Glacier No.1 of Tianshan Mountains
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As the Headwaters of Urumqi River, the melting Tianshan Mountains No.1 Glacier sits in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Located within the Tianshan Mountains 120 kilometers southwest of Urumqi, the Tian Shan No.1 Glacier is the closest glacier to an urban community in the world.
Nestled in the rain-shadow of the towering Tianshan Mountains, No.1 Glacier is a scenic view with stretch of 2.4 kilometers, covering an area of 1.85 square kilometers. It was formed about 4.8 millions of years ago at tertiary stratum of Ice Age. It get a fame as "living fossil of glacier" because of a rich deposits of all periods.
For geological exploration scholars and tourists, No.1 Glacier is easy access to adventure and scenery view on sunny days. This region offers activities for the whole family. Walk on a glacier, ride a zipline, raft the Urumqi River, view caribou and Dall Sheep, enjoy horseback riding or take advantage of the many outstanding hiking opportunities before ending the day at one of the plentiful campgrounds or lodges. From Urumqi accessible glacier at its heart, the chance for world-class ice climbing year-round lures novice and expert climbers to Glacier view from around the world.
Numbers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences indicate that the rate of the glacier's recession grows every year under increasing global temperatures. Over the four decades between 1962 and 2006, the glacier's surface area had shrunk by 14 percent, from 1.95 to 1.68 square kilometers, while its thickness had gone down by 15 meters.
