World Records - (Pocket Library)

Author: Book Writing Group
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
Mount Everest, the highest peak in the Himalayas, is undoubtedly the highest peak on Earth. Located at 86.9 degrees east longitude and 27.9 degrees north latitude, it sits on the eastern section of the China-Nepal border. The northern slope is within the territory of Dingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, while the southern slope is in the territory of Nepal. In Tibetan, "Qomolangma" means "Goddess Third." The mountain's body resembles a massive pyramid, with extremely steep terrain and a complex environment. The snow line on the northern slope ranges from 5,800 to 6,200 meters, while on the southern slope, it ranges from 5,500 to 6,100 meters. Between the northeastern, southeastern, and southwestern ridges lie three major cliffs: the North Wall, the East Wall, and the Southwest Wall. Approximately 548 continental-type glaciers are distributed among these ridges and cliffs, covering a total area of 1,457.07 square kilometers with an average thickness of 7,260 meters. These massive glaciers were formed by the transformation of snow in the two precipitation zones of the Indian Ocean monsoon belt. The glaciers are almost everywhere adorned with spectacular ice towers of various shapes, towering ice cliffs dozens of meters high, treacherous ice fissures that are both bright and dark, and perilous zones of ice and snow avalanches.
The highest and youngest plateau in the world is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, located in southwestern China. It is composed of most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, as well as parts of Gansu, Sichuan, and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, covering an area of approximately 2 million square kilometers with an average elevation of 4,500 meters. The terrain slopes roughly from northwest to southeast. The northern Tibetan Plateau typically has an elevation above 4,500 to 5,000 meters, such as the valleys of the Ngari Prefecture, which reach over 5,000 meters, earning it the name "the plateau of plateaus." The central plateau has an elevation of about 4,500 meters, while the lowest southeastern part remains at around 3,500 meters. Due to its immense height, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is hailed as the "Roof of the World." The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its vast mountain ranges were formed during the Pliocene to Early Pleistocene epochs. At that time, the movement of the Himalayas lifted the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to its current elevation. In other words, its present-day appearance was formed within the last three to five million years, making it the world's youngest massive plateau. P41