Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains

These are very tall mountains.

They sit in a place called Tibet. The mountains are in a long row.

Some parts are very steep. Other parts are more flat. Many peaks have white snow.

Big rivers start in these mountains. The air brings rain to the peaks. This rain helps make huge ice rivers.

These ice rivers are called glaciers. Many of them are very large.

It is a very grand place to see.

The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains are a long row of peaks. They sit in Tibet, in China. These mountains are part of the Transhimalaya. This is a large mountain system.

The range has two main parts. The first part is the West Nyenchen Tanglha. It has the four highest peaks. Mount Nyenchen Tanglha is the tallest. It is 7,162 meters high.

The second part is the East Nyenchen Tanglha. Some people call these the "Alps of Tibet." This area has many peaks over 5,000 meters. Much of this part is covered in snow.

Rain and wind help make glaciers here. Glaciers are huge rivers of ice. Most of the ice is in the east. The Kyagquen Glacier is the largest. It covers 100 square kilometers.

Many peaks in the east are hard to climb. One peak is Sepu Kangri. It was first climbed in 2002. The mountains also help feed many rivers. One river is the Drukla Chu. It flows toward the Yarlung Tsangpo River.

The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains are a long mountain range in Tibet. They sit within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This range is part of a larger system called the Transhimalaya.

These mountains run north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. They sit parallel to the famous Himalayas. The range stretches from Nyêmo County in the west to Ranwu County in the east. It is a very important part of the landscape in this region.

The mountains are split into two main parts. The first part is the West Nyenchen Tanglha. This section is near the Namtso area. It includes the four highest peaks in the whole range. These peaks are all above 7,000 meters. Mount Nyenchen Tanglha is the tallest at 7,162 meters. Other high peaks here include Nyenchen Tanglha II, Nyenchen Tanglha III, and Jomo Gangtse. These mountains help separate different basins of land. The Lhasa River flows from the northeastern part of this section.

The second part is the East Nyenchen Tanglha. This area is located in Nagqu, Chamdo, and Nyingchi. Some people call these mountains the "Alps of Tibet." This part of the range is very rugged. It has more than 240 peaks that rise over 5,000 meters. One very famous peak here is Sepu Kangri. It reaches a height of 6,956 meters. This section is also very snowy and holds much of the ice.

Ice and water are very important in these mountains. The mountains contain many glaciers, which are huge rivers of ice. One source says there are 7,080 glaciers here. Most of these glaciers are in the eastern section. The Kyagquen Glacier is the largest one. It covers 100 square kilometers and is very long. The mountains also help create this ice. Southwest monsoons bring moist air to the plateau. The mountains force the air upward. This creates high rainfall that feeds the glaciers.

Climbing these mountains can be a very hard job. Many peaks in the east have never been climbed. In 1997 and 1998, climbers tried to reach Sepu Kangri. They wrote a book about it called "Tibet's Secret Mountain." Finally, Mark Newcomb and Carlos Buhler reached the top in 2002. Other climbers have reached peaks like Kajaqiao and Manamcho. Manamcho is even called the "Matterhorn of the East." These mountains are a place of great wonder and mystery.

The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains are a massive mountain range in Tibet. They are located within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This range is a subrange of the Transhimalaya System.

The Transhimalaya runs parallel to the Himalayas. It sits to the north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The mountains stretch from Nyêmo County in the west to Ranwu County in the east. This range is a vital part of the geography of the Tibetan plateau.

The physical structure of the range is very distinct. The southern side of the mountains is precipitous. This means it falls away very steeply by about 1,000 meters. In contrast, the northern side is fairly level. It descends by only about 500 meters. Most of the mountains in this range stay below 5,000 meters in height. However, the range contains many extremely high peaks. The highest point is Mount Nyenchen Tanglha, also known as Nyainqêntanglha Feng. It reaches an elevation of 7,162 meters and sits northwest of Lhasa.

The range is divided into two main sections by the Tro La Pass. This pass is located near Lhari Town. The first section is the West Nyenchen Tanglha. This area lies southeast of Namtso. It forms part of the northern watershed for the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The northeastern section of this part is drained by the Lhasa River. The Lhasa River is the largest tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo. The West Nyenchen Tanglha includes the four highest peaks in the entire range. These peaks are all above 7,000 meters. They are Mount Nyenchen Tanglha, Nyenchen Tanglha II, Nyenchen Tanglha III, and Jomo Gangtse. These mountains separate the Yarlung Tsangpo basins from the endorheic basins of the Changtang in the north.

The second section is the East Nyenchen Tanglha. This part is located across Nagqu, Chamdo, and Nyingchi. It acts as a water divide. It separates the Yarlung Tsangpo to the south from the Nak Chu river to the north. The Nak Chu river eventually becomes the Nujiang and Salween rivers. This eastern section is very rugged and heavily glaciated. It contains more than 240 peaks that rise over 5,000 meters. One notable peak is Sepu Kangri. It has a height of 6,956 meters and a topographic prominence of 2,213 meters.

Glaciers are a major feature of this landscape. One source states the range contains 7,080 glaciers. These glaciers cover a total area of 1,500 square kilometers. Another source from the Langzhou Glaciers Research Institute lists 2,905 glaciers covering 1,100 square kilometers. Most of the ice is in the eastern section. Two-thirds of the glaciers are found there. These glaciers account for five-sixths of the total glacial area. There are thirty-two glaciers in the range that are over 10 kilometers long. The Kyagquen Glacier is the largest. It covers 100 square kilometers and extends for 10 kilometers. The foot of the Qiaqing glacier is located in an area of mountain forests.

Weather patterns help create these massive glaciers. The eastern section receives the southwest monsoons. These winds enter the plateau at the Grand Bend of the Yarlung Zanbo river. The terrain forces the moist air to rise upward. This process yields the highest rainfall and the moistest air on the plateau. This moisture feeds the development of the glaciers. The mountains also influence local rivers. The Drukla Chu river rises here as the Song Chu river. It joins the Gyamda Chu river. These rivers flow southeast to the Yarlung Tsangpo.

Many peaks in the East Nyenchen Tanglha are unclimbed. This area is often called the "Alps of Tibet." Sepu Kangri was a famous target for climbers. Chris Bonington and Charles Clarke attempted the peak in 1997 and 1998. They wrote a book about it titled "Tibet's Secret Mountain." The summit was finally reached on October 2, 2002, by Mark Newcomb and Carlos Buhler. Other notable climbs include Kajaqiao in 2005. In 2007, climbers reached Manamcho. This peak is known as the "Matterhorn of the East."