Geladandong Peak
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Geladaindong Peak (also spelled Geladandong, Geladaintong or Kolha Dardong) is a snow-covered mountain (or
massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
) located in Southwestern
Qinghai Province Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest pop ...
of China near the border of
Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of à ...
. It is the tallest mountain in the Tanggula Mountain Range of the
Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the ...
with an elevation of above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
. The traditional source of the
Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
, begins with
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
s on its surface. The Yangtze's true source, however, lies away at the head of the Dam Qu. The mountain's name is Geladaindong in the
Tibetan language Tibetan language may refer to: * Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard * Lhasa Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect * Any of the other Tibetic languages See also * Old Tibetan, the languag ...
. The name in Chinese is å„ æ‹‰ 丹 冬 (Pinyin: GèlÄdÄndÅng) or å„ æ‹‰ 丹 冬 å³° (Pinyin: GèlÄdÄndÅng FÄ“ng, literally "Geladandong Peak").


Location

Geladaindong is located in the administrative unit known as
Tanggula Town Tanggulashan (, ), or Dangla Town, is a town in the southwest of Qinghai province, China. It forms the southern exclave of the county-level city of Golmud, in Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, partially administrated by Amdo County ...
: an exclave of Haixi Prefecture, in the middle section of Tanggula Shan (the Tanggula Mountain Range). The Geladaindong Peak is encircled by over twenty high peaks exceeding in height. It is approximately long from north to south and approximately wide from west to east, covering an area of approximately with ice and snow, covered by over 40
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
s. This area is directly across the border from
Amdo County Amdo County (; ) is a county within Nagqu of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The county covers an area of 43,410.85 square kilometres and is dominated by mainly by Tibetan grassland. In 2000 it had a population of 32,843 . Its capital is ...
,
Nagqu Prefecture Nagqu (also Naqu, Nakchu, or Nagchu; ; ) is a prefecture-level city in the north of the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet. On May 7, 2018, the former Nagqu Prefecture was officially declared the sixth prefecture-level city in Tibet after Lhasa, ...
,
Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of à ...
. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway crosses the Tanggula Mountain Range around to the east of Geladaindong Peak.


Climate

Due to the area's arid climate, its annual precipitation is only . In the high-altitude area of over , however, there exists violent local air circulation and its yearly precipitation is several hundred mm more than that in the foothill area. Thus,
snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
and
hailstone Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
s frequently fall, presenting conditions for the development of glaciers. The average temperature is , and the hottest months are from June to August with a temperature of over , while the coldest month is January, with a temperature of . In the high-altitude area of over , it remains cold all year round, the lowest temperature being less than .


Wildlife

The mountain serves as a shelter for more than twenty kinds of wild animals, including the white-lipped deer, Asiatic
wild ass The wild asses (''Asinus'') are a subgenus of single toed grazing ungulates. Its species are: *African wild ass ''Equus africanus'' **Nubian wild ass ''Equus africanus africanus'' (likely ancestor of the domestic donkey) **Somali wild ass ''Equus a ...
,
snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus '' Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...
, and alpine
snowcock The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus ''Tetraogallus'' of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and we ...
.


Climbing

Geladaindong was first climbed by Japanese team in 1985 after three years of trying to obtain a permit.http://c498469.r69.cf2.rackcdn.com/2009/348_China_aaj2009_web.pdf They ascended the peak via the northwest ridge approaching from the northeast. In 1997 an American team climbed a new route up the northeast face (55–60°). The team consisted of William N. Rom M.D., Dan Luchtel PhD, and Mark Newcomb. Mark Newcomb also pioneered a face solo route on the same expedition. Mark Newcomb was a guide with Exum Guides from
Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton ...
. Although a dangerous peak to climb, Geladaindong is popular among Chinese mountain climbers. In 1994, the Mountaineering Association of Peking University (MAPKU) became the first Chinese climbing team to reach the summit of Geladaindong.


References


External links


Geladandong page
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108063214/http://www.tibetinfor.com/english/news/2003-4-14/News02003414105417.htm , date=2006-11-08
Peking University mountaineering team's 1994 Geladaindong Climbing Photos page
Mountains of Qinghai