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0702 Southern Tibet : vol.7
Southern Tibet : vol.7 / Page 702 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000263
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the depth was measured by V. F. LADIYGIN from north to south some 10 versts
from the point where the Yellow River goes out of the lake, and here the greatest
depth was found to be 15 sashen (32 m.), at the last point measured.

On June 23rd the temperature at the bottom was 7,8° to 8,2°, and at the
surface 8,7° to 12,1°. The water is transparent and of a greenish blue colour.
There are diatoms and algæ in abundance.

»The two lakes are joined with one another by a river arm flowing from
the S. E. corner of the upper to the S. W. corner of the lower lake. It has a
length of 15 versts and a breadth of from 15 to 50 sashen; in the latter case the
river is divided into a net of branches; at places where the river flows in one bed
its breadth is never more than 30 sashen. During our visit the river had a yellow-
ish colour and flowed with considerable velocity between its low swampy banks;
the muddy colour of the water was also visible in the part of the lower lake situated
near the entrance of the river, where mudbanks were formed and where the lake
therefore was shallow and algæ growing.»

The surroundings of the lakes are hilly. At the northern shore of Jarin-nor,
two broad flat valleys come down, opening the view to the north where in the
distance the mountain ranges of Munku-tsasato-ula and Khatiyn-khara are visible.
From Orin-nor the view is free to the north and S. W.

Jagiyn-gol comes from the south and joins the channel between the lakes,
or rather enters the swamps along its southern side. The Rasboinichiya (»The
Robbers' River») is a rivulet entering the Orin-nor at its S. W. corner. A northern
tributary of older maps does not exist in reality.

From the swampy region Odon-tala or Star-sea west of Jarin-nor, the little river
Saloma enters the lake. This river KOSLOFF regards as the »Uppermost Hwang-ho»
or the source branch of the Yellow River. From the northern corner of the Orin-nor
the same river again goes out, under the name of Ma-chu.¹

Comparing this short description of Kosloff with the description of Manasarovar
and Rakas-tal as given in Vol. II of this work, the reader will agree with me that
the resemblance is remarkable. The two famous lakes of S. W. Tibet correspond in
nearly every detail with the two lakes of N. E. Tibet. There are in both cases two
freshwater lakes separated from one another by a comparatively narrow meridional
neck of land. The upper lake is in both cases nearly round and only a few meters
higher than the lower one. The two upper lakes, Manasarovar and Jarin-nor, receive
affluents coming from the interior side of the plateau-land, and from each of them
a channel crosses the separating neck of land carrying the water from the upper