the Central Asian
systems, for it already rose as an old folded mountain at an epoch when the ocean
covered the southern parts of the actual plateau-land and its ranges. Kwen-lun is
the spina dorsalis and the oldest mountain system of Asia.

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