Geography

The lake is the biggest one on China’s Tibet Autonomous Region also the salt lake of highest elevation on our planet. Namtso (Chinese: 纳木措) in Tibetan language means the Heavenly Lake, located 240 kilometers to the north of Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,718 meters above sea level with an area of about 1,940 square kilometers.

In terms of geology, the Lake Namtso’s history traces back to late Tertiary and early Quaternary Periods (about 1.8 million years before present). The concave basin made by upward movements of the Himalayas with abundant rainfall that formed the lake, but in later ages local climate had become dry gradually, so that the Lake Namtso’s area had been reduced much. Today the deepest part of the lake is about 33 meters below surface. The water is like seawater but clean and crystal-clear. The fresh water sources are from neighboring glaciers melted from high mountains during warmer seasons. Towering peaks are located at the southeastern side of Namtso, the icy summit of the Nyainqen Tanglha Mountain Range (Chinese: Nianqing Tanggula Shan) is up above the white clouds. Mountainous terrains, though not so high, are seen in the north. The green pasture that has wild animals roaming is ringed the lake. The blue color is the lake surface, which is very in harmony with the azure sky in clear and sunny days, and it reflects the sky like a mirror. It seems to be in real paradise when you are having a boat ride.