View source for Geography of Tibet

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{{About|the geography of the ethno-cultural region of [[Tibet]], which includes, but is not the same as the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of China|the non-political geographical region|Tibetan Plateau}}
[[File:Yamdrok-tso-2.jpg|thumb|[[Yamdrok Lake]]]]
'''The geography of Tibet''' consists of the high mountains, lakes and rivers lying between Central, East and South Asia. Traditionally, Western (European and American) sources have regarded Tibet as being in Central Asia, though today's maps show a trend toward considering all of modern China, including Tibet, to be part of East Asia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/plateaus-article.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111042546/http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/plateaus-article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 11, 2008|title=plateaus}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/04ear/c07.html|title=East Asia Region}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesco.culture.free.fr/asia-new/html_eng/volume42.htm|title=UNESCO Collection of History of Civilizations of Central Asia Volume IV|access-date=2009-02-19}}</ref> [[Tibet]] is often called "the roof of the world", comprising [[Table (landform)|tablelands]] averaging over 4,950 metres (16,240 feet) above the sea with peaks at 6,000 to 7,500&nbsp;m (roughly 17,500 to 23,000 feet), including [[Mount Everest]], on the border with Nepal.

==Description==
It is bounded on the north and east by the [[Central Plain (China)|Central China Plain]] and on the west and south by the [[Indian subcontinent]] ([[Ladakh]], [[Spiti]] and [[Sikkim]] in India as well as [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]]). Most of Tibet sits atop a geological structure known as the [[Tibetan Plateau]], which includes the [[Himalaya]] and many of the highest mountain peaks in the world.

High mountain peaks include [[Changtse]], [[Lhotse]], [[Makalu]], [[Gauri Sankar]], [[Gurla Mandhata]], [[Cho Oyu]], [[Jomolhari]], [[Gyachung Kang]], [[Gyala Peri]], [[Mount Kailash]], [[Kawagebo]], [[Khumbutse]], [[Melungtse]], [[Mount Nyainqentanglha]], [[Namcha Barwa]], [[Shishapangma]] and [[Yangra]].
Mountain passes include [[Cherko la]] and [[North Col]]. Smaller mountains include [[Mount Gephel]] and [[Gurla Mandhata]].

==Regions==
Physically, Tibet may be divided into two parts, the "lake region" in the west and north-west and the "river region", which spreads out on three sides of the former on the east, south, and west.{{sfn|Waddell|Holdich|1911|p=917}} The region names are useful in contrasting their [[hydrology|hydrological]] structures, and also in contrasting their different cultural uses which is [[nomad]]ic in the "lake region" and [[agriculture|agricultural]] in the "river region".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.tew.org/geography/t2000.agricultural.html
|title=Tibet: Agricultural Regions
|access-date=2007-08-06
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824153940/http://www.tew.org/geography/t2000.agricultural.html
|archive-date=2007-08-24
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> Despite its large size and mountainous nature, variation of climate across the Tibetan Plateau is more steady than abrupt. The "river region" has a [[subtropical highland climate]] with moderate summer rainfall averaging around {{convert|500|mm|in|0}} per year, and daytime temperatures ranging from around {{convert|7|°C|°F|0}} in winter to {{convert|24|°C|°F|0}} in summer{{nbsp}}–{{nbsp}}though nights are as much as {{convert|15|°C-change|°F-change|0}} cooler. Rainfall decreases steadily to the west, reaching only {{convert|110|mm|in|1}} at [[Leh]] on the edge of this region, whilst temperatures in winter become steadily colder. On the south the "river region" is bounded by the [[Himalayas]], on the north by a broad mountain system. The system at no point narrows to a single range; generally there are three or four across its breadth. As a whole the system forms the watershed between rivers flowing to the [[Indian Ocean]] &ndash; the [[Indus River|Indus]], [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]] and [[Salween River|Salween]] and its tributaries &ndash; and the streams flowing into the undrained salt lakes to the north.{{sfn|Waddell|Holdich|1911|p=917}}

The "river region" is characterized by fertile mountain valleys and includes the [[Yarlung Tsangpo River]] (the upper courses of the [[Brahmaputra]]) and its major tributary, the [[Nyang River]], the [[Salween]], the [[Yangtze River|Yangtze]], the [[Mekong]], and the [[Yellow River]]. The [[Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon]], formed by a horseshoe bend in the river where it flows around [[Namcha Barwa]], is the deepest, and possibly longest canyon in the world.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/MATERIAL/185555.htm
|title=The World's Biggest Canyon
|publisher=www.china.org
|access-date=2007-06-29
}}
</ref> Among the mountains there are many narrow valleys.  The valleys of [[Lhasa]], [[Shigatse]], [[Gyantse]] and the Brahmaputra are free from permafrost, covered with good soil and groves of trees, well irrigated, and richly cultivated.{{sfn|Waddell|Holdich|1911|p=917}}

