GLACIATION OF HIGH ASIA. 281 



entering Ladak from Kashmir the climate and appearance of the country 

 completely change. The pine-clad mountains and densely wooded vallej^s 

 are replaced, as we have seen, by an apparently endless succession of barren 

 rocky mountains and valleys, which are almost desert except along the mar- 

 gins of the streams Wherever the mountains rise to about 20,000 



feet they are covered with perpetual snow Rain scarcely ever falls 



in Ladak. I believe it is no exaggeration to say that the entire i^ainfall 

 for twelve months would hardly be sufficient to wet one's coat. Captain 

 Straehey estimates the total amount of rain and snow at about three or four 

 inches. Snow occasionally falls to the depth of six or eight inches at one 

 time, but owing to the excessive dryness of the atmosphere, it usually evap- 

 orates in a few hours without perceptibly liquefying."* 



The pass by which Dr. Henderson crossed the Kuen-Luen range was 

 about 16,600 feet in height. Here no snow was observed in going to 

 Yarkand, but on the return journey " wreaths of snow were observed on the 

 pass." The range itself as seen from a distance, and when estimated to be 

 about 25,000 feet in height, was observed to be " tipped w'ith snow." 

 Farther east is the Kuen-Luen range, on the borders of China. Prjewalsky 

 found no permanent snow at an elevation of 5,000 meters (16,400 feet).t 



In the Karakorum range Hayward crossed a pass having an elevation of 

 17,710 feet, which at the time was entirely free from snow. Many of the 

 adjacent summits, which rose to 18,500 feet and over, wei-e also bare. J 



The Pamir is in reality not a simple plateau, but a series of more or less 

 level tracts separated by high ranges, having a decided parallelism with 

 those of the Thian-Schan. The elevation of the more level portions of the 

 Pamir seems to be from 12,000 to 15,000 feet, and there are many points 

 in the ranges built up on it which reach, or even surpass, 25,000 feet. In 

 spite of this great elevation, a large portion of the region seems free from 

 snow during a part of the year. Gordon says that there ai'e trails across it 

 in all directions, and that with a guide one could traverse it in almost any 

 place.§ This, however, is not possible except in summer, for it is only then 

 that the ground is bare. 



In the map of the Pamir Plateau and the neighboring portions of the 



* Dr. Henderson, in Lahore to Yarkaud, London, 1873, p]i. 62-65. 

 + Richthofen, China, Band I. p. 265. 



t See " Ost-Turkestan uud das Pamir- Plateau,"' in Erganzungsheft to Peterniann'.s Mittlieilungen, Ko. 52, 

 1877, p. 37. 



§ In "The I'oof of tlie World," qnoteil in Reelns, (ieographie Universelle, Tome VI. ]>. 320. 



