Kunlun Mountains
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Kunlun Mountains

Update: Jan. 10th, 2013

Kunlun Mountains

Kunlun Mountains is a large mountain in Middle Asia and also the main mountain of the mountains in western China. Kunlun Mountains stretches 2000 kilometers from the Pamir Plateau in the west to the Kunlun Mountain Pass in the east. It acted as a natural barrier between Tibet Plateau and the Tarim Basin in western China. It has been one of the most noted mountains in China. It spans in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province.

Geographic Factors of Kunlun Mountains

With an average altitude of 5500-6000 meters, Kunlun Mountains has a length of 2500 meters and a width of 130-200 kilometers. Kunlun Mountains, Tarim Basin and Qaidam Basin are separated by deep fractures. Actually, a large part of Kunlun Mountains is composed of several parallel mountains instead of a single mountain. The highest peak on the main mountain of Kunlun Mountains is Kerria Peak with an altitude of 7120 meters. Several other high mountains with an altitude of higher than 6000 meters also acted as parts of Kunlun Mountains, including the Mutzetag Peak and Bukadaban Peak with an altitude of 6860 meters. Tourists who've made a visit here would find that the high mountains are not as magnificent as the other high mountains in the other areas, because even the plains around the high mountains enjoy an altitude higher than 4877 meters.

The northern slope of Kunlun Mountains borders on the driest center of Asia Mainland. Located in the warm temperate zone, the annual precipitation of Tarim Basin and Qaidam Basin is even less than 100 millimeters. The annual precipitation in this region increases with the rising of the altitude. Numerous rivers in Tarim Basin and Qaidam Basin originate from the northern slope of Kunlun Mountains.

Climate of Kunlun Mountains

The climate of Kun Mountains is not influenced by the Indian Ocean Monsoon or the Pacific Ocean Monsoon. On the contrary, Kunlun Mountains is greatly and continuously influenced by the continent air mass, which brought sudden change to the annual temperature and daily temperature. The precipitation is even less than 50 millimeters in the driest region of Kunlun Mountains. The precipitation is around 102-127 millimeters in the regions with higher altitude. The annual precipitation increases to 457 millimeters in the regions close to Pamir Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

In the lower reaches of Kunlun Mountains, the average temperature in July is around 25 to 28? and the temperature in January would not be lower than -9?. In the upper regions of Kunlun Mountains and the regions next to Tibet Plateau, the average temperature in July is lower than 10? and the temperature in winter would be even lower than -35?. The snow line of Kunlun Mountains is about 5600 to 5900 meters above the sea level. The perpetual glacier on the snow line of Kunlun Mountains covers a total area of more than 3000 square kilometers. The melting water of the glaciers is the main source of several important rivers in China, including the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Lantsang River, Nujiang River and Tarim River.

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