PANGONG: A GLACIAL LAKE 615 



60 feet downward the entire lake is bordered by a succession of old 

 strands (see Figs. 9, and 10). The mean levels of the most impor- 

 tant strands, as measured in eight sections distributed for 25 miles 

 along the southwest, west, and north shores, were at the following 

 heights above the level of the water in May, 1905, when it was said 

 to be about 3 feet below flood-level: namely, 7, 14, 22, 33, 43, and 6t 

 feet. The strands vary in character in the normal fashion, being 

 marked by beaches in the bays and by cliffs and benches along the 

 headlands. They appear to be of very recent date, this being especially 

 noticeable where they are cut in soft, young fans and are still pre- 

 served almost unmarred, even though talus is being poured rapidly 

 upon them. Along the headlands the upper benches are usually cut 

 in a rather hard conglomerate or breccia composed of beach pebbles 



Fig. 14. — Recent lake beaches at the northwest end of Lake Pangong. Drawn 

 to true scale. 



and talus cemented by white sahne, or calcareous sinter, the deposit 

 of the enlarged lake. In a few especially exposed situations the 

 benches have been cut in solid rock, as illustrated in Fig. 14. The 

 lake seems to have stood longest at the higher levels, since at these it 

 did the greatest amount of cutting. It appears to have had no out- 

 let at any time during its last expansion, for the fan at the lip shows 

 no sign of having been recently dissected (see Fig. 6 A, B), and 

 its lowest part stands 30 feet above the highest strand. Apparently 

 the fall of the lake and all the accompanying irregularities whereby 

 the beaches were formed are due entirely to desiccation. 



Some light on the nature of the process of desiccation may be 

 gained from Fig. 15, which illustrates a section exposed in the same 



