- Altyn-Tagh
Altyn-Tagh, Astyn-Tagh or Aerjin (zh-c|c=阿尔金山, meaning, Gold Mountain), also called Altun Shan, or Altun Range, is one of the chief constituent ranges of the
Kunlun and forms the border of theXinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region withTibetan Plateau in the region ofCentral Asia . Together with theQilian Shan , if forms theNan Shan .Running southwest to northeast, it converges with the Kunlun range in
Kashmir which runs southeast to northwest forming a "V" shape which converges at Polu. The geographical divide between the highlands of Kashmir and the Tibetan Plateau commences in the vicinity of Polu and continues southwards along the ridges situate east ofRudok , wherein are situate Aling Kangri and Mavang Kangri and culminates at Mayum La, continuing intoQilian Shan to the east.The Altyn Tagh separates Tibet from Xinjiang and the
Gobi Desert . The Altyn-Tagh runs roughly 1,000 km south ofLop Nur andDunhuang in a southwest to northeast direction, forming the boundary between theTarim Basin to the north and theQaidam Basin and Lake Achak-kum (one of the few noticeable bodies of water in this extremely arid area) in the south. The southwest reaches snowy peaks of 6100 m, although it descends to an average of 4000 m in the narrow middle and eventually rises up to average 5000 m as it meets the Nan Shan.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.