The [[South Tibet Valley]] is formed by the [[Yarlung Tsangpo River|Yarlung Zangbo River]] during its middle reaches, where it travels from west to east. The valley is approximately 1200 kilometers long and 300 kilometers wide. The valley descends from 4500 meters above sea level to 2800 meters. The mountains on either side of the valley are usually around 5000 meters high.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tibetan Geography|pages=30–31|publisher=China Intercontinental Press|isbn=7-5085-0665-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4q_XoMACOxkC&dq=%22South+Tibet+Valley%22&pg=PA30|author=Yang Qinye and Zheng Du|year=2004}}</ref><ref>Zheng Du, Zhang Qingsong, Wu Shaohong: ''Mountain Geography and Sustainable Development of the Tibetan Plateau'' (Kluwer 2000), {{ISBN|0-7923-6688-3}}, p. 312;</ref> Lakes here include [[Lake Paiku]] and [[Lake Puma Yumco]].

The "lake region" extends from the [[Pangong Tso|Pangong Tso Lake]] in [[Ladakh]], [[Lake Rakshastal]], [[Yamdrok Lake]] and [[Lake Manasarovar]]  near the source of the [[Indus River]], to the sources of the [[Salween]], the [[Mekong]] and the [[Yangtze River|Yangtze]]. Other lakes include [[Dagze Co]], [[Nam Co]], and  [[Pagsum Co]]. The lake region is an arid and wind-swept desert.  This region is called the [[Chang Tang]] (Byang thang) or 'Northern Plateau' by the people of Tibet. It is some 1100&nbsp;km (700&nbsp;mi) broad, and covers an area about equal to that of France. Due to the extremely high mountain barriers it has a very arid [[alpine climate]] with annual precipitation around {{convert|100|mm|in|0}} and possesses no river outlet. The mountain ranges are spread out, rounded, disconnected, separated by flat valleys. The country is dotted over with large and small lakes, generally salt or [[alkaline]], and intersected by streams. Due to the presence of [[discontinuous permafrost]] over the Chang Tang, the soil is boggy and covered with tussocks of grass, thus resembling the Siberian [[tundra]]. Salt and fresh-water lakes are intermingled. The lakes are generally without outlet, or have only a small effluent. The deposits consist of [[Sodium carbonate|soda]], [[potash]], [[borax]] and common [[salt]]. The lake region is noted for a vast number of [[hot spring]]s, which are widely distributed between the Himalaya and 34° N., but are most numerous to the west of Tengri Nor (north-west of Lhasa). So intense is the cold in this part of Tibet that these springs are sometimes represented by columns of ice, the nearly boiling water having frozen in the act of ejection.{{sfn|Waddell|Holdich|1911|p=917}}

==Climate==
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Xizang 1991–2020.svg|alt=Köppen–Geiger climate classification map at 1-km resolution for Xizang (China) for 1991–2020|thumb|400x400px]]
The climate of Tibet is severely dry nine months of the year, and average annual snowfall is only {{convert|46|cm|inch|abbr=in}}, due to the [[rain shadow|rain shadow effect]]. Western passes receive small amounts of fresh snow each year but remain traversible all year round. Low temperatures are prevalent throughout these western regions, where bleak desolation is unrelieved by any vegetation bigger than a low bush, and where the wind sweeps unchecked across vast expanses of arid plain. The Indian [[monsoon]] exerts some influence on eastern Tibet. Northern Tibet is subject to high temperatures in the summer and intense cold in the winter.{{sfn|Waddell|Holdich|1911|p=917}}

