Tanggula Mountains
Encyclopedia
Tanggula Mountains are a mountain range in the central part of the Tibetan Plateau
. Administratvely, the western part of the range is in Nagqu Prefecture
of the Tibet Autonomous Region
; the highest, central part, in the border area of Nagqu Prefecture and Tanggula Town of the Qinghai
Province; and the eastern section, in the border area of Nagqu and the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai.
The elevations of the main ridge average more than 5,000 m.
The Yangtze River
originates in this mountain range and Peak Geladandong
(at 6,621 metres, located within Tanggula Town) is the tallest peak in the range.
The Qinghai-Tibet Highway
and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway cross the Tanggula Mountains at Tanggula Mountain Pass. This is the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and the highest point of any railway in the world, at 5,072 meters above sea level. On account of the snow and occasional road accidents, highway closures and concomitant traffic delays are not uncommon.
The mountains lie within the Tibetan Plateau alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion
.
The Tanggula (Tanglha) Range is a dividing range between the basin of the Yangtze River
in the north and the endorheic
basins of north-eastern Tibet in the south. This range should not be confused with the Nianqing Tangula (Nyainqêntanglha), which is located a few hundreds of kilometers further south, separating those endorheic basins from the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River basin of southern Tibet.
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
. Administratvely, the western part of the range is in Nagqu Prefecture
Nagqu Prefecture
Nagqu Prefecture ; ; Wylie: Nag-chu Sa-khul; simplified Chinese: 那曲地区; pinyin: Nàqū Dìqū) is the largest prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nagqu has a total area of 450,537 km²...
of the Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
; the highest, central part, in the border area of Nagqu Prefecture and Tanggula Town of the Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
Province; and the eastern section, in the border area of Nagqu and the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai.
The elevations of the main ridge average more than 5,000 m.
The Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
originates in this mountain range and Peak Geladandong
Geladandong
Geladaindong Peak is a snow-covered mountain located in southwestern Qinghai province of China near the border of Tibet. It is the tallest mountain in the Tanggula Mountain Range of the Tibetan Plateau with an elevation of above sea level...
(at 6,621 metres, located within Tanggula Town) is the tallest peak in the range.
The Qinghai-Tibet Highway
China National Highway 109
China National Highway 109 connects Beijing with Lhasa. It runs westwards of Beijing via Datong, Yinchuan and Xining to Golmud before turning southwest to Lhasa...
and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway cross the Tanggula Mountains at Tanggula Mountain Pass. This is the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and the highest point of any railway in the world, at 5,072 meters above sea level. On account of the snow and occasional road accidents, highway closures and concomitant traffic delays are not uncommon.
The mountains lie within the Tibetan Plateau alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
.
The Tanggula (Tanglha) Range is a dividing range between the basin of the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
in the north and the endorheic
Endorheic
An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans...
basins of north-eastern Tibet in the south. This range should not be confused with the Nianqing Tangula (Nyainqêntanglha), which is located a few hundreds of kilometers further south, separating those endorheic basins from the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River basin of southern Tibet.
See also
- Tanggula PassTanggula PassThe Tanggu La or Tanggu Pass is a wide mountain pass over 5000 meters elevation in the People's Republic of China used by the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway to cross the Tanggula Mountains. These mountains form part of the watershed separating the Yangtze River to the north and a zone of...
- Tanggula railway stationTanggula railway stationThe Tanggula railway station is a railway station located in Amdo County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, near the border with the Tanggula Town, Qinghai...
- Tibetan PlateauTibetan PlateauThe Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
- GeladandongGeladandongGeladaindong Peak is a snow-covered mountain located in southwestern Qinghai province of China near the border of Tibet. It is the tallest mountain in the Tanggula Mountain Range of the Tibetan Plateau with an elevation of above sea level...
- Nyenchen Tanggula MountainsNyenchen TanglhaNyenchen Tanglha or Nyainqêntanglha is a mountain range lying approximately 300 kilometer north-west of Lhasa in central Tibet.The range's highest peak, Mount Nyainqêntanglha, stands at 7,162 metres in Damxung County; the nearest town to this peak is Yangbajain.The mountain range has more than...