terravelPeople's Republic of China · Asia
Pangong Tso
A frozen salt lake 13,862 feet high, straddling three nations' claims, where winter transforms saline waters into solid ice.
Why Pangong Tso stands out
Pangong Tso stretches 83 miles across eastern Ladakh and West Tibet, its waters distributed among three sovereignties: China controls half, India forty percent, while ten percent remains a de facto buffer zone between them. At over 2,700 square kilometers, this endorheic lake sits landlocked at extreme altitude, a self-contained world.
The geography and story of Pangong Tso
Paradoxically, despite holding salt water, Pangong Tso freezes entirely each winter. Scientists believe this ancient lake once fed the Indus River before a small ridge sealed its basin, transforming it into a geological island—now a place where geology and geopolitics converge at Earth's rooftop.
Though saline, Pangong Tso freezes solid in winter, defying the normal freezing point depression that salt water typically exhibits.
Pangong Tso at a glance
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Test yourself
Which Asian lake defies physics by freezing solid despite being saltwater?
Pangong Tso is a saline lake in eastern Ladakh and West Tibet that freezes entirely each winter, an unusual phenomenon because salt water typically has a lower freezing point than freshwater.
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