Views of nature: or Contemplations on the sublime phenomena of creation: with scientific illustrationsHumboldt, Alexander von
Science
Views of nature: or Contemplations on the sublime phenomena of creation: with scientific illustrations
Humboldt, Alexander von
Physical geography; Plant morphology; Science; South America -- Description and travel
“Towards the end of the same month, at the end of the Pindur, near the
glacier from which that river rises, an open spot on which I could
pitch my tent could not be found above 12,000 feet. But here the
accumulation of snow, which was considerable in all ravines even below
11,000 feet, is manifestly the result of avalanches and drift. The
surface of the glacier, clear ice as well as moraines, was quite free
from snow up to nearly 13,000 feet; but the effect of the more retired
position of the place in retarding the melting of the snow, was
manifest from the less advanced state of the vegetation. During my
stay at Pinduri the weather was very bad, and several inches of snow
fell; but, excepting where it had fallen on the old snow, it all
melted off again in a few hours, even without the assistance of the
sun’s direct rays. On the glacier, at 13,000 feet, it had all
disappeared twelve hours after it fell.
“On revisiting Pinduri about the middle of October, the change that
had taken place was very striking. Now not a sign of snow was to be
seen on any part of the road up to the very head of the glacier; a
luxuriant vegetation had sprung up, but had already almost entirely
perished, and its remains covered the ground as far as I went. From
this elevation, about 13,000 feet, evident signs of vegetation could
be seen to extend far up the less precipitous mountains. The place is
not one at which the height of the perpetual snow can be easily
estimated, for on all sides are glaciers, and the vast accumulations
of snow from which they are supplied, and these cannot always be
readily distinguished from snow _in situ_; but as far as I could
judge, those places which might be considered as offering a fair
criterion were free from snow up to 15,000, or even 16,000 feet.
“Towards the end of August I crossed the Barjikang Pass, between Rálam
and Juhár, the elevation of which is about 15,300 feet. There was here
no vestige of snow on the ascent to the pass from the south-east, and
only a very small patch remained on the north-western face. The view
of the continuation of the ridge in a southerly direction was cut off
by a prominent point, but no snow lay on that side within 500 feet of
the pass, while to the north I estimated that there was no snow in
considerable quantity within 1500 feet or more, that is, nearly up to
17,000 feet. The vegetation on the very summit of the pass was far
from scanty, though it had already begun to break up into tufts, and
had lost that character of continuity which it had maintained to
within a height of 500 or 600 feet. Species of Potentilla, Sedum,
Saxifraga, Corydalis, Aconitum, Delphinium, Thalictrum, Ranunculus
Saussurea, Gentiana, Pedicularis, Primula, Rheum, and Polygonum, all
evidently flourishing in a congenial climate, showed that the limits
of vegetation and region of perpetual snow were still far distant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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