===Climate data===
{{Weather box
|location = [[Lhasa]] (Köppen BSk/Dwb/Cwb)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Yes 
|width = auto 
|Jan high C =  8.4
|Feb high C =  10.1
|Mar high C = 13.3
|Apr high C = 16.3
|May high C = 20.5
|Jun high C = 24.0
|Jul high C = 23.3
|Aug high C = 22.0
|Sep high C = 20.7
|Oct high C = 17.5
|Nov high C = 12.9
|Dec high C =  9.3

| Jan mean C  = -0.3
| Feb mean C  = 2.3
| Mar mean C  = 5.9
| Apr mean C  = 9.0
| May mean C  = 13.1
| Jun mean C  = 16.7
| Jul mean C  = 16.5
| Aug mean C  = 15.4
| Sep mean C  = 13.8
| Oct mean C  = 9.4
| Nov mean C  = 3.8
| Dec mean C  = -0.1

|Jan low C = −7.4
|Feb low C = −4.7
|Mar low C = −0.8
|Apr low C =  2.7
|May low C =  6.8
|Jun low C =  10.9
|Jul low C = 11.4
|Aug low C =  10.7
|Sep low C =  8.9
|Oct low C =  3.1
|Nov low C = −3.0
|Dec low C = −6.8

|Jan record high C = 20.5
|Feb record high C = 21.3
|Mar record high C = 25.1
|Apr record high C = 25.9
|May record high C = 29.4
|Jun record high C = 30.8
|Jul record high C = 30.4
|Aug record high C = 27.2
|Sep record high C = 26.5
|Oct record high C = 24.8
|Nov record high C = 22.8
|Dec record high C = 20.1

|Jan record low C = −16.5
|Feb record low C = −15.4
|Mar record low C = −13.6
|Apr record low C =  −8.1
|May record low C =  -2.7
|Jun record low C =   2.0
|Jul record low C =   4.5
|Aug record low C =   3.3
|Sep record low C =   0.3
|Oct record low C =  -7.2
|Nov record low C = -11.2
|Dec record low C = −16.1

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm =    0.9
|Feb precipitation mm =   1.8
|Mar precipitation mm =   2.9
|Apr precipitation mm =   8.6
|May precipitation mm =  28.4
|Jun precipitation mm =  75.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 129.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 133.5
|Sep precipitation mm =  66.7
|Oct precipitation mm =   8.8
|Nov precipitation mm =   0.9
|Dec precipitation mm =   0.3

|Jan humidity = 26
|Feb humidity = 25
|Mar humidity = 27
|Apr humidity = 36
|May humidity = 41
|Jun humidity = 48
|Jul humidity = 59
|Aug humidity = 63
|Sep humidity = 59
|Oct humidity = 45
|Nov humidity = 34
|Dec humidity = 29
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days =   0.6
|Feb precipitation days =  1.2
|Mar precipitation days =  2.1
|Apr precipitation days =  5.4
|May precipitation days =  9.0
|Jun precipitation days = 14.0
|Jul precipitation days = 19.4
|Aug precipitation days = 19.9
|Sep precipitation days = 14.6
|Oct precipitation days =  4.1
|Nov precipitation days =   0.6
|Dec precipitation days =   0.4

|Jan sun = 250.9 |Jan percentsun = 78
|Feb sun = 231.2 |Feb percentsun = 72
|Mar sun = 253.2 |Mar percentsun = 66
|Apr sun = 248.8 |Apr percentsun = 65
|May sun = 280.4 |May percentsun = 66
|Jun sun = 260.7 |Jun percentsun = 61
|Jul sun = 227.0 |Jul percentsun = 53
|Aug sun = 214.3 |Aug percentsun = 54
|Sep sun = 232.7 |Sep percentsun = 62
|Oct sun = 280.3 |Oct percentsun = 80
|Nov sun = 267.1 |Nov percentsun = 84
|Dec sun = 257.2 |Dec percentsun = 82
                 |year percentsun= 67<!--automatically calculated value of 68.6 gives maximum possible daily sun hrs less than 12-->
|source 1 = China Meteorological Administration,<ref name= CMALhasa >{{cite web  | url = http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3  | script-title = zh:中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）  | access-date = 2010-05-04  | publisher = [[China Meteorological Administration]]  | language = zh  | archive-date = October 16, 2013  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131016192548/http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3  | url-status = dead  }}</ref> all-time extreme temperature<ref name = lhasaMherrera>{{cite web
|url= http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm
|title= Extreme Temperatures Around the World
|access-date= 2013-02-21
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=55591&ano=2022&mes=3&day=29&hora=18&min=0&ndays=30|title= 55591: Lhasa (China)|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 28 March 2022|website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET |access-date= 29 March 2022|quote=}}</ref>
|source 2 =[http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/dataSetLogger.do?changeFlag=pageid=3 China Meteorological Administration National Meteorological Information Center]
}}

