Tibet and the Tibetans / by Graham Sandberg. Published under the general literature committee.

  • Graham Sandberg
Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Tibet and the Tibetans / by Graham Sandberg. Published under the general literature committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    82/352 (page 68)
    HOT SPRINGS OF TIBET. Among the natural phenomena characteristic of Tibet the springs of hot water;, so numerous and so remarkable^ must certainly be included. Curiously enough those portions of the territory which have their general plane at the greatest altitude above the sea, and which are subjected to the intensest forms of cold, are possessed of the most and the hottest springs. Thus in the regions east of longitude E., where the eleva- tion of plains and valleys is commonly under 14,000 feet, these heated waters are known to occur in only two or three localities and the tem- perature of them seems to be rather low. On the other hand, in the up- lifted tracts stretching wed of that same longitude and the lofty alti- tude of which is carried as far to the west as the Lingzhi T^ang and the Karakorums, such springs are found at frequent intervals. Now the general level of those regions ranges from 15,000 to 17,400 feet ; excepting in the S.-W,, and there no hot springs are met with, in Ngari Khorsum. Furthermore, there appears to be a northern limit of occurrence also. This may be adjusted as just beyond the 34th parallel of latitude, north of which these springs have not been observed, although there is only a slight decrease in the average elevation. Accordingly, we may fix the boundaries of the region wherein waters of abnormally-raised temperature occur as edged by long. 78^ 30' and E., and by the Himalayan southern range and lat. dd' 30' N.; a hiatus existing within these limits, however (as we have said), in the S.-W. quarter. Nevertheless, having given the bounds just laid down, it must now be pointed out that there is a certain portion of Tibetan territory which deserves to be sj^ecially demarcated as pre-eminently the Hot Spring llegion. It lies immediately to the W. of long. 92° E. and to the N. of the Yeru Tsangpo. Tlie northern limit seems to be still lat. 34° and the western limit is probably long. 88° E. Within these lines the num- ber of boiling springs is truly extraordinary; while the high tempera-