Preserved by ice: Glacial dams helped prevent erosion of Tibetan plateau
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 12:42
in Earth & Climate
The Tsangpo River is the highest major river in the world, starting at 14,500 feet elevation and plunging to the Bay of Bengal, scouring huge amounts of rock and soil along the way. Yet in its upper reaches, the powerful Tsangpo seems to have had little effect on the elevation of the Tibetan Plateau.