{{Weather box
|width = auto
| location = [[Shigatse]] (Köppen Dwb)
| metric first = Yes
| single line  = Yes
| collapsed = Yes

| Jan high C = 5.6
| Feb high C = 7.9
| Mar high C = 10.9
| Apr high C = 15.2
| May high C = 18.9
| Jun high C = 22.2
| Jul high C = 20.8
| Aug high C = 19.7
| Sep high C = 18.5
| Oct high C = 15.1
| Nov high C = 10.3
| Dec high C = 6.8

| Jan mean C = -3.7
| Feb mean C = -0.8
| Mar mean C = 2.8
| Apr mean C = 7.3
| May mean C = 11.0
| Jun mean C = 14.9
| Jul mean C = 14.7
| Aug mean C = 13.9
| Sep mean C = 12.1
| Oct mean C = 6.9
| Nov mean C = 1.0
| Dec mean C = -2.7

| Jan low C = -13.0
| Feb low C = -9.4
| Mar low C = -5.3
| Apr low C = -0.7
| May low C = 3.2
| Jun low C = 7.6
| Jul low C = 8.7
| Aug low C = 8.1
| Sep low C = 5.7
| Oct low C = -1.2
| Nov low C = -8.3
| Dec low C = -12.2
 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 0
| Feb precipitation mm = 0
| Mar precipitation mm = 2
| Apr precipitation mm = 3
| May precipitation mm = 15
| Jun precipitation mm = 60
| Jul precipitation mm = 129
| Aug precipitation mm = 146
| Sep precipitation mm = 58
| Oct precipitation mm = 7
| Nov precipitation mm = 2
| Dec precipitation mm = 0

| source 1 = Climate-Data.org <ref>{{cite web
 |url         = https://en.climate-data.org/location/2611/
 |title       = Climate: Shigatse – Climate-Data.org
 |access-date  = 21 January 2018
|url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072710/https://en.climate-data.org/location/2611/
 |archive-date = 22 January 2018
}}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box
|location=[[Leh, India]] (Köppen BWk)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Yes 
|width = auto 
|Jan record high C=8.3
|Feb record high C=12.8
|Mar record high C=19.4
|Apr record high C=23.9
|May record high C=28.9
|Jun record high C=34.8
|Jul record high C=34.0
|Aug record high C=34.2
|Sep record high C=30.6
|Oct record high C=25.6
|Nov record high C=20.0
|Dec record high C=12.8
|year record high C=34.8
|Jan high C=-2.0
|Feb high C=1.5
|Mar high C=6.5
|Apr high C=12.3
|May high C=16.2
|Jun high C=21.8
|Jul high C=25.0
|Aug high C=25.3
|Sep high C=21.7
|Oct high C=14.6
|Nov high C=7.9
|Dec high C=2.3
|year high C=12.8
|Jan low C=-14.4
|Feb low C=-11.0
|Mar low C=-5.9
|Apr low C=-1.1
|May low C=3.2
|Jun low C=7.4
|Jul low C=10.5
|Aug low C=10.0
|Sep low C=5.8
|Oct low C=-1.0
|Nov low C=-6.7
|Dec low C=-11.8
|year low C=-1.3
|Jan record low C=-28.3
|Feb record low C=-26.4
|Mar record low C=-19.4
|Apr record low C=-12.8
|May record low C=-4.4
|Jun record low C=-1.1
|Jul record low C=0.6
|Aug record low C=1.5
|Sep record low C=-4.4
|Oct record low C=-8.5
|Nov record low C=-17.5
|Dec record low C=-25.6
|year record low C=-28.3
|rain colour=green
|Jan rain mm=9.5
|Feb rain mm=8.1
|Mar rain mm=11.0
|Apr rain mm=9.1
|May rain mm=9.0
|Jun rain mm=3.5
|Jul rain mm=15.2
|Aug rain mm=15.4
|Sep rain mm=9.0
|Oct rain mm=7.5
|Nov rain mm=3.6
|Dec rain mm=4.6
|year rain mm=105.5
|Jan rain days=1.3
|Feb rain days=1.1
|Mar rain days=1.3
|Apr rain days=1.0
|May rain days=1.1
|Jun rain days=0.4
|Jul rain days=2.1
|Aug rain days=1.9
|Sep rain days=1.2
|Oct rain days=0.4
|Nov rain days=0.5
|Dec rain days=0.7
|year rain days=13.0
|time day=17:30 [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
|Jan humidity=51
|Feb humidity=51
|Mar humidity=46
|Apr humidity=36
|May humidity=30
|Jun humidity=26
|Jul humidity=33
|Aug humidity=34
|Sep humidity=31
|Oct humidity=27
|Nov humidity=40
|Dec humidity=46
|year humidity=
|source 1=[[India Meteorological Department]]<ref name=LehIMD >{{cite web |url=http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/extreme/leh2.htm |title=Leh Climatological Table Period: 1951–1980 |publisher=[[India Meteorological Department]] |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225132218/http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/extreme/leh2.htm |archive-date=25 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=IMD2Leh>{{cite web |url=http://www.mausam.gov.in/WEBIMD/ClimatologicalAction.do?function=getStationDetails&actionParam=1&param=2&station=Leh |title=Leh Climatological Table Period: 1951–1980 |publisher=India Meteorological Department |access-date=April 4, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721172646/http://www.mausam.gov.in/WEBIMD/ClimatologicalAction.do?function=getStationDetails&actionParam=1&param=2&station=Leh |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>
}}

