Lake Paiku

Lake Paiku

alt_lake

From space, May 1997. North is down.
Location Tibet Autonomous Region
   Shigatse Prefecture
      Gyirong County and Nyalam County
Coordinates 28°55′N 85°35′E / 28.917°N 85.583°E / 28.917; 85.583Coordinates: 28°55′N 85°35′E / 28.917°N 85.583°E / 28.917; 85.583
Type brackish
Primary outflows None (endorheic).
Max. length 27 km (17 mi)
Surface elevation 4,591 m (15,070 ft)

Lake Paiku (or Peiku) -- in Tibetan Paiku-Tso or -Tsho—is at 4,591 meters (15,070 ft) elevation on the Tibetan Plateau at 28°55′N 85°35′E / 28.917°N 85.583°E / 28.917; 85.583, 18 km south of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River. The lake is 27 km (17 mi) long and 6 km (3.7 mi) wide at its narrowest. It is surrounded by mountains reaching 5,700 to 6,000 meters (19 to 20,000 ft). Streams fed by glaciers cascade to the valley floor but most sink into alluvial deposits before reaching the lake.

The surrounding catchment is an endorheic basin with no outlet. It would overflow into the Yarlung Tsangpo with a water level about 100 meters higher. The lake's brackish water is evidence that it has not overflowed in hundreds if not thousands of years.

References


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