Qarliq Tagh (also Harlik Shan, Karlik Tagh, or Qarlik Shan) is the easternmost mountain range of the
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. It is located in
Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
, China, between 42º50'N–43º35'N and 93º41'O–95º07'O.
In its western end it connects with the
Barkol Shan. The highest peak is the
Tomort ({{Höhe, 4886 above sea level).
The mountain range is characterized by distinct ice caps and more than 122
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s with a total area of 126 km
2, of which are 73 on the southern and 49 on the northern flanks.
In the north, the mountains descend steeply into the Naomaohu basin, which connects to the Naomaohu Gobi (chin.) / Nomingyyn Gobi (mongol.). In the south, the mountain range descends into the
Hami basin, with elevations as low as 50 m below sea level.
References
[
Cunningham, D., Owen, L., Snee, L., & Jiliang, L. (2003). Structural framework of a major intracontinental orogenic termination zone: the easternmost Tien Shan, China. Journal of the Geological Society, 160(4), 575-590.]
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[
Wang, W., Li, K., & Gao, J. (2011). Monitoring glacial shrinkage using remote sensing and site-observation method on southern slope of Kalik Mountain, eastern Tian Shan, China. Journal of Earth Science, 22(4), 503-514.]
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[
Qian, Y., Zhang, H., Wu, Z., & Wang, Z. (2011). Vegetation composition and distribution on the northern slope of Karlik Mountain to Naomaohu basin, East Tianshan Mountains. Journal of Arid Land, 3(1), 15-24.]
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[
Chen, Y., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, M., Cui, Z., Yi, C., & Liu, G. (2015). Late Quaternary glacial history of the Karlik Range, easternmost Tian Shan, derived from 10 Be surface exposure and optically stimulated luminescence datings. ]Quaternary Science Reviews
''Quaternary Science Reviews'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering quaternary science. It was established in 1982 by Pergamon Press and is currently published by Elsevier. The editor-in-chief is C.V. Murray Wallace (University of Wollo ...
, 115, 17-27.
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[
Li, Y., Li, Y., Chen, Y., & Lu, X. (2016). Presumed Little Ice Age glacial extent in the eastern Tian Shan, China. Journal of Maps, 12(sup1), 71-78.]
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Mountain ranges of the Tian Shan
Mountain ranges of Xinjiang