===The effects of climate change===
The Tibetan Plateau contains the world's third-largest store of ice. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the recent fast pace of melting and warmer temperatures will be good for agriculture and tourism in the short term; but issued a strong warning:

<blockquote>"Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China, and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world." "In the short term, this will cause lakes to expand and bring floods and mudflows." "In the long run, the glaciers are vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges. Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be in peril."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100123192540/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g1eE4Xw3njaW1MKpJRYOch4hOdLQ Global warming benefits to Tibet: Chinese official. Reported 18/Aug/2009.]</ref></blockquote>

==Tibet during the last glacial period==

Today Tibet is the most essential heating surface of the atmosphere. During the [[Last glacial period]] a c. {{convert|2400000|km2|sqmi}} ice sheet covered the plateau.<ref>[[Matthias Kuhle]] (1997): New Findings concerning the Ice Age (Last Glacial Maximum) Glacier Cover of the East-Pamir, of the Nanga Parbat up to the Central Himalaya and of Tibet, as well as the Age of the Tibetan Inland Ice. GeoJournal 42 (2-3, Tibet and High Asia IV. Results of Investigations into High Mountain Geomorphology, Paleo- Glaciology and Climatology of the Pleistocene (Ice Age Research)), 87-257.</ref> This glaciation took place in correspondence to a lowering of the snowline by {{convert|1200|m|ft}}. For the [[Last Glacial Maximum]] this means a depression of the average annual temperature by {{convert|7|to|8|C-change}} at a minor precipitation compared with that one of today.

Owing to this drop in temperature a supposed drier climate has partly been compensated with regard to the glacier feeding by a minor evaporation and an increased relative humidity.
Due to its great extension this glaciation in the subtropics was the most important climatically foreign element on earth. With an [[albedo]] about 80-90% this ice area of Tibet has reflected an at least 4 times greater global radiation energy per surface into space than the further inland ices at a higher geographical latitude. At that time the most essential heating surface of the atmosphere{{nbsp}}–{{nbsp}}which at present, i.e. interglacially, is the Tibetan plateau{{nbsp}}–{{nbsp}}was the most important cooling surface.<ref>[[Matthias Kuhle]] (2011): Ice Age Development Theory. In: Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers. Eds: V. P. Singh, P. Singh, U. K. Haritashya, 576-581, Springer.</ref>

The annual low-pressure area induced by heat above Tibet as a motor of the summer [[monsoon]] was lacking. The glaciation thus caused a breaking-off of the summer monsoon with all the global-climatic consequences, e.g. the pluvials in the Sahara, the expansion of the Thar desert, the heavier dust influx into the Arabian Sea etc., and also the downward shifting of the timber line and all forest-belts from the alpine-boreal forests as far down as to the semi-humid mediterranean forest which has replaced the Holocene monsoon-tropical forests on the Indian subcontinent. But also the movements of animals including the [[Javan Rusa]] far into South Asia are a consequence of this glaciation.

Despite heavy [[ablation]] caused by heavy [[insolation]], the discharge of the glaciers into the Inner-Asian basins was sufficient for the creation of meltwater lakes in the [[Qaidam Basin]], the [[Tarim Basin]] and the [[Gobi Desert]]. The drop in temperature (see above) was in favour of their development. Thus, the clay fraction produced by the ground scouring of the important glaciation was ready to be blown-out. The blow-out of the limnites and the [[Aeolian processes|Aeolian]] long-distance transport were connected to the [[katabatic wind]]s. Accordingly, the Tibetan glaciation was the actual cause of the enormous [[loess]] production and the transport of the material into the Chinese middle- and lowlands continuing to the east.<ref>[[Matthias Kuhle]] (2001): The Tibetan Ice Sheet; its Impact on the Palaeomonsoon and Relation to the Earth's Orbital Variations. Polarforschung 71 (1/2), 1-13.</ref> During the Ice Age the katabatic air current{{nbsp}}–{{nbsp}}the name 'winter monsoon' is not quite correct{{nbsp}}–{{nbsp}}blew all year round.

