No. 1 Glacier
( 2005-09-13 )

The No. 1 Glacier in the Tianshan Mountain is the most famous glacier in Daxigou, and serves as the source area of the Urumchi River. It is located on the northern slope of the Tianger Peak, with its highest point at 4,476 meters above sea level, and its lowest -- the glacial tongue -- at 3,734 meters. It is 2.4 kilometers long, averaging 500 meters wide and covering an area of 1.95 square kilometers.

Around it are 76 large and small modern glaciers. These glaciers are near one another and typical of glacier landforms. The ancient glacial relic remains well preserved, and has maintained a reputation as a "living glacier fossil."

The glacier flows, with its west branch moving 27 meters downward every year, and the east branch moving 11 meters downwards. When the front, namely the glacial tongue, moves below the snow line, it melts with the runoff becoming the main source of the Urumchi River.

The site is the best place in China for observing and researching modern glaciers and the ancient glacial relic. The land is characteristic of alluvial glaciers, so those who conduct geological surveys can explore the developmental course of the Urumchi River over its millions and millions of years of history.

It is the closest glacier to city in the world. The Urumchi Highway passes through the No. 1 Glacier, making it an important thoroughfare between the northern and southern parts of Tianshan Mountain.