Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [63]
Virtually the entire country is mountainous, and ranges in elevation from 100m to the 7541m Gangkhar Puensum peak on the Tibetan border. It can be divided into three major geographic regions: the high Himalaya of the north; the hills and valleys of the inner Himalaya; and the foothills and plains of the south.
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Geology of the Bhutan Himalaya by Augusto Gansser is a large-format book that comprehensively describes Bhutan’s geology.
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Greater Himalaya
A range of high Himalayan peaks forms part of the northern and western borders of the country. These are the thrones of the gods; almost none has been climbed, many are virtually unexplored and some are not even named. There are several high mountain passes that cross the Himalaya, but for the most part it remains an impenetrable snow-clad barrier (20% of the country is under perpetual snow). The Himalayan range extends from Jhomolhari (7314m) in the west to Kulha Gangri (7554m), near the centre point of the northern border. A chain of lower peaks extends eastwards to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
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Millions of years ago the space Bhutan now occupies was an open expanse of water, part of the shallow Tethys Sea. The Tibetan plateau, or ‘roof of the world’, was beachfront property.
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The Lunana region, just south of the midpoint of Bhutan’s border with Tibet, is an area of glacial peaks and high valleys that are snowbound during the winter. A range of high peaks forms the southern boundary of Lunana, isolating it from the rest of the country.
Inner Himalaya
South of the high peaks lies a maze of broad valleys and forested hillsides ranging from 1100m to 3500m in elevation. This is the largest region of Bhutan and all the major towns, including Thimphu, are here. This part of Bhutan is cut by deep ravines formed by fast-flowing rivers that have their source in the high Himalaya. The hillsides are generally too steep for farming; most have remained covered in virgin forest.
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Trees and Shrubs of Nepal and the Himalayas by Adrian and Jimmie Storrs is the best field guide to the forests of Bhutan.
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The greater part of Bhutan’s western border is formed by the Himalayan range, including the peaks of Jhomolhari and Jichu Drakye (6989m). Several forested ridges extend eastwards from this range, and these define the large valleys of Thimphu, Paro, Haa and Samtse. Between Punakha and Thimphu lies a well-defined ridge that forms the watershed between Thimphu’s Wang Chhu and Punakha’s Puna Tsang Chhu. The east–west road crosses this ridge through a 3050m pass, the Dochu La.
A range called the Black Mountains lies to the east of the Puna Tsang Chhu watershed, forming the major barrier between eastern and western Bhutan. Pele La (3500m) is the most important pass across the Black Mountains.
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Birds of Bhutan by Carol Inskipp, Tim Inskipp and Richard Grimmett is a comprehensive, illustrated guide to Bhutan’s avian treasures.
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A north–south range of hills separates the Trongsa and Bumthang valley systems. The road crosses this ridge via Yotong La (3425m). Further east, the Donga range of hills follows the border that separates the Bumthang and Lhuentse districts, with Thrumshing La (3780m) as the crossing point for the road. Eastern Bhutan, which encompasses most of the Manas Chhu watershed, lies to the east of this range.
Thrumshing La provides the only road access across the Donga range, which drops precipitously on its eastern side to the Kuri Chhu. The steep Rodang La crosses the northern part of this range and there are few lower passes in the south that are still used by herders. The northern region just east of the Donga range is known as Kurtoe. In the far east, another range of hills runs south from the Himalayan slopes to separate the Lhuentse and Trashi Yangtse valleys.
Southern Foothills
The foothills