The enormous uplift of Tibet by around 10&nbsp;mm/year measured by triangulations since the 19th century and confirmed by glaciogemorphological findings as well as by seismological investigations equals the uplift of the Himalaya. However, these amounts of uplift are far too important as to a primarily tectonic uplift of the high plateau which only takes place [[Epeirogenic movement|epirogenetic]]ally. Actually they can be understood the better by a superimposed glacioisostatic compensation movement of Tibet about 650 m.<ref>[[Matthias Kuhle]] (1995): Glacial Isostatic Uplift of Tibet as a Consequence of a Former Ice Sheet. GeoJournal 37 (4), 431-449.</ref>

An alternative view held by some scientists<ref>Lehmkuhl, F., Owen, L.A. (2005): Late Quaternary glaciation of Tibet and the bordering mountains: a review. Boreas, 34, 87-100.</ref> is that the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau have remained restricted over the entire data published since 1974 in the literature referred to in [[Matthias Kuhle|Kuhle]] (2004),<ref>[[Matthias Kuhle]] (2004): The High Glacial (Last Ice Age and LGM) ice cover in High and Central Asia. Development in Quaternary Science 2c (Quaternary Glaciation – Extent and Chronology, Part III: South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, Eds: Ehlers, J.; Gibbard, P.L.), 175-199.</ref> which are relevant as to the maximum ice extent.

<gallery mode="packed">
Image:Himalayas-Lhasa15.JPG|[[Himalayas]] near [[Lhasa]]
Image:TibetanPlateau.jpg|Tibet is located on the [[Tibetan Plateau]], the world's highest region.
File:Tibet and surrounding areas topographic map 2.png|[[Tibetan Plateau]] and surrounding areas above 1600-m [[topography]]<ref name="GLOBE" /><ref name="ETOPO1" />
Image:Himalaya composite.jpg|The Tibetan plateau lies between the [[Himalaya]]n range to the south and the [[Taklamakan]] plain to the north.
Image:Ladakh - Pangong Tso 1.jpg|Lake Pangong Tso
Image:Glacier-capped Mountains in Tibet.jpg|Glacier-capped mountains in Tibet
File:Glacier-capped Mountains in Tibet.OGG|Animation of glacier-capped mountains in Tibet
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Geography of Tibet}}
*[[Abongshan Formation]]
*[[Rongbuk Glacier]]
*[[Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau]]

==Notes==
<references>
<ref name="GLOBE">National Geophysical Data Center, 1999. Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. Hastings, D. and P.K. Dunbar. [http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/topo/gltiles.html National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA]. doi:10.7289/V52R3PMS [access date: 2015-03-16]</ref>

<ref name="ETOPO1">Amante, C. and B.W. Eakins, 2009. ETOPO1 1 Arc-Minute Global Relief Model: Procedures, Data Sources and Analysis. NOAA Technical Memorandum NESDIS NGDC-24. [https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/etopo-global-relief-model National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA]. doi:10.7289/V5C8276M [access date: 2015-03-18].</ref>
</references>
*{{EB1911 |wstitle=Tibet |volume=26 |pages=916–917 |first1=Lawrence Austine |last1=Waddell |author-link1=Laurence Waddell |first2=Thomas Hungerford |last2=Holdich |author-link2=Thomas Holdich}}

==References==
*[[Hopkirk, Peter]]. ''Trespassers on the Roof of the World: The Secret Exploration of Tibet'' (1983) J. P. Tarcher. {{ISBN|0-87477-257-5}}

==Further reading==
*Kingdon-Ward, Frank (1923) ''Mystery Rivers of Tibet''. London: Seeley Service and Co (reprinted by Cadogan Books, 1986 ISBN 0-946313-52-0)

==External links==
*[http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVLPages/TibPages/tib-maps.html Online collection of maps of Tibet maintained by The Australian National University]
*[http://ru.china-embassy.org/rus/ztbd/xzzt/xzjj/t69893.htm Geography of Tibet]
*[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/317 Full Map of Tibet] from 1904

{{Tibet topics}}
{{Geography of Asia}}
{{Asia topic |Climate of}}

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