TheTrans himalaya(also spelledTrans-Himalaya), or "Gangdise – Nyenchen Tanglha range"(Chinese:Cương đế tư - Niệm Thanh Đường Cổ Lạp núi non;pinyin:Gāngdǐsī-Niànqīngtánggǔlā Shānmài), is a 1,600-kilometre-long (990 mi) mountain range inChina,IndiaandNepal,extending in a west–east direction parallel to the mainHimalayanrange.[1][2]Located north ofYarlung Tsangporiver on the southern edge of theTibetan Plateau,the Transhimalaya is composed of theGangdiserange to the west and theNyenchen Tanglharange to the east.
| |
|---|---|
 Part of the Nyenchen Tanglha range in the Trans himalayas | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Nyenchen Tanglha |
| Elevation | 7,162 m (23,497 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 1,600 km (990 mi) |
| Geography | |
 | |
| State | Tibet |
| Range coordinates | 30°23′00″N90°34′31″E/ 30.383427°N 90.5752890°E |
| Parent range | Alpine orogeny,Tibetan Plateau(perimeter range) |
The nameTranshimalayawas introduced by the Swedish geographerSven Hedinin early 20th century.[3]The Transhimalaya was described by theColumbia Lippincott Gazetteerin 1952 as an "ill-defined mountain area" with "no marked crest line or central alignment and no division by rivers." On more-modern maps theKailas Range(Gangdise or Kang-to-sé Shan) in the west is shown as distinct from the Nyenchen Tanglha range in the east.[4]
Geology
editThe Transhimalayas are geologically distinct from the other Himalayan ranges. They were probably formed by subduction of sediments from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. A consensus of different dating methods suggests that the older parts of this range formed in the upperCretaceous(82-113 Mya), while the younger regions formed in theEocene(40-60 Mya).[1]
Climate
editThe Transhimalays generally have a cold, arid montane climate. For example, theSpitiregion ofHimachal Pradesh,India, has an annual rainfall of about 170 mm.[2]However, studies inMustang District,Nepal, indicate that climate change is warming the Transhimalayas at a rate of about 0.13 degrees a year.[5]
Biodiversity
editThe Transhimalayas generally have low species diversity (and vegetation cover) and are classified as dry alpine steppes. However, a study in the Spiti region found 23 medicinal plants. Previous surveys in this region had found a total of over 800 species ofvascular plants.[2]
The Transhimalayas are home to the once endangeredsnow leopard,theEurasian lynx,Tibetan wolf,red foxandTibetan fox.Native herbivores include theargali,Tibetan gazelle,urial,wild ass orkiang,Asiatic ibex,yakandbharal.[2]
Conflict and Conservation
editThe Tibetan wolf, snow leopard and lynx are major predators of livestock in theLadakhregion of India. Goats, sheep, yak and horses were their most common prey.[6]In Mustang, Nepal, rising temperatures and declining snowfall are reducing the area available for agriculture, forcing villagers to relocate and reducing grassland and forest cover. This has also led to bharal shifting to lower elevations, where they raid crops. In turn, this attracts snow leopards to human settlements, where they prey on livestock.[5]
On the other hand, many wild herbivores are out-competed and displaced by livestock.[7][8]A historical analysis suggests that the Transhimalayas have lost four wild herbivores over the last millennium or so of human habitation.[9]Many parts of the Transhimalayas are now conserved. These include theKangrinboqê National Forest Parkin China, thePin Valley National Park(675 km2.) andKibberWildlife Sanctuary (1400 km2.) in India and parts of theAnnapurna Conservation Area(7,629 km2.) in Nepal.[2]In addition to protecting species diversity, restoration of the native Transhimalayan grasslands has also been found to trap more carbon in the soil, mitigating climate change.[10]
Gallery
edit-
Location of Transhimalaya which includesLhasa Terrane.In the north,Bangong-Nu gian g Suture Zoneseparates Transhimalaya from theQiangtang terrane.In the south,Indus-Yarlung suture zoneseparates it fromHimalayas. -
Tectonic map of the Himalaya, modified afterLe Fort & Cronin (1988).Red is Transhimalaya. Green is Indus-Yarlung suture zone, north of which lies Lhasa terrane, follow by Bangong-Nu gian g Suture Zone and then Qiangtang terrane.
See also
edit- Geology of the Himalaya
- Indus Suture Zone
- Transhimalaya, includes the following two
- Bangong-Nu gian g Suture Zone
- Qiangtang terrane
References
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Citations
edit- ^abDebon, Francois (1986)."The Four Plutonic Belts of the Transhimalaya-Himalaya: a Chemical, Mineralogical, Isotopic, and Chronological Synthesis along a Tibet-Nepal Section".Journal of Petrology.27(1): 219–250.CiteSeerX10.1.1.1018.511.doi:10.1093/petrology/27.1.219.Retrieved22 June2022.
- ^abcdeKala, Chandra Prakash (2000). "Status and conservation of rare and endangered medicinal plants in the Indian trans-Himalaya".Biological Conservation.93(3): 371–9.Bibcode:2000BCons..93..371K.doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00128-7.
- ^Hedin, Sven (1910).Trans-Himalaya.Nature, pp. 367–369.
- ^Allen 2013,p. 142.
- ^abAryal, Achyut (2013)."Impact of climate change on human-wildlife-ecosystem interactions in the Trans-Himalaya region of Nepal"(PDF).Theor Appl Climatol.115(3–4). Wien: Springer-Verlag: 517.Bibcode:2014ThApC.115..517A.doi:10.1007/s00704-013-0902-4.S2CID120932741.Retrieved22 June2022.
- ^Namgail, Tsewang (2007). "Carnivore-Caused Livestock Mortality in Trans-Himalaya".Environ Manage.39(4). Springer: 490–496.doi:10.1007/s00267-005-0178-2.PMID17318699.S2CID30967502.
- ^Mishra, Charudutt (2004)."Competition between domestic livestock and wild bharalPseudois nayaurin the Indian Trans-Himalaya ".Journal of Applied Ecology.41(2). British Ecological Society: 344–354.Bibcode:2004JApEc..41..344M.doi:10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00885.x.
- ^Mishra, Charudutt (2001).High-altitude survival: Conflicts between pastoralism and wildlife in the Trans-Himalaya(in English and Dutch). The Netherlands: Wageningen University.
- ^Mishra, Charudutt (2002). "A theoretical analysis of competitive exclusion in a Trans-Himalayan large-herbivore assemblage".Animal Conservation.5(3): 251–258.Bibcode:2002AnCon...5..251M.doi:10.1017/S1367943002002305.S2CID55372179.
- ^Wang, Dangjun (2022)."Responses of soil microbial metabolic activity and community structure to different degraded and restored grassland gradients of the Tibetan Plateau".Frontiers in Plant Science.13:770315.doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.770315.PMC9024238.PMID35463442.
Sources
edit- Allen, Charles(2013-01-17).A Mountain in Tibet: The Search for Mount Kailas and the Sources of the Great Rivers of Asia.Little, Brown Book Group.ISBN978-1-4055-2497-1.Retrieved2015-02-07.
- Le Fort, P.; Cronin, V. S. (1 September 1988). "Granites in the Tectonic Evolution of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Southern Tibet".Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences.326(1589): 281–299.Bibcode:1988RSPTA.326..281F.doi:10.1098/rsta.1988.0088.S2CID202574726.